Phtheochroa alpinana, Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017

Zlatkov, Boyan & Huemer, Peter, 2017, Allopatric cryptic diversity in the alpine species complex Phtheochroa frigidana s. lat. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 368, pp. 1-25 : 8-11

Phtheochroa alpinana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:704B04D3-3AAA-4554-A4D4-0F7C9439173D

Figs 1 E–F, 2C, 3C, 4D–E, 6A–B, 8B, 9, 10; Table 1

Diagnosis

The forewing upperside is paler than in P. schawerdae and P. apenninana sp. nov. and somewhat deeper yellow than in P. frigidana and P. cantabriana sp. nov. The hindwings are pale grey as in P. frigidana and P. cantabriana sp. nov. The vesica easily distinguishes this species from all other members of the group: with large dorsal and ventral diverticula; P. frigidana has only one diverticulum (dorsal); the diverticula on the other three species are oriented more or less laterally. The shape of the valva resembles those of P. frigidana . The phallic process is slightly curved to the right and resembles that of P. cantabriana sp. nov. The female genitalia are generally similar to these of P. schawerdae , but the sclerotized area of the corpus bursae is larger, with three long folds on the right ventral side; the folds in P. schawerdae are short and more numerous (5–6).

Etymology

The specific name is a feminine adjective derived from the name of the Alps.

Material examined

Holotype

FRANCE: ♂, pinned, spread, well-preserved, three labels: // FRANKREICH Alpes Maritimes Tete Chaudon , 2200 m NE. Col de la Boira 20.7.1991 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // Gen. prep. ♂ 1/ 20.7.1991 [genitalia slide number] // HOLOTYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF).

Paratypes

FRANCE: 1 ♂, three labels: // FRANKREICH Alpes Maritimes Tete Chaudon, 2200 m NE. Col de la Boira 20.7.1991 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // Gen. prep. ♂ 2/ 20.7.1991 [genitalia slide number] // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF); 1 ♀, with three labels: // locality data label as preceding // Gen. prep. ♀ 3/ 20.7.1991 [genitalia slide number] // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF); 2 ♂♂, each with two labels: // FRANKREICH Dep. Alpes-Maritimes Marguareis W-Hang Navela, 2100-2200 m 21.- 23.7.1990 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF); 1 ♀, with five labels: // France, Alpes Maritimes, 2000 m 6 km NW Tende Mont Chajol 5.vii.2008 O. Karsholt // ZMUC 00400703 // Coll. ZMUC, Copenhagen Denmark [yellow label] // DK Copenhagen Zool. Museum ♀ Genitalia slide No. 1/ 5.7.2008 // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( ZMUC); 1 ♀, five labels, all same as preceding but: // ZMUC 00400704 // DK Copenhagen Zool. Museum ♀ Genitalia slide No. 2/ 5.7.2008 // ( ZMUC).

ITALY: 5 ♂♂, 1 ♀, each with two labels: // ITALIA Prov. Imperia Punta Marguareis S-Hang, 2250- 2400 m 19.7.1991 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF); 1 ♂, three labels: // ITALIA Prov. Imperia Punta Marguareis 2450-2600 m 23.7.1990 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // TOR 105 ♂ P. Huemer [genitalia slide number] // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF); 1 ♀, two labels: // ITALIA Prov. Imperia Punta Marguareis 2450-2600 m 23.7.1990 leg. Huemer & Tarmann // PARATYPE Phtheochroa alpinana Zlatkov & Huemer, 2017 [red label] // ( TLMF).

Description

Male ( Fig. 1E )

HEAD. Frons and vertex covered with creamy scales. Labial palps pointed anterad, long, dorsally creamy, laterally and ventrally brown. Antennae with scapus and pedicellus dorsally brown, ventrally white; flagellum with creamy scales.

THORAX. Dorsally creamy with brown scales in middle, ventrally creamy with brown scales. Tegula yellowish, with brown scales laterally. Forewing length 8.4–10.4 mm (x=9.0, n =9). Forewing long and narrow, with pointed apex, upperside ground colour yellow with paler distal half and inconspicuous rust dorsal blotch, underside dark grey with scattered white scales in apical area, cilia pale yellow. Hindwings with upperside grey, underside grey with white costa and white longitudinal lines, cilia white with pale grey basal part.

ABDOMEN. Grey.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 2C ). Curvature of valva prominent. Rest of valva, uncus and socii resembles those in P. schawerdae . Transtilla ( Fig. 3C ) wide, rectangular apically, with shallow median incision. Phallus ( Fig. 6 A–B) curved ventrally, with long, slender medioventral process ( Fig. 4 D–E), with apex slightly curved to the right. Vesica with subspherical proximal part and large part protruded from the right, bearing two large diverticula ending with cornuti. A furrow divides the two parts. Gonopore sunk in dorsal portion of furrow and surrounded by large sclerotized plate with uneven surface (distal part of ductus ejaculatorius). Right part of vesica protrudes in wider, conical, almost straight dorsal and narrower, cylindrical, curved ventral diverticulum. Cornuti aciculate and capitate, very robust, large, ventral one larger and slightly curved near apex. Proximal part of vesica bears a large conical ventral protrusion (diverticulum) with small processes. Acanthae present on posterior side of proximal part of vesica and at end of diverticula.

