Pleurota moroccoensis Kaila & Mutanen & Sihvonen & Tyllinen & Tabell 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
name: Mutanen, Marko
name: Sihvonen, Pasi
name: Tyllinen, Juha
name: Tabell, Jukka
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Oecophoridae
Pleurota
Pleurota moroccoensis

description: Pleurota moroccoensis Tabell, sp. nov.
Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ACW1895
Table 1, Figs. 14, 15, 39, 44, 48
Type material. Holotype ♂ (DNA sample 24508 Lepid Phyl): Morocco, Taroudant Prov., 19 km NNE Ouled Berhil, N30.79190 W8.39049, 1000 m, 2.V.2013, J. Tabell leg. (coll. MZH), BOLD sample ID: MM24508. Paratypes: 3 ♂ (GP 5313 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23676 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample 23675 Lepid Phyl), same collecting data as holotype; 1 ♂ (GP 5074 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23668 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, Taroudant Prov., 22 km NNE Ouled Berhil, 1340 m, 1.V.2013, N30.82847 W8.40095, J. Tabell leg.; 1 ♂ (GP 5396 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23674 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, 2 km NW Azrou, 1220 m, N33.47397 W5.24710, 6.V.2013, J. Tabell leg.; 1 ♂ (DNA sample 23747 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, Agadir Prov., 8 km NNW Agadir, 140 m, N30.49457 W9.62407, 11.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg.; 1 ♀ (DNA sample 23737 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, Anti-Atlas, Tiznit Prov., 24 km SW Tafraout, 1125 m, N29.58058 W9.17267, 13.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg.; 1 ♂ (DNA sample 23736 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, High Atlas, Taroudant Prov., 1130 m, 5 km N Tafingoult, N30.805883 W8.396052, 15.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg.; 3 ♂ (GP 5448 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23748 Lepid Phyl; GP 5441 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23733 Lepid Phyl; GP 5888 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23735 Lepid Phyl), 2 ♀ (GP 5456 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23734 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, High Atlas, Taroudant Prov., 1200 m, 6 km N Tafingoult, N30.812573 W8.396312, 16.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg.; 2 ♂, Morocco, Ifrane Prov., 3 km NNW Azrou, 1210 m, N33.446424 W5.24528, 14.V.2016, J. Tabell leg.; 16 ♂ (GP 5701 J. Tabell), Morocco, Ifrane Prov., 3 km NNW Azrou, 1210 m, N33.46424 W5.24528, 16.V.2016, J. Tabell leg.; 1 ♂ (DNA sample 25814 Lepid Phyl), 1 ♀ (GP 5711 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25813 Lepid Phyl), Morocco, Settat Prov., 2.5 km E Sidi Said Maachou, 100 m, N33.14137 W8.09181, 18.V.2016, J. Tabell leg. (colls. MZH and TAB).
Diagnosis. Externally P. moroccoensis is a rather variable species. It is similar to P. algeriella Baker, 1885 (Fig. 34), P. macrosella (Fig. 28) (both with type localities in north-eastern Algeria), P. lacteella, and P. ochreopalpella. In P. moroccoensis the median line is broader than in P. macrosella, but narrower than in P. lacteella, and the costal line is longer and broader than in P. ochreopalpella. Diagnostic features in male genitalia are the shape of uncus (longer in P. ochreopalpella and P. macrosella, broader in P. lacteella), gnathos (shorter in P. algeriella and P. lacteella), posterior lobe of juxta (longer in P. ochreopalpella and P. macrosella, shorter in P. algeriella), and valval lobe (longer in P. macrosella, larger and more sclerotized in P. ochreopalpella). In the female genitalia, the branch of the apophysis anterioris is club-shaped in P. moroccoensis and P. lacteella, stripeshaped in P. atlasensis; the ventral longitudinal sclerotization is narrowest in P. moroccoensis, broadest in P. lacteella; the anterior section of the ductus bursae is swollen in P. lacteella, parallel-sided in P. moroccoensis and P. atlasensis; the posterior signa are small in P. moroccoensis, broad in P. lacteella, narrow and elongated in P. atlasensis.
Molecular diagnosis. Fourteen specimens of P. moroccoensis from different Moroccan localities were sequenced, resulting in 658 bp, full-length DNA barcode fragments for 13 specimens, and a fragment of 594 bp for one specimen. The nearest neighbour to P. moroccoensis is P. staintoniella with a 7.15% divergence. The barcodes of P. moroccoensis exhibit 0.34% maximum intraspecific variation (Table 1).
Description. Adult. Wingspan 19–24 mm. Labial palpus pale beige, laterally and ventrally mixed white and brown, dorsolaterally with a dark brown apical spot, long, about 7.3 x as long as diameter of eye (1 st and 2 nd segments), 3 rd segment long, 0.34 x length of 1 st and 2 nd segments. Antenna brown. Head, tegula and thorax concolorous with forewing. Forewing pale beige, apically a hue of short white stripes; costal line white, extending almost from base to 0.8; subcostal line yellowish brown, slightly expanded towards apex; median line white, dorsomedially with a short dent. Fringe pale beige to white, darker medially, forming a line parallel to indistinct fringe line. Hindwing pale grey, fringe pale brownish grey, white at outer margin. Abdomen slightly lustrous, pale grey, each segment with transverse row of ochre scales.
Male genitalia. Uncus bell-shaped dorsoventrally, shorter than gnathos, lined with several bristles, apex blunt. Gnathos funnel-shaped dorsoventrally, 1.7 x as long as uncus, medially covered with scobination above, apex laterally shallowly beak-shaped. Tegumen large, anterior margins arched. Valva elongate, thimble-shaped, upwards oblique, ventral margin evenly curved, costa straight; sacculus narrow. Posterior lobe of juxta long, extended beyond apex of uncus; valval lobe oval, gutter-shaped apically, covered with short bristles. Phallus curved, parallelsided, with a bundle of numerous spines and one plate-shaped angular cornutus, dorsal margin at apex lined with several small spines.
Female genitalia. Papillae anales ovoid, covered with bristles of different length. Apophyses long; posterior apophysis 5.8 x as long as papilla analis and 1.4 x as long as anterior apophysis. Segment 8 elongated longitudinally, rectangular, membranous, dorsolaterally reinforced by sclerotized bands, distal half ventrally sparsely covered with bristles, caudal margin concave, ventral longitudinal sclerotization narrow, slightly shorter than segment 8, branch of apophysis anterioris club-shaped. Antrum tubular, parallel-sided, slightly shorter than segment 8, membranous, anterior 0.33 slightly tapered and sclerotized. Ductus bursae membranous. Corpus bursae ovoid, with one robust arched signum with two long, narrow, sclerotized thorn-like protuberances, and two tiny leaf-shaped signa.
Biology. Unknown. The adults have been captured in April and May at light, a few specimens also by sweeping vegetation during morning.
Distribution. Morocco, widely distributed in the Middle and High Atlas mountains, at an altitude between 100 and 1210 m.
Derivation of name. The specific epithet refers to the country of Morocco.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, Mutanen, Marko, Sihvonen, Pasi, Tyllinen, Juha & Tabell, Jukka, 2019, Characterization of Pleurotinae, with review of Pleurota species close to P. aristella (Linnaeus) from Morocco (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), pp. 451-477 in Zootaxa 4545 (4) on pages 467-468, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2618231