Gnorimoschema altaica, Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter, Nupponen, Kari & Sumpich, Jan, 2019

Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter, Nupponen, Kari & Sumpich, Jan, 2019, A review of some new or little-known species of the genus Gnorimoschema (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Palaearctic region, ZooKeys 857, pp. 105-138 : 105

Gnorimoschema altaica sp. nov. Figs 8, 9, 23, 37

Material examined.

Holotype. RUSSIA ♂; Altai Republic, Kosh-Agach Distr., Kurai env. (15 km SW), Dzhangyzkol Lake (or Salagana Lake); 50°10'49"N, 87°44'19"E; 1830 m; coniferous forest/steppe; 24-25 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; gen. slide 31/18, O. Bidzilya; NMPC-Lep-0313; NMPC.

Paratypes. 2 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; gen. slide 30/18♀, O. Bidzilya; NMPC-Lep-0312, NMPC-Lep-0349; NMPC.

Other material.

RUSSIA 1♀; S-Buryatia, Hamar Daban mnts., Murtoy River, Gusinoe ozero village 6 km NW; 51°11-13'N, 106°10-12'E; 700 m; forest steppe; 27 May 2006; K. Nupponen leg.; gen. slide 232/16, O. Bidzilya; TLMF Lep 21639; NUPP.

Description. Adult. Male (Fig. 8). Wingspan 11.8 mm. Head covered with white, black-tipped scales, frons white; segment II of labial palpus black mixed with white, inner and upper surface white, with brush of modified scales on underside, segment III black with broad white medial ring and white apex, acute, scape black with white apex, flagellum black, white-ringed; thorax and tegulae black mixed with white; forewing covered randomly with brown and white scales, diffuse black spot mixed with brown in fold, in middle and in the corner of cell, diffuse white subapical fascia on 3/4 length, fringe white, black-tipped; hindwing and fringe light grey.

Female (Fig. 9). Wingspan 11.4 mm. As male, but darker, black pattern more distinct, subapical white fascia not developed, hindwing shortened to 2/3 length of forewing and stronger narrowed in apical 1/3, apical excavation less distinct than in male.

Male genitalia (Fig. 23). Uncus sub-rectangular, apex triangular, pointed; gnathos weakly curved, of even width, apex rounded; tegumen narrow, anteromedial emargination triangular, extending to about half length of tegumen; valva weakly broadened on base, slightly curved on 1/3, then straight, apex weakly widened, rounded; sacculus short, strongly broadened on base, distal portion narrow, curved inwards at right angle, gap to vincular process narrow, sub-triangular; vinculum broad, posterior margin with broad, shallow sub-triangular emargination, lateral process short, hump-shaped; saccus sub-triangular, gradually narrowed towards rounded apex, not extended beyond top of pedunculus; phallus narrow, straight, with needle-shaped down-curved apical hook, caecum inflated, about 2/3 length of phallus.

Female genitalia (Fig. 37). Papilla analis elongate, sub-triangular, densely covered with short setae; apophysis posterioris 2.5 times longer than segment VIII; segment VIII sub-quadrangular; subgenital plates medially strongly edged, separated with broadened posteriorly, membranous area covered with fine microtrichia, posterolateral sclerites hockey-stick-shaped, narrowly projecting anteromedially to the base of the apophysis anterioris, placed in middle of sternum VIII; anterior margin of sternum VIII weakly concave, strongly sclerotized, medial opening small; apophysis anterioris as long as segment VIII, straight; colliculum broader than long; ductus bursae narrow, of even width, but inflated before colliculum; corpus bursae ovate, about as long as ductus bursae, signum on the left side near entrance of corpus bursae, base elongated, distal hook strongly curved in apical portion.

Diagnosis.

Externally G. altaica is rather small, uniformly blackish-grey species with indistinct markings and diffuse white subapical fascia on the forewing in the male. Gnorimoschema valesiella (Staudinger, 1877) is darker, black rather than blackish-grey, and larger in size (16-18 mm). Gnorimoschema tabazhok is greyish brown rather than blackish grey with distinct black spots in cell, and the male is larger in size (13.5-15.5 mm). The male genitalia are similar to those of the previous species except for the shorter and broader saccus. The sub-rhomboidal, prolonged medially placed posterolateral sclerites and narrow strongly curved signum are characteristic for the female genitalia. Gnorimoschema epithymella (Staudinger, 1859) differs in the narrower posterolateral sclerites, shorter and basally narrower apophysis anterioris, and weakly curved signum.

Molecular data.

BINBOLD:AAI5506 (n=27), shared with an unrevised species from North America. The mean intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is 0.7%, the maximum distance 2,57% (including North American specimens for the same BIN). The distance to the nearest neighbour G. contraria Braun, 1921 from North America is 2.57% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Russia (Altai).

Biology.

Host plant unknown. Adults were collected in late June in grassy steppe with rock protrusions at an elevation of 1800 m (Fig. 46).

Etymology.

The species name, a noun in apposition, reflects the distribution of the new species in the Altai Mountains of Russia.

Remarks.

A single female from Buryatia is very close to G. altaica in barcode but differs considerably in the female genitalia. Hence, we did not include this specimen among the type series. It is interesting that this female is very similar in barcode to an undescribed species of Gnorimoschema from USA and Canada but differs from the latter both externally and in the female genitalia (Nazari, pers. comm.).