Eulamprotes ochricapilla Rebel 1903
Creators: name: Huemer, Peter
name: Elsner, Gustav
name: Karsholt, Ole
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Eulamprotes
Eulamprotes ochricapilla

description: Eulamprotes ochricapilla (Rebel, 1903)
Argyritis ochricapilla Rebel 1903: 96.
Eulamprotes buvati Leraut 1991: 157, figs 1, 6 [7], 8 [9], syn. nov.
Examined material. Austria (n=3), France (n=1), Italy (n=11).
Bulgaria: 1♀, 5 km N Sandanski, 130–200 m, 31.vii.–9.viii.2012, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC).
DESCRIPTION.—Adult (Figs 4–5). Male. Wingspan 9–10 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus black in basal twothirds (lighter on inner surface), cream-white in distal third; segment 3 cream-white mottled with blackish brown, especially in distal part. Antenna ringed blackish and white; apical sixth without darker rings. Head yellowish with a dark line around eye; thorax and tegula black. Forewing black with two whitish yellow-golden fasciae: first broad, oblique from 1/6 at costa to beyond fold; second from middle of costa reaching slightly beyond middle of wing, partly interrupted; pre-apical whitish yellow-golden costal and tornal spots not connected; a few whitish golden scales in apex; cilia black, whitish yellow at tip of apex. Hindwing almost as broad as forewing, dark grey. Abdomen blackish with yellowish tip.
Female. Similar to male.
Variation. The colour of the head underlies some variation from ochre to white, worn specimens become increasingly white. In the original description Rebel (1903) mentions a specimen having the blackish or dark brownish colour replaced by light brownish.
Male genitalia (Figs 24–25).—Segment VIII with two pairs of coremata in intersegmental membrane, grouped into short tufts of moderately broad and lanceolate scales, respectively. Uncus a short digitate process, apically with three long setae; tegumen short, sub-rectangular, a sclerotized belt (gnathos) connects the dorsolateral corners of the tegumen, from these corners two very long and rather stout setae are arising, anterior margin nearly straight, pedunculi small; valva bird’s head-shaped, slender, with strong mediodorsal hump and nearly straight ventral (inner) margin, distal part abruptly and strongly tapered with pointed apex; separate plate-like sclerite at base of valva, covered with few setae; sacculus a broad, setose lobe; saccus almost as long as distance from anterior margin of vinculum to tip of valva, basally broad, distally evenly tapered; phallus broadly sub-cylindrical, apical fifth strongly tapered, about one-third of maximum width of its anterior part; vesica with number of small grains.
Female genitalia (Fig. 51).—Apophysis posterioris slender, rod-shaped, about four times as long as segment VIII; segment VIII with distinctly sclerotized posteriolateral part, otherwise membranous; ostium bursae laterally with sclerotized folds; apophysis anterioris slender, rod-shaped, almost three times as long as segment VIII; ductus bursae long and slender, posterior half with slender, oblong sclerite extending to about apex of apophysis anterioris, anterior half membranous, weakly expanded; corpus bursae sub-oval, slightly larger than segment VIII; signum a large sub-rectangular plate, anterior margin with two short spines, posterior margin with one short and one longer spinal process.
DIAGNOSIS.— E. ochricapilla is characterized by having the basal five-sixths of the antennae ringed black and white and the apical sixth without darker rings, and by having yellow-golden forewing markings. The male genitalia somewhat resemble other species with short uncus and distally strongly tapered valva such as E. wilkella and E. superbella, but the abruptly tapered slender part of the valva is distinctive. The female genitalia differ from those of other species in the shape of the signum with the paired posterior and anterior spinal processes.
GENETIC DATA.—The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is low and ranges from 0%–0.31% (average distance 0.12%) (n=5). The distance to the nearest neighbour E. libertinella is 9.38%.
DISTRIBUTION.—Only known from few localities in northern Italy (South Tyrol, Trento), Slovakia (Elsner et al. 1999), Czech Republic (Laštůvka & Liška 2011), Romania (Kovács & Kovács 1999), Austria (East Tyrol) (Deutsch 2012) and in southern France. New record for Bulgaria (see material examined).
BIOLOGY.—Host-plant and early stages insufficiently known. According to the original description the type series was bred from moss on old chestnut trees. Adults have been collected in a single generation from July to August in thermophilous forests at light.
REMARKS.— Argyritis ochricapilla was described from three males from a longer series (“in Anzahl”) bred by Hedemann in the first half of July 1902 from larvae collected in the surroundings of Bozen (South Tyrol, Italy) (Rebel 1903). A lectotype was designated by Popescu-Gorj (1992) (although given as “ochricapitella ”). We have been able to examine a series of topotypical specimens of both sexes.
Eulamprotes buvati was described from four males and four females collected by Buvat at Viens (Vaucluse, France) but only the male holotype and a male and female paratype are explicitly mentioned in the original description (Leraut 1991). The species was compared with E. superbella, E. libertinella and E. wilkella but obviously the author was not aware of the existence of E. ochricapilla. In fact the description and figure of the adult male as well as male and female genitalia give clear evidence of conspecificity with the latter and we formally synonymise E. buvati syn. nov. with E. ochricapilla. The synonymy is fully supported by supplementary photographs of the holotype and its genitalia, kindly provided by J. Minet and J. Barbut (MNHN) and by an additional specimen from southern France (Prelles) in coll. TLMF.
Eulamprotes superbella (Zeller, 1839)
Gelechia (Brachmia) superbella Zeller 1839: 202.
Examined material. Austria (n=1), Denmark (n=68), Finland (n=5), Germany (n=4), Italy (n=3), Netherlands (n=4), Poland (n=2), Switzerland (n=1).
