Phaselia deliciosaria ( Lederer, 1855 )

Werner, Maria Johanna, Hausmann, Axel, Kostjuk, Igor, Wanke, Dominic & Rajaei, Hossein, 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the genus Phaselia Guenée, [1858] (Geometridae: Ennominae) in the Middle East and Central Asia, Zootaxa 5326 (1), pp. 1-66 : 23-24

Phaselia deliciosaria ( Lederer, 1855)

(figs 50–53, 103–105, 140, 144, 145)

Synopsia deliciosaria Lederer, 1855 . Verhandlungen des Zoologisch-Botanischen Vereins in Wien, 5 (Abhandlungen): 211, pl. 3, fig. 4. Syntype (s) (not traced), ([ Lebanon, Beirut, leg. Franz Zach], Asia Minor).

Material examined. 16 ♁♁, 1 ♀ (see the complete list in the appendix).

Re-description. Wingspan. Males: 25–36 mm (average 30.3 mm, n = 8), females: around 35 mm.

Forewing. Ground colour warm white with smooth light to dark grey and pale brownish dusty pattern; basal area and postmedial area darker than medial area; antemedial line thin, irregularly zigzagged with acute tips, middle tooth longer than other teeth; medial line present as a diffuse darker brown shadow close to postmedial line; postmedial line thin, dark brown, slightly curved inwards on costal area; subterminal line light to dark brown and interrupted in the middle, serrate with weakly pronounced triangular spikes, distally accompanied by a white shadow; terminal line thin, dark brown, wavy; fringes white and brown, dark at the end of the veins.

Hindwing. Ground colour white, speckled with brown towards terminal area; postmedial line brown, medially projected outwards; sometimes interrupted or even invisible; subterminal line barely visible as a light shadow.

Discal spots usually visible as brown, short streaks or tiny dots on all wings, sometimes faded. Fringes in all wings white and brown, dark at the end of the veins. Ventral side generally paler than dorsal side, pattern of upper side shines through the wings, visible as a shadow (figs 50–53).

Male genitalia. Uncus triangular, tip incurved; gnathos well-sclerotized, medially not fused; valva trapezoidal; costal part of valva slightly sclerotized, distally finger-shaped, extended over the apex of valvula; sacculus triangular, spines very small, gradually enlarging towards the ventral tip of sacculus; juxta horseshoe-shaped, or formed from two ovals fused on the upper half; saccus wide, triangular, terminally curved. Aedeagus narrow and straight or slightly curved; vesica with one long and straight, well-sclerotized cornutus and a slightly spined cornutus strongly reduced, short or almost absent. (figs 103–105).

Female genitalia. Ovipositor large and wide; apophyses posteriores three times longer than apophyses anteriores; lamella antevaginalis more sclerotized laterally; ductus bursae wide, roundish to triangular, tapered towards corpus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, ornamented with a small but well-sclerotized, round, stellate signum (fig. 140).

Diagnosis. Phaselia deliciosaria can be confused with P. erika , P. sp. cf. deliciosaria and P. joestleinae .

For differentiation of P. deliciosaria from P. erika , see the diagnosis of the respective species above. Characters of the compared species are given in parentheses.