Bryophila squamosa Schwingenschuss, 1936

Vargas-Rodríguez, Suraya M., Fibiger, Michael, Honey, Martin R., Ronkay, Gábor, Yela, José Luis, Zilli, Alberto & Ronkay, László, 2020, Bryophila perloides Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Bryophilinae), an overlooked member of the European Noctuidae fauna, with upgrading of Bryopsis Boursin, 1970 to generic level (Taxonomic studies on the western Palaearctic Bryophilinae, No. 1), Zootaxa 4845 (1), pp. 53-70 : 61

Bryophila squamosa Schwingenschuss, 1936

( Figs 3a and 7a )

Material examined: Two syntypes, labelled „ H. Atlas, Maroc, Goundafa, 1200 m, 15.-30.VI.1933, Schwingenschuss”, one of them designated here as lectotype ( Fig 3a ). In NHMW .

Lectotype designation: male, “ H. Atlas, Maroc, Goundafa, 1200 m, 15.-30.VI.1933, Schwingenschuss”, “ Bryophila squamosa Schwingenschuss Type ♂ ”, slide No.: RL 12464m (coll. NHMW).

Taxonomic notes: The taxon was described by Schwingenschuss in Zerny (1936). Most probably, the descriptions of B. barbaria and B. squamosa were made in parallel, and both may refer to the same taxon. Thus, the statement of Boursin (1954) about their synonymy may be correct. Nevertheless, we have found some differences between their male genitalia: the uncus of B. squamosa ( Fig 7a ) is more slender in its distal half than that of B. barbaria ( Fig 6c ), the apical section of valva is also narrower and less dilated at its tip, and the vesica is remarkably broader, more discoidal. We refrain from establishing the synonymy formally until we are able to study a longer series of specimens, including females. It has to be noted that Schwingenschuss itself remarked that “ Bryophila squamosa mihi is after Βοursin also just a barbaria . Since the design matches that of barbaria , but the wing-cut is different -especially in the female-, as well as the general impression, I consider it a subspecies, especially since the animals were found at 1200 m high in a hot basin in mid-June, while barbaria was found at 2200-2700 m in July.”

External diagnosis: see under B. barbaria . The lectotype shows a much more blurred condition than most of the examined specimens of B. barbaria ; it is thus probably an older specimen.

Genital diagnosis ( Fig. 7a ): see under B. barbaria and here, under Taxonomic notes.

Figures

FIGURE 3. 3a. Bryophila squamosa. Lectotype male, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. NHMW. 3b. Bryophila schwingenschussi. Holotype male, Bône, Algeria. NHMW. 3c. Bryophila blepharista. Holotype male, Taanzoult [Tazoult], Morocco. MNHN. 3d. Bryophila blepharista. Paratype male, Middle Atlas Mts, Morocco. MNHN.

FIGURE 7. 7a. Male genitalia of Bryophila squamosa. Lectotype male, HighAtlas Mts, Morocco.Slide No.: RL12464.NHMW. 7b. Male genitalia of Bryophila schwingenschussi. Holotype male, Bône, Algeria. Slide No.: Boursin Schwi30. NHMW. 7c. Male genitalia of Bryophila blepharista. Holotype male, Taanzoult [Tazoult], Morocco. Slide No.: BoursinSchw30. MNHN.

FIGURE 6. 6a. Male genitalia of Bryophila perloides, male, Finca La Molina, Casares, Málaga, Andalusia. Genit, prep. MF, ZMC. 6b. Genitalia of the syntype of Bryophila perloides, designated here as lectotype. Andalusia, Spain. Genit, prep. Gyula M. László, NHMUK, specimen labelled as 010918082. 6c. Male genitalia of Bryophila barbaria. Lectotype male, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. Slide No.: RL12477. NHMW.