Laristania beyarslani Akın & Seven, 2021

Akin, Kesran & Seven, Erdem, 2021, An assessment on genus Laristania Amsel, 1951 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae Phycitinae) and a new species from Turkey, Zootaxa 4999 (2), pp. 169-180 : 171-173

Laristania beyarslani Akın & Seven sp. nov.

( Figs 3–5 , 6a–d )

Type Material: Holotype • ♂, Turkey, Bitlis province, Nemrut Caldera, Tatvan-Ahlat crossroad, 2350 m, 21.vi.2017, leg. K. Akın & E. Seven, in BEU (G.P. 279, K. Akın) – Paratypes: • 13♂♂ 5♀♀ Yayla remnant road, South pit, 1 km to the big lake, 2303 m, 06.vi.2017 (G.P. 363-364, K. Akın) ; • 4♂ Small Lake , North flatness, 2296 m, 21.vi.2017 ; • 3♂♂ Northeast slope, 2167 m, 22.vi.2017 ; • 2♂♂ Northeast slope, 2167 m, 20.vii.2017 (G.P. 366 K. Akın) ; • 1♂ Steam chimney, Curves, 2287 m, 20.vii.2017 ; 1♀ Caldera hub, 2408 m, 20.vii.2017 ; • 1♀ Tatvan- Ahlat crossroad, 2350 m, 20.vii.2017 ; 6♂♂ Yayla remnant road, South pit, 2360 m, 06.vii.2017 ; 1♀ Yayla remnant road, South pit, 2360 m, 07.viii.2017 ; • 18♂♂ 7♀♀ Yayla remnant road, South pit, 2360 m, 29.vi.2018 ; • 4♂♂ 2♀♀ Tatvan-Ahlat crossroad, 2350 m, 08.vii.2018, leg. K. Akın & E. Seven , in BEU.

Description. Adult morphology ( Figs 3–4 ): Forewing 8.5–11 mm.

Head. Frons whitish cream. Antennae filiform, with a row of 3–4 black short spines dorsally in near the base (on 2–5 flagellomeres) in male ( Fig. 4b–c ). Cilia beige, about 3/5 of antenna diameter in male and nearly 2/ 5 in female. Scape about twice as long as wide. Labial palps about 2.2× the diameter of eye, second segment pointed up, third segment slightly ahead. Labial palps whitish cream with black or brown scales on the outer side (first segment light, second segment dark, third segment darker). The inner side of labial palps whitish cream. Maxillary palps whitish cream and very small.

Thorax, patagia and tegulae light orange-yellow. Ground color of forewings orange-yellow. Medial area interspersed with black-grey scales. Some specimens appear slightly darker as the scattered black-gray scales over the entire of wings. Costal area with a white streak nearly to postmedial line, and following black-gray scales. Two faint lines with slightly black-gray scales on white color extending from basal to postmedial line in the middle and bottom. Antemedial line with 3 black dotted almost concave sorted, adjacent in some specimens on top and middle dots, and like a line. Also, another black dot in front of the lower point towards the basal in some specimens. Two discal spots black and distinct. Postmedial line whitish, very slightly wavy. Marginal line black, intermittent on the medial. Fringes grayish. Hindwings grayish-yellow, marginal line distinct and darker. Fringes whitish-yellow.

Abdomen whitish cream.

Male genitalia ( Figs 5a–c ): Uncus resembling the head of a planarian (Platyhelminthes), protruding laterally and slightly sunken at the apex. Lower part of gnathos with two-pronged and gnathos variable (in terms of protrusion on the prong and apex of gnathos): protruding or straight on the pronged, and blunt or pointed apex (see blue arrows in Figs 5b–c ). Scaphium forced on the apex. Tegumen dorsally shaped like a human ribcage. Valvae elongate, basally slightly hump, costal thorn pointed and almost in the middle of the valvae, costal enforcement ending before cucullus. Cucullus roundish. Sacculus almost in line with costal thorn. Base of juxta concave. Vinculum U-V shaped, base slightly concave. Aedeagus very slightly concave, with 2 cornuti, one almost twice the size of the other. Culcita present, wide V-shaped base, quite sparse scale tufts on both laterals.