Female ( Fig. 1F )

Considerably smaller than male. Head and thorax resemble those of male, but with forewing length 7.2–9.2 mm (x= 7.9, n= 5), upperside with rust brown dorsal blotch and subterminal fascia. Hindwing upperside grey, underside white with scattered grey scales.Abdomen grey. Female genitalia ( Fig. 8B ) with tergum 8 medially membranous, sterigma with two lateral protuberances, antrum nearly rectangular, with round anterior angles. Apophyses anteriores longer than apophyses posteriores. Ductus bursae ventrally membranous, with conical diverticulum of thick cuticle slightly curved to the left. Corpus bursae with large sclerite that starts on right side of ductus bursae with folds, then expands anteroventrally forming large ventral sclerotization and laterally to the left, then passes on dorsal side where it forms several folds on ductus bursae. Anterior medial part of corpus bursae with folded membranous area extending to the right. Ductus of accessory bursa emerges medioventrally, folded cuticle and small spines present to the left of its emerging area. Ductus seminalis inserted on ventral side.

Molecular data ( Table 1 , Fig. 9 )

BIN URI: BOLD:AAL5381. The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is unknown (n =1). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, P. schawerdae from the Dinaric Mts is 4.01%.

Ecology

Preimaginal stages and larval host plant are unknown. The type material was collected in July at altitudes of about 2200 m a.s.l. According to Bassi & Scaramozzino (1989) the moths fly in two generations from April to July. However, material collected by these authors in the Italian Alps dates from mid- to late May and was collected at relatively low altitudes from 1200 to 1350 m a.s.l. From available data it thus seems more likely that the species is univoltine with a flight period from May to July, depending on climatic conditions and elevation. Habitat: the type material was collected in alpine grassland above the tree-line.

Distribution ( Fig. 10 )

So far known only from the south-western Alps ( France, Italy). A record from the Slovenian Alps (as P. frigidana ) ( Lesar et al. 2009) is doubtful and may refer to P. schawerdae .

Figures

Fig. 1. Adults of Phtheochroa spp. A–D. P. schawerdae (Rebel, 1908) comb. nov. A. ♂, Bulgaria, Pirin Mts. B. ♂, Bulgaria, Rila Mts. C. ♀, Bulgaria, Rila Mts. D. ♂, Republic of Macedonia, Korab Mts. – E–F. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes. E. Holotype, ♂. F. Paratype, ♀. – G. P. apenninana sp. nov., holotype, ♂, Italy, Gran Sasso National Park. – H. P. frigidana (Guenée, 1845) stat. rev., ♂, neotype of Eupoecilia frigidana, Andorra, Pyrenees. – I–J. P. cantabriana sp. nov., Spain, Picos de Europa National Park. I. Holotype, ♂. J. Paratype, ♂. Scale bar = 5 mm, all to scale.

Fig. 2. Male genitalia (without phalli) of Phtheochroa spp. A–B. P. schawerdae (Rebel, 1908) comb. nov. A. Bulgaria, Rila Mts. B. Republic of Macedonia, Korab Mts. – C. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes, holotype. – D. P. apenninana sp. nov., Italy, Gran Sasso National Park, holotype. – E. P. frigidana (Guenée, 1845) stat. rev., Andorra, Pyrenees, neotype of Eupoecilia frigidana. – F. P. cantabriana sp. nov., Spain, Picos de Europa National Park, holotype. Scale bar = 250 µm, all to scale.

Fig. 3. Transtilla of Phtheochroa spp. A–B. P. schawerdae (Rebel, 1908) comb. nov., Bulgaria, Rila Mts. – C. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes, holotype. – D. P. apenninana sp. nov., Italy, Gran Sasso National Park, holotype. – E. P. frigidana (Guenée, 1845) stat. rev., Andorra, Pyrenees, neotype of Eupoecilia frigidana. – F. P. cantabriana sp. nov., Spain, Picos de Europa National Park, paratype. Scale bar = 250 µm, all to scale.

Fig. 6. Phalli with vesica everted of Phtheochroa spp. A–B. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes, holotype. – C–D. P. apenninana sp. nov., Italy, Gran Sasso National Park, holotype.A, C: left. B, D: dorsal. Abbreviations: dd = dorsal diverticulum; vd = ventral diverticulum; other abbreviations as in Fig. 5. Scale bar = 250 µm.

Fig. 4. Ventral phallic process of Phtheochroa spp., ventral view. A–C. P. schawerdae (Rebel, 1908) comb. nov. A–B. Bulgaria, Rila Mts. C. Republic of Macedonia, Korab Mts. – D–E. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes. D. Holotype. E. Paratype. – F–G. P. apenninana sp. nov., Italy, Gran Sasso National Park. F. Paratype. G. Holotype. – H. P. frigidana (Guenée, 1845) stat. rev., Andorra, Pyrenees, neotype of Eupoecilia frigidana. – I–J. P. cantabriana sp. nov., Spain, Picos de Europa National Park. I. Holotype. J. Paratype. Scale bar = 100 µm, all to scale.

Fig. 8. Female genitalia of Phtheochroa spp. A. P. schawerdae (Rebel, 1908) comb. nov., Bulgaria, Rila Mts. – B. P. alpinana sp. nov., France, Alpes Maritimes, paratype. Arrow: ventral diverticulum of ductus bursae. Scale bar = 250 µm.

Fig. 9. Maximum likelihood tree (built with MEGA6) of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode fragments. Values at the nodes are bootstrap support values based on 500 replicates.

Fig. 10. Distribution of the Phtheochroa frigidana s. lat. species complex based on examined material.