Stomopteryx mongolica Povolný, 1975

Junnilainen, Jari, Karsholt, Ole, Nupponen, Kari, Kaitila, Jari-Pekka, Nupponen, Timo & Olschwang, Vladimir, 2010, The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) 2367, Zootaxa 2367 (1), pp. 1-68 : 56

Stomopteryx mongolica Povolný, 1975

Figs. 50 & 52

Chalk Hills 06.VI.1998 (5 exx.), 07. VI.1998 (6 exx.) , 03–07.VI.1998 (10 exx.), 17. VII.1998 (1 ex.), 18. VII.1998 (1 ex.), 22. VI.1999 (1 ex.), 29. VI.2003 (1 ex.); Verbljushka 02. VI.1998 (2 exx.) , 30.V– 02.VI.1998 (8 exx.), 12. VI.1998 (4 exx.) , 10–12.VI.1998 (11 exx.), 14.VII.1998 (23 exx.), 15.VII.1998 (7 exx.), 17.VI.1999 (1 ex.), 18.VI.1999 (1 ex.), 19.VI.1999 (1 ex.), 27.VII.2000 (3 exx.), 28. VII.2000 (1 ex.), 28. VI.2003 (6 exx.) , 31.V–01.VI.2004 (8 exx.); Zesnokovka 09.VI.2001 (15 exx.). Genitalia slide: K. Nupponen prep. No. 2/ 11.XI.2008 (♂).

Type material studied. Paratypes (2♂♂), both labelled “ Mongolia, Chövsgöl aimak 4 km NW von der Stadt Mörön, 1500m, Exp. Dr. Z. Kaszab, 1968; Nr. 1128 19.VII.1968; (red label) Paratypus det. Povolný ” ( ZMH) .

Distribution. In Europe only known from Russia (S Ural). Outside Europe in Siberia (Krasnoyarsk, Transbaikalia and Tuva) and Mongolia.

Remarks. This species is new to Europe. The material from S Ural is presented here as S. mongolica , although the specimens do not exactly coincide with Mongolian specimens. S. mongolica might be a species complex. However, there is quite a lot of variation in the external appearance of the species in the Urals. Compared with the type specimens of S. mongolica from Mongolia, in the specimens from S Ural the light markings on forewings are yellowish brown (darker ochreous in Mongolian specimens) and dark spots are on average more indistinctly surrounded by ochreous white. In the male genitalia the valva is more slender and gradually curved from base to tip, and the aedeagus is stouter. There is no difference in the average size of the adult between populations from Mongolia and S Ural. We have seen numerous specimens originating from different regions of Russia determined as S. mongolica . The material is rather heterogenous and there exist more or less distinct habitual differences between the Russian material and type specimens of S. mongolica from Mongolia.