Thaumetopoea cretensis Ipekdal & Avtzis, 2023

Basso, Andrea, Avtzis, Dimitrios, Burban, Christian, Kerdelhue, Carole, Ipekdal, Kahraman, Magnoux, Emmanuelle, Rousselet, Jerome, Negrisolo, Enrico & Battisti, Andrea, 2023, The pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Notodontidae) species complex: a phylogeny-based revision, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 81, pp. 1031-1050 : 1031

3.3.2. Thaumetopoea cretensis Ipekdal & Avtzis sp. nov.

Holotype.

Adult ♂. Label: Greece, Crete, Anopoli, Chania, 796 m, larva collected on 02 April 2019 on Pinus brutia , moth emerged on mid-August 2019, legit Kahraman İpekdal. Coordinates: 35°13′29″N, 24°02′10″E, elevation 796 m.

Paratypes.

Three adult ♂ and four adult ♀, same label. Type material deposited at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria.

Diagnosis.

Smaller than other species of the T. pityocampa complex, from which it can be hardly separated based on morphological traits of both male and female moths. The anal scale of the female is more similar to T. wilkinsoni than to T. pityocampa . It can be separated from other species of the genus based on the gene sequence data of the barcode region cox 1 (primers HCO - LCO) and from a clear separation at nuclear DNA level identified by Petsopoulos et al. (2018).

Description.

(Figs 5 , S12, S13). Adult ♂. Forewing length 15 mm. Antenna bipectinate, rami well developed and more or less equal in length except in the apex, where they become progressively shorter; axis and rami pale orange-brown. Head small, labial palpus extremely short, directed ventrally, covered completely in long, dense dark grey hair-like scales; eye surrounded by long dark brown hair-like setae; chitinous and shiny frontal process (crest, canthus) with 6 teeth; first tooth pointing dorsally and others frontally; angle of about 90° between first and second tooth; teeth from second to sixth with lateral horns; height of first tooth about one third of second, height of other teeth progressively decreasing until the sixth, which is about one tenth of second; spacing between first and second tooth larger than that between other teeth, maximum width at level of fourth tooth; frontal process surrounded medially and basally by long yellow hair-like setae with dark brown apex; vertex covered by long yellow hair-like setae with dark brown apex; compound eye large, globular. Thorax, tegula and collar covered in dense, very long dark brown hair-like setae. Abdomen orange-brown dorsally, dark grey laterally. Forewing ground colour pale light brown, costal margin yellowish for two-thirds from the base; basal line and ante-median lines complete, post-median line extended from costal to ventral margin, more distinct in the upper half, discal spot well defined, c-shaped, brown, terminal line distinct and brown. Hindwing off-white, with yellowish venation; discal spot faint; terminal line present with clear anal spot. Underside of forewing as upperside but generally less distinct; underside of hindwing homogenous whitish as upperside but with darker shade, discal spot present but faint. - Genitalia. Uncus short, relatively broad at base, apically with two hooks. Socii short, longer than uncus, broad at base, lateral and inner margins straight, apex rounded. Tegumen robust, as long as valvae; juxta wider than long, concave at superior margin, lateral and inferior margins convex, lateral angles rounded. Valvae broad at base, rounded quadrangular, cucullus rounded with sparse, short setae. Ventral margin of valvae convex basally and concave distally; dorsal margin of valvae straight basally and concave distally; upper ribbing of valvae faint in the basal part. Phallus as long as valvae, straight, apically rounded, constricted in the distal half.

Barcode sequence.

GenBank MZ425548, BOLD ID GBMNF23047-22, see Table S1b.

Adult ♀.

Forewing length 19 mm. Antenna bipectinate, rami more or less equal in length except in the apex, where they become shorter; axis and rami pale yellow brown. Head small, labial palpus short, directed ventrally, light yellow and covered completely by long, dense brownish hair-like setae; eye surrounded by long brownish hair-like setae; chitinous and shining frontal process (crest, canthus) with 6 teeth; first tooth pointing dorsally and the others frontally; angle of about 90° between the first and the second tooth; teeth from the second to the sixth with lateral horns; height of the first tooth about one fourth of the second, the height of other teeth progressively decreasing until the sixth, which is about one eighth of the second; teeth 2-6 with lateral horns; spacing between the first and second tooth larger than that between the other teeth, maximum width at level of fourth tooth; spacing between tooth 2 and 3 larger than between 4 and 5; frontal process surrounded medially and basally by long yellow hair-like setae with brown apex; vertex covered by long yellow hair-like setae with brown apex; compound eye large, globular. Thorax, tegula and collar covered by dense, very long light brown hair-like setae; abdomen orange brown dorsally and covered with short hair-like setae, yellowish with longer hair-like setae laterally and ventrally; 8th and 9th tergites covered with dense pack of scales, partially covered by long hair-like setae. Scales elongated, maximum width at apex, 1.75 times longer than wide, light brown except at the base. Forewing long, broad triangular, costal and ventral margin straight, outer margin evenly arcuate, tornal angle broad, apex narrowly rounded. Forewing ground colour pale light brown, costal margin yellowish for two-thirds from the base; basal line faint, ante-median line visible in the upper half and faint in the lower half, post-median line extended from costal to ventral margin but distinct only in the upper half, discal spot well defined, c-shaped, brown, terminal line distinct and brown. Hindwing off-white, with yellowish venation; discal spot faint; terminal line present with a clear anal spot. Underside of forewing as the upperside but generally less distinct; underside of hindwing homogenous whitish as upperside but with darker shade, discal spot present but faint.

Barcode sequence.

GenBank MZ425548, BOLD ID GBMNF23047-22, see Table S1b.

Distribution.

Known from Crete Island.

Material examined.

Type material: Adult ♂. Label: Greece, Crete, Anopoli , Chania , 796 m, larva collected on 02 April 2019 on Pinus brutia , moth emerged on mid-August 2019, legit Kahraman İpekdal. - Other material: Paratypes. Three adult ♂ and four adult ♀, same label .

Remarks.

Etymology: from the island of Crete.

Figures

Figure 5. Thaumetopoea cretensis holotype (a male dorsal view; c male label; e male canthus; g genitalia) and paratype (b female dorsal view; d label; f canthus; h anal scale).