Hyperlais cakiri Akın & Seven, 2024

Akin, Kesran & Seven, Erdem, 2024, New data on Turkish Pyraloidea: a new species of Hyperlais Marion, 1959 (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae: Glaphyriinae) and the first report of the little-known Polyochodes albidiscella (Amsel, 1954), Zootaxa 5437 (4), pp. 582-588 : 583-584

Hyperlais cakiri Akın & Seven sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Type material. Holotype ♁, Türkiye, Elazığ Province, Maden district, Ağadibek , 960 m, 28.viii.2017, leg. A. Çakır, in BEU (G.P. 383, K. Akın).

Description. Adult morphology ( Figs 1a–b ): Forewing 5,5 mm.

Head. Whitish, sprinkled with greyish-brown scales. Antennae filiform. Cilia whitish, length about 3/5 of a flagellomere. Labial palpi porrect, same colour as head. Segment 2 about 2/5 x length of segment 3. Maxillary palps nearly the length of segment 2 of labial palpi and the same colour as head.

Thorax. Scales on patagia and tegulae whitish, with greyish-brown tips. Ground colour of forewings creamy. Subbasal, antemedial, postmedial and marginal lines greyish-brown. Postmedial line looks like a sickle, 1-2 indentations from medial to dorsum, darker scaly (blackish-brown) in the costal area and these scales are elongated towards the basal. Antemedial line slightly zigzagged. Basal area sprinkled with greyish-brown scales. Submarginal line is greyish-brown scaly, wide. Fringes greyish-brown, in the form of two lines. Ground colour of the underside the same as the upperside. Hindwings creamy-brown, marginal line darker.

Abdomen. Creamy-brown.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 1c–e ): Uncus pointed, gnathos blunt-ended. Valvae concave in the costal area. Sacculus sclerotized, tapers distally, about 1/3 width of valve. Juxta like two pointed lobes apically, rounded at the base. Saccus rounded, strongly sclerotized. Aedeagus very long, about 3,6× of the length of valva, slightly bent, cornutus absent. The ductus ejaculatorius is departed at 3/5 of the length of the aedeagus, starting from the distal end.

Female is unknown.

Biology. Possibly univoltine. Investigated specimen was collected in late August. No specimens were found during subsequent field studies at the type locality. It is probably present in very low numbers of the population. The investigated specimen was collected at 960 m a.s.l. The habitat are dry grassy places and sparsely covered by woody plants such as Pinus , Platanus, Tamarix and Quercus ( Fig. 2 ).

Etymology. The name of this species is attributed to Abdullah ÇAKIR, the graduate biologist who collected the specimen.

Remarks. The new species can be characterized by the absence of the hair bundle at the distal end of the sacculus, the bifid shape of the juxta, and a long aedeagus without cornutus.

Diagnosis. Hyperlais cakiri sp. nov. is externally similar to H. nemausalis (Duponchel, [1834]) , but it differs by more prominent transverse lines and the absence of discal spots on the forewings. In genitalia, the shape of the valvae, as well as the presence of a long aedeagus distinguishes this species from H. nemausalis . Similarly, it differs from almost all known Hyperlais spp. by absence of a hair bundle at the distal end of the sacculus and the long aedeagus without cornuti. Likewise, H. elbursalis ( Amsel, 1961) is, according to the genitalia, very similar to H. cakiri sp. nov. Both species lack hair bundles at the distal end of the sacculus. However, the aedeagus of H. elbursalis has cornuti while H. cakiri sp. nov. doesn’t have any. The juxta also appears to be bilobed in H. cakiri sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hyperlais cakiri sp. nov. (G.P. 383, K. Akın), a-b. Adult a. Upperside, b. Underside (abdomen removed for preparation), c. Genital armature, d. Aedeagus, e. Male genitalia (during preparation).

FIGURE 2. Habitat of Hyperlais cakiri sp. nov., Ağadibek Maden, Elazığ, eastern Türkiye.