Athaumasta tarbagata Volynkin, Titov & Saldaitis, 2019

Volynkin, Anton V., Saldaitis, Aidas, Titov, Sergey V. & Truuverk, Andro, 2019, Six new species of Athaumasta Hampson, 1906 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Bryophilinae) from the mountains of Kazakhstan, Russian Altai and Mongolia, Ecologica Montenegrina 22, pp. 1-26 : 19-23

Athaumasta tarbagata Volynkin, Titov & Saldaitis , sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:035EB489-FBD6-43F8-B8C3-BE5E10AB364D

( Figs 22–27 , 58, 59 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 22 , 58 ): male, ― 30.IV.2015, E Kazakhstan, Urdzhar district , W Tarbagarai Mts, 9.5 km ENE of Tasaryk village, 705 m. 47°08‘04.6‘‘N, 081º24'51.0''E, bottom of rocky slope, Volynkin A. V. & Titov S. V. leg.‖, GenBank voucher MN023163 , slide AV4917 ♂ Volynkin (Coll. NHMUK);

Paratypes. 5 males, same data as in the holotype, GenBank vouchers MN023160 , MN023161 and MN023162 (Coll. CAV) ; 3 males, 01. V .2015, E Kazakhstan, Urdzhar district , W Tarbagarai Mts, 8 km ENE of Altynshoky (Predgornoe) village, 890 m . 47°11.607‘‘N, 81°10.085‘‘E, mesophilous rocky slopes of canyon, Volynkin A. V . & Titov S. V . leg., GenBank vouchers MN023164 and MN023165 , slides AV4916 ♂ and AV5319 ♂ Volynkin (Coll. CAV) ; 1 male, Kazakhstan E, Saur Mts. , Zhanaturmis, 8. VI .2000., leg. Klimenko (Coll. AFM) ; 4 males, 10. V .2017, E Kazakhstan, Urdzhar district , 4 km SW of Nekrasovka vill., Kyzylbeltai Mts., h~ 920 m . 47,21° N, 81,35° E, Nakonechny A. leg. (Coll. MDS) ; 5 males, 16. V .2017, E Kazakhstan, Ayagoz district , 34 km SE of Tarbagatai vill., Okpekty Mts., h~ 1505 m. 47,60° N, 81,64° E, Nakonechny A. leg. (Coll. MDS) .

Diagnosis. Forewing length 14–16 mm in males (16 mm in the holotype). Athaumasta tarbagata ( Figs 22–27 ) is a sister species of A. argillacea ( Figs 28–30 ), from which it differs externally by its slightly larger size and more elongated forewing. The male genitalia of A. tarbagata ( Figs 58, 59 ) differ from those of A. argillacea ( Figs 60, 61 ) by the more massive basal part of uncus, the slightly broader juxta, the pointed tip of vinculum (that is rounded in A. argillacea ), the much broader harpe, and the slightly broader vesica with much larger cornutus.

Female unknown.

Molecular data. COI 5‘ sequences of six specimens of A. tarbagata were compared with two paratype specimens of A. argillacea from one locality and specimens of A. expressa , A. kuchinichi , A. etugen and A. arida as well. The infraspecific variation of COI 5‘ sequences of A. tarbagata is 0.00–0.76%; that of A. argillacea is 0.00%. The distance between specimens of A. tarbagata and A. argillacea is 1.38–1.54%; that between A. tarbagata and A. expressa is 2.17–3.13%; that between A. tarbagata and A. expressa is 2.49%; that between A. tarbagata and A. etugen is 4.10–4.44%; that between A. tarbagata and A. arida is 3.86–4.65%. The COI 5‘ sequences of A. tarbagata are characterized by the combination of one character state unique for the genus, 124(C), and one character state unique for the species-group, 646(C), while the COI 5‘ sequences of A. argillacea are characterized by one character state unique for the species-group, 403(C). In addition, the COI 5‘ sequences of A. tarbagata differ from those of A. argillacea by the character states 160 (‗A‘ in A. tarbagata and ‗G‘ in A. argillacea ), 169 (‗C‘ in A. tarbagata and ‗T‘ in A. argillacea ), 367 (‗C‘ in A. tarbagata and ‗T‘ in A. argillacea ) and 400 (‗C‘ in A. tarbagata and ‗T‘ in A. argillacea ) ( Table 3).

Distribution. Athaumasta tarbagata is known from several localities in the Saur-Tarbagatai mountain massif in East Kazakhstan. In the Tarbagatai Ridge, the species inhabits stony steppe and mesophilous slopes at medium altitudes (705–890 m) ( Fig. 80 ). Athaumasta argillacea inhabits other biotope, clay and chalk hills covered by ground-dwelling lichens ( Fig. 81 ).

Etymology. The species‘ name refers to its type locality, the Tarbagatai Ridge.

Figures

Figure 80. East Kazakhstan, Urdzhar district, W Tarbagarai Mts, 9.5 km ENE of Tasaryk village, 705m. 47°08‘04.6‘‘N 081º24'51.0''E, 30.IV.2015, the type locality of A. tarbagata (photo by A.V. Volynkin).

Figure 81. East Kazakhstan, Zaisan Valley, 15.5 km NNE of Amanat village, Kiin-Kirish Massif, clay/chalk hills, 447 m. 48°7.885‖N 84°29.378‖E, 06.V.2015, the type locality of A. argillacea (photo by A.V. Volynkin).

Figures 16–30. Athaumasta expressa species-group: adults. 16, A. arida, HT male, Russian Altai (NHMUK); 17, ditto, PT male, Russian Altai (CAV); 18, ditto, PT male, Russian Altai (CAV); 19, ditto, PT male, W Mongolia (CAV); 20, A. etugen, HT male, W Mongolia (NHMUK); 21, ditto, PT male, W Mongolia (CAV); 22, A. tarbagata, HT male, E Kazakhstan (NHMUK); 23, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 24, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 25, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 26, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 27, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 28, A. argillacea, PT male, E Kazakhstan (ZISP); 29, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV); 30, ditto, PT male, E Kazakhstan (CAV).

Figures 58–61. Athaumasta spp., male genitalia. 58, A. tarbagata, HT, E Kazakhstan, slide AV4917 Volynkin; 59, A. tarbagata, PT, E Kazakhstan, slide AV5319 Volynkin; 60, A. argillacea, HT, E Kazakhstan, slide AV1467 Volynkin; 61, A. argillacea, PT, E Kazakhstan, slide AV1466 Volynkin.