Ptilophora nebrodensis Infusino & Hausmann & Scalercio 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Infusino, Marco
name: Hausmann, Axel
name: Scalercio, Stefano
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Notodontidae
Ptilophora
Ptilophora nebrodensis

description: Ptilophora nebrodensis Infusino & Scalercio, sp. n.
Type material. Holotype male: HOLOTYPE / Ptilophora / nebrodensis [red rectangle label]; SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 28.X.09 / Infusino M. leg. (Coll. Crea, Italy). Paratypes altogether 7 males and 2 females. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 28.X.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA—0104, Stefano Scalercio [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00541]. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA—0133, Marco Infusino [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00437]. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA—0138, Marco Infusino [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00412]. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg. [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00540]. 1 female: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA—0156, Marco Infusino [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00543]. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg. [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS- 00544]. 1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 28.X.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA – 0 153, Marco Infusino. All these specimens deposited in the CREA-FL collection.
1 male: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 28.X.09 / Infusino M. leg. 1 female: SICILIA / Bosco della Tassita (ME) / 1.430 m s.l.m.— 20.XI.09 / Infusino M. leg.; prep. number CREA – 0 153, Marco Infusino [DNA barcode specimen ID LEP-SS-00542]. All these specimens deposited in the SNSB-ZSM collection.
1 male: Sicilien / Ficuzza / W—Geo. C. Kr. Deposited in Museum für Naturkunde Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung (ZMHU, Berlin) collection (ex Coll. Püngeler).
Description. External characters (Figs. 2–3f–j). Male: Forewings narrow, usually reddish-brown with considerable variation ranging from yellow-ochre to dark-brown. The collected specimens show a prevalence of dark-brown and dark reddish-brown forms, similar to the habitus of females (in five out of eight males). Median and postmedian lines of forewing usually delimit a dark median fascia, but this pattern is not always clearly visible, especially in dark forms. Fringe concolorous with ground colour, but dark brown at the vein endings. Veins are often markedly darker. Hindwings are reddish-grey or reddish, moderately diaphanous (semi-transparent), and show a brighter line in the median area, not always visible. The antenna is dark-grey, strongly plumose. The reddish-brown thorax is very hairy. The abdomen is reddish-brown and ends in a lighter hair tuft. Female: the wing pattern is similar to that of the males, but less marked. The ground color is dark-brown with some variation. Antenna filiform, reddish-brown.
Male genitalia (Figs. 4b, 5e–h, 6e–h). Uncus short, hook-shaped, with small and slender socii. Gnathos absent. Valva oval, comparatively narrow. Clasper (harpe) conspicuous, at a rather distant position from the distal margin of valva. It is strongly sclerotized, sub-rectangular and shows a usually non-serrated margin. A barely visible process is present at the base of the valva. Phallus bifurcate with symmetrical and strongly sclerotized arms, of 1/2 length of the whole phallus.
Female genitalia (Fig. 7b). Antrum well sclerotized, with a pair of prominent, finely spinulose processes at the base of the anterior sclerite. The anterior margin of the most sclerotized part of the ostium region (lamella antevaginalis) is similar to a flattened “M”. Papillae anales are short. The bursa copulatrix is very small and poorly sclerotized, without any diagnostic significance.
Variation. The species shows a great variability in its external characters, but less than in P. variabilis, the wingspan ranges from 29 to 34 mm (mean: 31.6 mm; N=10), darker forms are prevailing. However, genitalia characters are constant.
Genetic data (Fig. 8). Genetic data are available for two specimens of P. nebrodensis sp. n. (BOLD sample IDs: LEP-SS-00412, 627bp; LEP-SS-0 0 437, 579bp). Minimum pairwise distances are 4.0% from P. plumigera and 1.9% from P. variabilis (complete deletion). The two P. nebrodensis sp. n. specimens diverge by three nucleotide substitutions (0.5%).