Greece: 1♂, Kozáni, Hrómio, 500 m, 1.v.1994, leg. Stadel Nielsen (ZMUC);
Russia: 1♀, Sakha Republic, south, Lena River, about 60˚N, Pokroffskoje, 20.vi.1901, leg. Poppius (ZMUH).
DESCRIPTION.—Adult (Figs 6–8). Male. Wingspan 7.0– 8.5 mm. Segment 2 of labial palpus blackish brown in basal two-thirds, apical third cream-white; segment 3 cream-white, becoming darker towards black tip. Basal part of antenna blackish, becoming more distinctly lighter ringed after one-third and until tip. Head white with dark line around eye; thorax and tegula black. Forewing black with two silvery fasciae: first oblique from 1/6 at costa to 1/5 at fold; second from middle of costa reaching three-quarters towards dorsum; pre-apical cream-white costal spot with silvery base not connected with silvery tornal spot; termen with silvery scales around apex; cilia blackish grey, whitish grey at tip of apex. Hindwing almost as broad as forewing, grey. Abdomen blackish grey with whitish grey tip.
Female. Wingspan 7.0–8.0 mm. Hindwing between half and two-thirds as broad as forewing, with more pointed apex. Abdomen distinctly larger than in male, black; posterior part of each segment silvery white. Otherwise similar to male.
Variation. The examined specimens show only minor variation. In one specimen from Finland the pre-apical costal spot and the tornal spot are connected.
Male genitalia (Figs 26–27).—Segment VIII with two pairs of coremata in intersegmental membrane, grouped into short tufts of moderately broad and lanceolate scales, respectively. Uncus reduced to tiny process with few short setae; tegumen short, sub-rectangular,, a sclerotized belt (gnathos) connects the dorsolateral corners of the tegumen, from these corners two very long and rather stout setae are arising, anterior margin nearly straight, pedunculi very small; valva basally broad, with strongly convex mediodorsal (outer) and concave ventral (inner) margin, more or less gradually tapered, distal part moderately slender; separate plate-like sclerite at base of valva, covered with few setae; sacculus a small, setose lobe; saccus about as long as distance from anterior margin of vinculum to tip of valva, basally broad, distally evenly tapered; phallus basally broad, distal part gradually constricted with abruptly and strongly tapered apical fifth, about one quarter of maximum width of its anterior part; vesica with number of small grains.
Female genitalia (Fig. 52).—Apophysis posterioris slender, rod-shaped, about three times as long as segment VIII; segment VIII with evenly and smoothly sclerotized posteriolateral part, otherwise membranous; ostium bursae laterally with sclerotized folds; apophysis anterioris slender, rod-shaped, about three times as long as segment VIII; ductus bursae long and slender, posterior half with slender, oblong sclerite extending to about apex of apophysis anterioris, anterior half membranous, gradually expanded; corpus bursae sub-oval, about size of segment VIII; signum a distinct sub-rectangular plate, laterally weakly excavated, anteriorly with two short spinal processes, posterior part with one to two very short spines and several spinules.
DIAGNOSIS.— E. superbella is the smallest species of the E. wilkella group. It is moreover characterized by having the antennae ringed black and white to the tip, and by the female being almost normally winged. The male genitalia closely resemble other species with short uncus and distally strongly tapered valva, particularly E. wilkella, but the valva is comparatively more stout in E. superbella and the shape of the phallus with maximum width. The female genitalia are characterized by the sub-rectangular shape of the signum with characteristic spines.
GENETIC DATA.—The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is low and ranges from 0%–0.15% (average distance 0.1%) (n=4). The distance to the nearest neighbour E. wilkella is 7.48%.
DISTRIBUTION.—Widely distributed in Europe, from France to Russia and from southern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. Furthermore published from Mongolia (Piskunov 1990), Turkey (Koçak & Kemal 2007) and northern Africa (Algeria) (Chrétien 1917) but records from the Mediterranean and submediterranean area need verification in the light of the newly described species.
BIOLOGY.—Host-plant and early stages unknown. E. superbella is in the literature most often associated with Thymus, probably dating back to Wocke (1874) who wrote [translated from German]: “… not rare on Thymus angustifolius (= serpyllum) on which the larva also lives”. The various other host-plants given in literature, i.e. Gnaphalium (Elsner et al. 1999), are implausible. Although the adults are most often found near Thymus it seems rather likely that the species feeds on moss as is known from congeners. A specimen was bred from a grass-turf which was dug up in a dry coastal biotope (Buhl et al. 2002). Univoltine. Adults have been collected from the middle of May to the end of June. They are active during daytime and can be swept from vegetation or disturbed with smoke, especially from stands of flowering Thymus. They are only rarely attracted to light.
REMARKS.— Gelechia (Brachmia) superbella was described from many specimens collected in May and June on dry soil in the area of Glogow (Poland) (Zeller 1839). The type-locality and the precise description of important adult characters such as wing markings, head and labial palpi and particularly antennae leave no doubt about the identity.
E. superbella as figured in Elsner et al. (1999) is a mixture of two species. The adult figure 77 depicts a male of E. baldizzonei sp. nov., whilst fig. 77a represents a correctly identified female of E. superbella. The male and female genitalia are correctly identified and depict E. superbella.
description: Published as part of Huemer, Peter, Elsner, Gustav & Karsholt, Ole, 2013, Review of the Eulamprotes wilkella species-group based on morphology and DNA barcodes, with descriptions of new taxa (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), pp. 69-100 in Zootaxa 3746 (1) on pages 76-79, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3746.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/219621