Agrotis mazeli, Ronkay & Huemer, 2018

Ronkay, Laszlo & Huemer, Peter, 2018, Agrotis fatidica (Huebner, 1824) species-group revisited, with description of two new species from the Alps and the Pyrenees (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Nota Lepidopterologica 41 (1), pp. 145-179 : 145

Agrotis mazeli sp. n. Figs 33-40 ; Gen. figs 8-9 , 18

Holotype.

Male, France, Canigou, Pla Guillem, 2280 m, 8.viii.1985, leg. G. Lutran; slide No. RL11749m (TLMF).

Paratypes.

France. 4 males, French Pyrenees orientales, Esquerdes de Rotja, 2200 m, 4.viii.1994, S. Peslier leg.; slide No. RL11311m, DNA Barcode ID TLMF Lep 14494 (TLMF); 1 male, Pyrenees orientales, Pla Guillem, 2.viii.1994, R. Mazel leg., DNA Barcode ID TLMF 14495 (TLMF); 1 female, Pyrenees orientales, Pla Guillem, 8.viii.1994, R. Mazel leg.; slide No. RL11312f (TLMF); 1 male, Pyrenees orientales, Pla de la Begude, 2300 m, 10.viii.1999, R. Mazel leg., DNA Barcode ID TLMF 14496 (TLMF); 1 male, "la Vernet 1879, Vallée Lipaudière, ex coll. Dr. Struve, Leipzig, coll. Püngeler” (see also Struve 1882) (ZMHU).

Etymology.

Named in honour of Robert Mazel who collected most of the type-series and generously supported our work with this important material.

Diagnosis.

The new species is the allopatric sister species of A. mayrorum , sharing the group features in the male antenna (longer and finer branches than in the fatidica -line), and the white (or whitish) hindwing. The two species can be distinguished by a series of external morphological features which are recognisable in almost all specimens. These differences are ca as large as those between A. mayrorum and A. fatidica .

Agrotis mazeli differs from A. mayrorum by its somewhat narrower and more pointed forewings, which are also narrower and apically more pointed than those of A. fatidica but broader than those of A. proverai , a more sharply defined postmedial line with a clearly visible deep curve inwards at costal margin, on average smaller and more darkened orbicular and reniform stigmata, smaller and finer dark dots at terminal line, which are practically missing from the underside, and the smoothly, rather uniformly darkened forewing underside.

In the genitalia, the males of A. mazeli can be distinguished from those of the closely related taxa by the short and basally broad valvae with the very typical, wide membranous ventral marginal section bordering the saccular part; the broad cucullus with finely pointed apex; the rather long and slender claspers; the comparatively short vinculum; the fine eversible bar of the ventral carina and the weak, dentated subbasal plate of the vesica; the rather short and obtusely conical dorso-lateral diverticulum of the inflated basal section of vesica; and the entire length of the vesica is somewhat shorter (in comparison with the total length of phallus) than in A. fatidica and A. mayrorum .

In the female genitalia, the apophyses anteriores are longer and the appendix bursae is somewhat shorter than in A. fatidica ; the ovipositor and the ductus bursae are proportionally shorter, and the appendix bursae is shorter than in A. mayrorum .

Description.

Wingspan: males 40-41 mm, female 32 mm. The main external features are typical of the A. fatidica species-complex. Forewing ground colour pale greyish-brown or slate-grey, with darker grey and brown irroration; costa and veins darker than ground colour and defined broadly with paler ochreous-grey intervenal stripes. Antemedial line variably but strongly marked, partly obsolete; median fascia absent; median area usually less variegated than in the other related species. Postmedial line recognisable though diffuse, pale ochreous-grey, and defined by a row of dark dots; its upper part curved inwards rather strongly around reniform stigma. Subterminal line obsolescent, ochreous-grey, defined by a row of conspicuous intervenal chevron-spots; terminal line fine, black(ish), with weak or indistinct dark dots; cilia ochreous-grey, with variably strong brown midline. Stigmata well-defined, medium-sized or relatively small, outlined by black or dark blackish-brown; claviform stigma long, dark, blackish-brown with only a slightly paler filling; orbicular stigma rather small, usually flattened-elliptical (drop-shaped) with pointed posterior edge and darker brown centre. Reniform stigma medium-sized, elliptical or lunulate, with more or less diffuse dark grey-brown outline and filling (which is stronger than in A. mayrorum ); intracellular dark patch between stigmata blackish-brown or blackish.

Hindwing milky-white or light whitish-grey with fine ochreous shade, costal area, termen and diffuse marginal stripe with ochreous-brown or greyish suffusion of variable strength; veins darkened. Discal spot rounded or somewhat lunulate, often shadow-like; terminal line more or less continuous, brownish; cilia whitish with some pale brownish shading. Forewing underside rather unicolorous grey, suffused with fuscous, discal dot and postmedial line obsolescent or missing. Hindwing underside whitish with darker veins, reduced transversal line and relatively well-defined discal spot; terminal line fine, brown, without or with only very small darker dots.

Molecular data.

BIN URI: BOLD: ACR9899. The intraspecific average and maximum distances of the barcode region are 0% (p-dist) (n=3), however intraspecific divergence may increase with additional samples from the Pyrenees. The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour Agrotis mayrorum is 1.12%, whereas the minimum distance to Agrotis fatidica is 2.18%.

Bionomics.

Host-plant and early stages are unknown. The adults fly relatively late in the season, the specimens of the type series were collected in early August. Most of the specimens were obtained by light trapping using UV tubes and mercury vapour lamp. Adult records are restricted to alpine meadows and scree at high altitudes above the timberline (2200-2300 m a.s.l.).

Distribution.

The new species is known from the eastern Pyrenees in France and Spain. The type-series originates from the French side of the Pyrenees; the occurrence of the species on the Spanish side is documented by Redondo et al. (2010, under the name A. fatidica ).

Figures

Figures 33 - 40. Agrotis mazeli. 33 - 34 holotype male, France, 35 - 38 paratype males, France, 39 - 40 paratype female, France.

Gen. figs 7 - 9. 7 Agrotis mayrorum sp. n., male genitalia, " Corsica ", 8 - 9 Agrotis mazeli sp. n., male genitalia, 8 holotype, 9 paratype.

Gen. figs 16 - 18. 16 Agrotis fatidica, female genitalia, Austria, 17 Agrotis mayrorum sp. n., paratype, female genitalia, France, 18 Agrotis mazeli sp. n., paratype, female genitalia, France.