Mesophleps corsicella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1856)

Li, Houhun & Sattler, Klaus, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the genus Mesophleps Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) 3373, Zootaxa 3373, pp. 1-82 : 34-35

Mesophleps corsicella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1856)

( Figs 37, 38, 69, 98, 128)

Mesophleps corsicella Herrich-Schäffer, 1856 , Neue Schmett. Eur. angrenzenden Ländern (1): 7, fig. 47. Syntypes, unspecified number and sex, FRANCE: Corsica (Zeller) [not traced].

Mesophleps lala Agenjo, [1961] , Verh. int. Kongr. Ent. Wien 1: 150, figs 1, 2, 5. Holotype ♂, SPAIN: Madrid, Sierra de Guadarrama, Cercedilla, 1481 m, vii.1957 ( Agenjo ) (MNCN, Madrid) [lost]. Syn. nov.

♂, ♀. Wingspan 11.0–17.5 mm. Labial palpus segment 2 long, sub-triangular, black, dorsally with white scale tuft, 3 very short, about one-sixth length of 2, white. Antenna white, flagellum with dark brown rings. Wings relatively broad, forewing greyish yellow, densely scattered with dark brown scales; distal three-quarters of costal margin with narrow blackish brown stripe; dark brown discocellular, discal and plical spots present.

Pregenital abdomen. In male posterior margin of SVIII deeply concave.

Genitalia ♂ ( Fig. 69). Uncus as broad as tegumen, variable, hood-shaped, broadly rounded distally, basal half constricted; gnathos hooks stout, about one-half length of uncus; valva narrow, widest near apex; tegumen relatively broad, sides bulging; downturned distal part of vinculum about one-third its total length, anterior margin straight, posterior margin beneath exit hole of phallus often with small sclerotized triangle; phallus with basal twothirds bulbous, distal one-third narrow, straight.

Genitalia ♀ ( Figs 98, 128). Segment VIII short, dorso-posterior margin broadly convex; apophyses anteriores about one-half length of apophyses posteriores; subostial plate small, trapezoid; sclerotized antrum tubular, short, at most twice length of subostial plate; ductus bursae marginally longer than apophyses posteriores, thin; corpus bursae drop-shaped, slightly longer than ductus bursae; ductus seminalis very thin, arising from corpus bursae close to entrance of ductus bursae.

Remarks. M. corsicella was described from an unspecified number of specimens, sex not stated, from Corsica. Herrich-Schäffer received the type-material from ‘H.[errn] Zeller in Balgrist bei Zürich’ to whom it may have reverted after description. The collector, Rudolf Zeller (1821–1897), is not to be confused with P.C. Zeller, the renowned German 19 th century lepidopterist. His collection of Macro- and Microlepidoptera came after his death to ETH, Zürich, and was there incorporated (W. Sauter, pers. comm.) but no potential type of corsicella could now be found (F. Schmid, pers. comm.). (See also M. trinotella ). According to information received from Dra Carolina Martín (MNCN) and Dr Antonio Vives, Madrid, the holotype of M. lala was destroyed; however, we were able to examine the allotype female and two paratype males and came to the conclusion that they represent large specimens of M. corsicella . In the male M. corsicella differs from all Mesophleps species (except gigantella and geodes ) in the deeply emarginated SVIII of the abdomen.

Biology. Host-plants: Cistus ladaniferus (suspected also on C. salviifolius and C. laurifolius ), Helianthemum tuberosum , Helianthemum species (Cistaceae) . The larva is found in winter in the seed capsules, feeding on the dry seeds; pupation takes place on the ground ( Millière 1876: 338, pl. 1, figs 10, 11).

Distribution. Spain (including Balearic Islands), France (including Corsica), Italy (including Sardinia), Morocco, Lebanon. Also recorded from Portugal ( Corley et al. 2000: 268); Italy (Sicily) and Greece ( Karsholt & Riedl 1996: 120).

Material examined (42 ♂♂, 23 ♀♀, including 6 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ genitalia preparations)

Spain: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Provincia de Madrid, Cercedilla , 1460 m, vii.1957 (Agenjo), (allotype ♀, 2 ♂♂ paratypes of M. lala ) ; 1 ♂, Mallorca, Sa Roca, S’Albufera , 7.x.1999 (Honey) . France: 1 ♂, Pyrénées Orientales, Vernet , 27.v.1899 (Walsingham) ; 8 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Alpes-Maritimes, Cannes , ex Helianthemum tuberosum , 5.vii.1880, 1884, 1887, 22–30.v.1889 (Walsingham) ; 1 ♂, Alpes-Maritimes, Cannes , ex Cistus salviifolius capsule, vi.1874 (Millière) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Southern France (Staudinger) ; 2 ♂♂, Southern France , 1888 (Er.) , 4 ♂♂, Southern France (‘ Gall. m.’), 1876, 1879 (Ragonot) ; 1 ♂, Southern France [no further details] ; 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Corsica, Ajaccio , 4–17.vi.1899 (Walsingham) ; 1 ♀, Corsica, Bocognano , vii.1905 (L.) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Corse [Corsica], sea lev[el], 40 km, S. Sastia Folelli, 9–10v.1999 (Karsholt) ( NKUM) . Italy: 2 ♂♂, Toscana, Montenero, 1919, (Mann) ; 1 ♂, Toscana (‘ Tuscany’), Florence , 19.vi.1918 (Walsingham) ; 1 ♂, Puglia, Statte ( Taranto ), 200 ft, 17.ix.1971 (Pelham-Clinton) ; 1 ♂, Sardinia, Province Cagliari , 23.viii.1979 (Speidel) ; 1 ♂, Sardinia, Province Nuoro , 28.viii.1979 (Speidel) . Morocco: 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Tangier , ex Cistus ladaniferus , 3–29.ix.1902 (Walsingham) . Lebanon: 1 ♂, Beirut (‘ Beyrouth’ ), iii.1886 (Pratt) . 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, without data, marked respectively “Stainton Coll.” and “Meyrick coll.”.