Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev

Alipanah, Helen, Yakovlev, Roman, Falsafi, Hossein, Witt, Thomas & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2021, 5062, Zootaxa 5062 (1), pp. 1-100 : 12-15

Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev , sp. n.

( Figs. 3A‒D ; 4A‒E )

Material examined. HMIM: Holotype, ♂, Sistân and Baluchestân Prov. : Pishin, 267 m, 2.xi.2001, leg. Gilâsiân, Nematiân (gen. prep. No. HA-1509, HMIM); paratypes, 1 ♂, Sistân and Baluchestân Prov.: Bampur, 500 m, 8.x.1996, leg. Barâri, Sarafrâzi, Parchami-Arâghi, 1 ♀, same data as the holotype (gen. prep. No. HA-1521, HMIM).

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to Meharia breithaupti Yakovlev, 2014 both in the wing pattern and genitalia structure. The main differences between two species are as follows:

Forewing length of the male and female of M. baluchestana sp. n. are 13.0 mm and 18.0 mm, recpectively ( Figs. 3A, B ); while M. breithaupti Yakovlev has much smaller forewing (6.0 mm in male, and 10.0 mm in female). Considering the male genitalia, the following differences are observed:

1) Valva in M. breithaupti is quadrate distally with rounded corners; while in M. baluchestana sp. n., it is clearly rounded apically ( Fig. 4A ).

2) In M. breithaupti juxta is small and spoon-shaped ( Yakovlev 2014b: 402 ); whereas in M. baluchestana sp. n. it is medium-sized and trapezoidal ( Fig. 4A ).

3) Phallus of M. baluchestana sp. n. is slightly curved with the same width troughout the length ( Fig. 4A ); while in M. breithaupti it is nearly straight with wider basal half ( Yakovlev 2014b: 408 ).

4) Both dorso-apical processes of the phallus in M. baluchestana sp. n. and M. breithaupti have dentate edges dorsally; however, in the former species the process is broad-based with regular teeth ( Fig. 5B ), whereas the process of the latter species has irregularly dentate with shorter basal part and is sligltly directed towards the proximal end of phallus ( Fig. 4C ).

The female genitalia of the two species are different form each other in the shape of apophyses anteriores and distal end of apophyses posteriores. In M. baluchestana sp. n. apophyses anteriores are wide and spoon-shaped distally ( Fig. 4D ); while in M. breithaupti they are poined. Moreover, distal end of apophyses posteriores in M. breithaupti are pointed ( Yakovlev 2014b: 408 ); comparing to distinctly rounded in M. baluchestana sp. n. ( Fig. 4D )

Description. Male, holotype ( Fig. 3A ). Head: Vertex and frons with nearly smooth creamy-white scales; labial palpus upturned, covered with dirty-cream scales, the length slightly less than half length of the horizontal diameter of compound eye, third segment slightly hanging, second segment the longest; antenna bipectinate, with length slightly more than half length of the forewing, each pecten process nearly seven times longer than the relevant antennal segment diameter.

Thorax: Smooth scaling; grayish-light brown dorsally. Forewing ( Fig. 3A ). Length 13.0 mm; elongate, parallelsided, termen obliquely rounded, apex rounded; upperside grayish-light brown with four types of slightly developed light spots at costal margin: 1) a light spot with a smaller brown one inside, located at basal one-fourth of the costa, 2) an almost similar spot surrounding several brown dots at three-fourths of the costal length, mostly dark-edged towards tornus, 3) few smaller light spots between the two above-mentioned ones, 4) a small light spot next to the apex. Tornus with two light spots at one-fourth and three-fourths of its length, respectively, the proximal one largest. Termen with a few scattered dark brown sub-marginal dots. Fringes light brown with a darker basal line; underside glossy grayish-brown, having more or less similar pattern. Hindwing upperside ground color grayish-light brown, without pattern, fringes as on forewing, with paler basal line; underside glossy grayish-brown, slightly brighter than that of forewing.

Abdomen: Grayish-light brown. Genitalia ( Figs. 4A, B ) with phallus nearly straight, sligthly curved next to the apex, pointed apically with an almost rooster-shaped well-developed sclerotized process at dorso-apical surface near the bulbus ejaculatorius, vesica without cornuti; saccus elongate, turned back; juxta moderate-sized, trapezoidal; transtilla membranous; valva broad at base, gradually narrowed towards the apex, apically rounded, with an strongly sclerotized bar at internal surface extended obliquely from basal area of costa to near the middle of dorsal edge; gnathos smooth, poorly developed with thin and long gnathos arms; tegumen medium-sized; uncus short, slightly curved and pointed apically.

Female ( Figs. 3B, C, D ). Head: Vertex and frons with nearly smooth creamy-white scales; labial palpus upturned, covered with yellowish-cream scales, about half the length of horizontal diameter of compound eye, third segment slightly hanging, length of both first and third segments nearly one-sixth of the second one, second segment longest; antenna bipectinate, as long as the half length of the forewing, pecten process nearly 4.5 times longer than the antennal segment diameter.

Thorax: Smooth scaling; creamy-light brown. Forewing ( Fig. 3B ). Length 18.0 mm; elongate, parallel-sided, with obliquely rounded termen and rounded apex; upperside creamy-light brown, pattern nearly the same as male, but clearly paler with almost entirely creamy spots. Fringes cream, darkened distally with darker basal line; underside same as on upperside. Hindwing slightly darker than forewing, without pattern, fringes dirty-cream at base and cream distally; underside distinctly brighter than upperside.

Abdomen: Creamy-light brown. Genitalia ( Figs. 4D, E ) with apophyses anteriores relatively wide, nearly four times the width of apophyses posteriores, spoon-shaped distally; apophyses posteriores narrow, rounded distally; corpus bursae missing (mistakenly removed during preparation); ductus bursae membranous, narrower than antrum; antrum cup-shaped, weakly sclerotized; ostium bursae moderate-sized; papillae anales pyramidal-conical, covered with long setae at posterior half.

Distribution. Iran.

Distribution in Iran. Sistan and Baluchestan Province: Pishin and Bampur ( Fig. 23E ).

Etymology. This species is named after the collecting area in Baluchestan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev, sp. n. A) Adult male, holotype, upperside. B) Adult female, paratype, upperside (scale bar= 10.0 mm). C, D) Head of the female in frontal (C) and lateral (D) views.

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev, sp. n., holotype (A, B) and M. breithaupti Yakovlev (C), and female genitalia of Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev, sp. n., paratype. A) Main body and phallus in ventral and lateral views, respectively. B, C) Distal end of the phallus. D) Main body in ventral view. E) Middile part showing ostium area and ductus bursae.

FIGURE 5. A) Meharia tancredii Sutton, male (holotype). B) Dyspessa albosignata Rothschild, male. C) D. alipanahae Yakovlev, female (paratype). D) D. alpherakyi (Christoph in Romanoff), male. E) D. ariadne Yakovlev, male (holotype). F) D. artemis Yakovlev, male (scale bar= 10.0 mm).

FIGURE 23. Distribution of Cossidae species in Iran. A) Catopta kendevanensis kendevanensis Daniel. B) Catopta hyrcanus (Christoph). C) Stygia mosulensis Daniel. D) Meharia avicenna Yakovlev. E) Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev, sp. n. F) Meharia incurvariella persica (Wiltshire).