Female genitalia ( Figs 6a–d ): Papillae anales subtriangular. Apophyses posteriores about equal length as apophyses anteriores. 8 th tergite about 0.4× as long as wide. Antrum membranous. Ductus bursae wedge-shaped, initially slightly, but then strongly sclerotized towards the inside of bursa copulatrix. Bursa copulatrix heart-shaped. Ductus seminalis from posterior margin of corpus bursae and numerous small spines in the lower part, extending to the bottom of bursa copulatrix, the opposite side with denser and slightly larger spines.

Habitat: Nemrut Chaldera mostly consists of steppe areas with Thymus, Astragalus plant species as well as Juniperus communis shrub and Betula pendula, Populus tremula tree formations ( Özhatay et al., 2005) ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology: The name of this species is dedicated to Prof. Dr.Ahmet Beyarslan, who is an expert in Braconidae (Hymenoptera) . After his many expeditions, he retired in June 2020 from the Bitlis Eren University.

Remarks: The new species in this study is evaluated in the genus Laristania . Because Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. has the characteristic two-pronged gnathos and different valve structure that Amsel (1954) expressed while describing the genus Praeepischnia which is synonymous of Laristania . As mentioned above, seven species of the genus Laristania were known ( Nuss et al., 2003 –2020). Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. specimens were compared with adults and male genitalia of all known Laristania species. The female genitalia of only the two closely related species, L. taftanella and L. nevadensis were compared. Because the female genitalia of other species have not been included in the literature.

Diagnosis: Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. resembles L. taftanella (with especially its yellow-orange form) and L. nevadensis on account of external adult morphology. The new species can easily be distinguished from both species by the covered black-brown scales in the medial area, the concave medial band and the presence of a white prominent postmedial band.

The male genitalia of the new species is clearly recognizable from all known Laristania species with the planarian’s head–shaped uncus, and the costal thorn in the middle of the valvae. The male genitalia of all Laristania species are evaluated, in particular the uncus, gnathos, valvae and aedeagus, which are considered as the defining characters in the Laristania genus within this study, in the tables below ( Tabs. 1–2).

The female genitalia of Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. is compared with the closely related species L. taftanella and L. nevadensis , whose female genitalia are very similar. But, the female genitalia of the new species is easily distinguished from the female genitalia of the other two species by the wedge-shaped sclerotized structure starting from ductus bursae and extending into bursa copulatrix. Besides, the area where ductus seminalis present does not extend in the form of an arm. Bursa copulatrix is heart–shaped, and dispersion and amount of thorns in the bursa copulatrix is different.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitats of Nemrut Caldera, a. Tatvan-Ahlat crossroad, 08.vii.2018, b. Yayla remnant road, South pit, 08.vii.2018, c. Northeast slope, 22.ix.2017, d. Small Lake, 08.vii.2018.

FIGURE 3. Adults of Laristania beyarslani sp. nov., a. Holotype, b–d. Paratypes.

FIGURE 4. Head of Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. (Holotype), a. General view of the head, b–c. Antenna with black spines.

FIGURE 5. Male genitalia of Laristania beyarslani sp. nov., a. Male genitalia (total, left), aedeagus (middle) and culcita, right) of holotype (G.P. 279, K. Akın), b–c. Male genitalia (total) of paratypes (with the different types of gnathos) (G.P. 363, K. Akın (b); G.P. 366, K. Akın (c)).

FIGURE 6. Female genitalia, a–d: Laristania beyarslani sp. nov. (paratype) (G.P. 364, K. Akın) (b–d: from different points during preparation), e–f: L. taftanella Amsel, 1954 (G.P. 362, K. Akın) (f: during preparation, from the back side).