Ancylis diminuatana Kearfott 1905
Creators: name: Gilligan, Todd
name: Huemer, Peter
name: Wiesmair, Benjamin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Tortricidae
Ancylis
Ancylis diminuatana

description: Ancylis diminuatana Kearfott, 1905
Figs. 39–43, 44–46 (complex), 70–71, 84
Ancylis diminuatana Kearfott, 1905, Proc. U. S. natn. Mus. 28: 361. stat.rev.
Diagnosis. Ancylis diminuatana is distinguished by its “three-toned” forewing, which is pale tan on the costa, reddish brown to dark brown in the remainder of the costal half, and gray in the dorsal half. In most specimens, the shape of the longitudinal line is also distinctive, as it curves only slightly towards the cubitus before reaching CuA2 (Figs. 39 – 41); however, in some specimens the longitudinal line curves abruptly to the cubitus and down to CuA2 (Fig. 42). Other similar species (A. geminana, A. diminutana) appear two-toned, with contrasting costal and dorsal halves of the forewing. Also, the longitudinal line in these other species is more sinuate. Because of the pale tan costa, some specimens of A. goodelliana (A. unguicella group) appear similar to A. diminuatana, but the two species have very different genitalia (Figs. 70–71, 84 versus Figs. 65, 79)
Redescription. Forewing. FWL Ƌ 4.5–7.5 mm (n=44), ♀ 5.5–8 mm (n=16). The costa is pale tan in the basal 0.5–0.75 of the wing. The remainder of the costal half is brown to reddish brown, becoming darker at the longitudinal line. The dorsal half is pale gray to brownish gray. The longitudinal line starts at A1+2 at the base of the wing, curves only slightly towards the cubitus before reaching CuA2, and then angles in a diagonal line to the apex. In some specimens the longitudinal line curves abruptly to the cubitus and down to CuA2 before angling to the apex. Small black streaks are often present just proximal to where the longitudinal line intersects M1. Male genitalia. As described for the group. Female genitalia. As in A. diminutana.
Molecular data. BIN URI: BOLD: AAA7190. The intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is moderate with average 0.32% and maximum 1.28% (n=87). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbor A. subarcuana (BIN AAB3492) is 3.53%.
Distribution. In Canada, A. diminuatana is distributed from Quebec west to Alberta and British Columbia. In the U.S., A. diminuatana is distributed from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, south to North Carolina, west to Nebraska, and possibly beyond. Kearfott (1905) included specimens from Colorado in his type series although we have not located any specimens that we could confirm as A. diminuatana from that state. We did identify a single female from California and specimens from Washington (discussed below) that we would confirm as this species.
Biology. Label data suggests that A. diminuatana is bivoltine in the East, with adults present May though early July and again mid-August through September. Several specimens from the USNM appear to be reared from willow (Salix spp.).
Remarks. Ancylis diminuatana has been consistently misidentified in North America, first as A. diminutana and then as A. geminana. Specimens of A. diminuatana in BOLD consistently misidentified as A. carbonana (Fig. 1) demonstrate some of the dangers in relying on only DNA data for determinations—it is obvious from the online photographs that none of these specimens is A. carbonana. The DNA data do clearly separate this group of Nearctic A. diminuatana from the Palearctic A. diminutana.
We have identified several specimens from the American West that most closely match A. diminuatana but are unlikely to be the same species. Figures 43–44 illustrate two specimens from Washington (Fig. 43, Everett; Fig. 44, Yakima). The Everett specimen (and another from the same date and locality) appears to be a typical A. diminuatana with slightly darker markings; however, the Yakima specimen, and a similar specimen from Walla Walla (not illustrated), appears more two-toned, and the longitudinal line is much more sinuate. Similarly, the specimen in Fig. 45 from Silverton, Colorado, is nearly black and white with a sinuate longitudinal line. Two other specimens (not illustrated) from Colorado match this phenotype. The specimen in Fig. 46 from Alaska is also unusual with subdued markings and a sinuate longitudinal line. Other specimens (not illustrated) from the Humboldt Mountains in northwest Nevada and Provo, Utah have wing patterns similar to those in Figs. 45–46. Unfortunately, none of these specimens were collected recently enough to obtain quality DNA sequence data. Thus, we hesitate to describe any additional species until additional diagnostic characters are discovered and include all of these phenotypes as a potential species complex with A. diminuatana.
description: Published as part of Gilligan, Todd, Huemer, Peter & Wiesmair, Benjamin, 2016, Different continents, same species? Resolving the taxonomy of some Holarctic Ancylis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), pp. 347-370 in Zootaxa 4178 (3) on page 366, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4178.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/163367