Lithostege narynensis, Prout

Sh, Hossein Rajaei, Stüning, Dieter & Viidalepp, Jaan, 2011, A review of the species of Lithostege Hübner, [1825] 1816 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Larentiinae), occurring in Iran and adjacent countries, with description of two new species from Iran and Pakistan, Zootaxa 3105, pp. 1-46 : 19-20

L. narynensis Prout

( Figs. 24 , 50 ; Map 5)

Lithostege narynensis Prout, 1938: 239 , pl. 18: h. Syntypes 9 3 Ƥ, BMNH (examined). Type locality: Narine, Semirechgensee ( Kyrgyzstan); Almatinka, Valley Malaya River ( Turkmenistan).

Lithostege narynensis: Viidalepp, 1996: 47 ; Parsons et al., 1999: 547.

Material examined. Type material: Syntypes 9 (3/Ƥ): ‘Turkestan Orientale, Province Semirechgensee Fort Narine G. S. Akulini 1907’, ‘ex Oberthur Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927–3’, ‘ Lithostege narynensis Prout’; in BMNH. Additional material: 8 3, 3 Ƥ: 4 3: 3 Ƥ: same data as type material, gen prep. 3 1055/2011 H. R.; in ZFMK; 1 3: Kasakhstan, Terskei Alatau Mts., Samarkand, 12.- 13.07.1983, U. Jürivete leg.; 1 3: Kasakhstan, Alma-Ata, 5– 10.07.1983, U. Jürivete leg.; 1 3: Kyrgyzstan, Terskei Alatau Mts., Turgen, 24– 25.07.1987, U. Jürivete leg., gen. prep. 7675, J.V.; 1 3: Kyrgyzstan, Tsholpon-Ata, 18.- 20.07.1983, U. Jürivete leg.; all in IZBE. Preparations of genitalia: 2 3.

Description & Diagnosis. Wingspan 25–28 mm. White moths, forewing with a delicate, silvery grey shine while fresh, hindwings lighter; larger than L. ancyrana , forewing broader, much lighter and more whitish below, but also with a slight brownish tinge on forewing underside ( Fig. 24 ). Male genitalia ( Fig. 50 ) with the valve rather narrow, dorsal margin concave, sclerotized costa reaching one-half valve length, its apical projection thorn-like, diverging from valve margin, acutely pointed; harpe short, distally rounded, its dorsal arm strong, terminally straight and spined over a long distance, shorter than in L. farinata , griseata , ancyrana , luigi and palaestinensi s, a little longer than that of L. coassata . Farinata and coassata are similar in having a free apical process to the costa.

Bionomics. Specimens studied are collected in July only.

Distribution. Northern and central Tian-Shan in S Kazakhstan and NE Kyrgyzstan (Map 5).

MAP 5. farinata species group-b: L. coassata ; L. ancyrana ; L. narynensis .

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 26. Adult moths of Lithostege Hübner (left column, a: upperside, right column, b: underside). 22. L. coassata (3, Gonbad, N Iran); 23. L. ancyrana (3, Aladag, Turkey); 24. L. narynensis (3, Samarkand, Kasakhstan); 25. L. griseata griseata (3, Agri-Dagh, Armenia); 26. L. griseata gigantea (3, Karaj, N Iran). Scale bar: 10 mm.

FIGURES 48 – 51. Lithostege Hübner: Male genitalia. 48. L. coassata (gen. prep. 1041 H. R.; Gonbad, N Iran), a: genital capsule, b: aedeagus, lateral view; 49. L. ancyrana (gen. prep. 1013 H. R.; Gürün, Turkey), a: genital capsule, b: aedeagus, lateral view; 50. L. narynensis (gen. prep. 1055 H. R.; Narine, Turkestan, type locality), a: genital capsule, b: aedeagus, lateral view; 51. L. griseata griseata (gen. prep. 1048 H. R.; Agri-Dagh, Armenian), a: genital capsule, b: aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.