Diagnosis. The external characters of P. variabilis and P. nebrodensis sp. n. are very similar to those of P. plumigera but, as already observed by Hartig (1968) concerning P. plumigera variabilis, with much greater variation in colour and contrast (Fig. 3). Generally, in P. variabilis and in P. nebrodensis sp. n. the wing pattern is more evident, at least in the lighter forms. P. nebrodensis sp. n. is smaller than the others. The three species are, however, clearly distinguishable by dissection (Fig. 4). The most important diagnostic features are:
In P. nebrodensis sp. n., the valva is much narrower than in P. plumigera and P. variabilis (Fig. 5).
Harpe strongly sclerotized, sub-rectangular with serrated distal margin, positioned near the tip of valva P. variabilis (Fig. 5a–d), bi-lobed, less sclerotized and more distant from the tip of valva in P. plumigera (Fig. 5i –l); the harpe of P. nebrodensis sp. n. is similar to that of P. variabilis but smaller and more distant from the tip of valva (Fig. 5e–h).
The basal process of valva small in P. variabilis (Fig. 5a–d), much more pronounced and distally pointed in P. plumigera (Fig. 5i –l), whereas in P. nebrodensis sp. n. it is barely visible (Fig. 5e–h).
Phallus with symmetrical and strongly sclerotized arms of 2/3 length of the whole phallus in P. variabilis (Fig. 6a–d); arms asymmetrical and less sclerotized in P. plumigera (Fig. 6i –l); arms symmetrical, sclerotized, but smaller, 1/2 length of whole phallus, in P. nebrodensis sp. n. (Fig. 6e–h).
The anterior margin of the most sclerotized part of the ostium region (lamella antevaginalis, sterigma) is “M” shaped in P. variabilis (Fig. 7a), with the anterior margin similar to a flattened “M” in P. nebrodensis sp. n. (Fig. 7b), less sclerotized and without a defined shape in P. plumigera (Fig. 7c).
Etymology. The species name refers to the Nebrodi Mountains, its locus typicus, where it is apparently more common.
Distribution. P. nebrodensis sp. n. has a very restricted distribution area in the northern part of Sicily, where it replaces P. plumigera (Fig. 9). The most abundant population seems to be present in the Bosco della Tassita (locus typicus), western Nebrodi Mountains, in the territory of the Nebrodi Regional Park (Caronia, Messina Province— ME; 37.8968°N, 14.4793°E [DD]; 1,430 m a.s.l.) (Fig. 10). It has previously been reported as “ P. plumigera ” for some localities on the southern slopes of the Nebrodi Mountains (ME) (Giuliano & Parenzan 1994, Bella et al. 1995), for the Bosco della Ficuzza (Ficuzza, Palermo Province—PA) (Ragusa 1889, Parenzan & Porcelli 2006), Baucina (PA) and Mandria del Conte—Madonie Massif, Isnello (PA) (Parenzan & Porcelli 2006), but always referring to the record of isolated specimens.
Ecology. The species inhabits predominantly broadleaved forests. The Bosco (‘forest’) della Tassita is characterized by the presence of Taxus baccata L. (Fam. Taxaceae), Fagus sylvatica L. (Fam. Fagaceae) and Acer spp. (Fam. Aceraceae), while the other locations are essentially mixed forests with prevalence of Quercus spp. (Fam. Fagaceae) and other deciduous trees, mainly Populus nigra L. and Salix spp. (Fam. Salicaceae) (Fig. 10). The vertical distribution of P. nebrodensis sp. n. ranges from 600 up to 1,450 m, being more common above 1,100 m. The unknown larva probably feeds on various broadleaved trees with preference for Acer spp., as it occurs in P. plumigera. Adults certainly fly from October to December, probably as in the congeners, extending the flight period to January and February.
description: Published as part of Infusino, Marco, Hausmann, Axel & Scalercio, Stefano, 2018, Ptilophora variabilis Hartig, 1968, bona species, and description of Ptilophora nebrodensis sp. n. from Sicily (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae), pp. 237-252 in Zootaxa 4369 (2) on pages 245-250, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4369.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/1135702