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

description: Pleurota variocolor Tabell, sp. nov.
Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ACW1899
Table 1, Figs. 1‒4, 11, 14, 17
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DFBCFE50-6ABB-4B0D-943E-9F771E99CCC1
Type material. Holotype ♂ (GP 5435 J. Tabell, DNA sample MM23729 Lepid Phyl): Morocco, Settat Prov., 8 km W Oulad Abbou, 180 m, N33.12279 W8.02267, 10.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg. (coll. MZH), BOLD sample ID: MM23729. Paratypes: 42 ♂ (GP 5495 J. Tabell, DNA sample MM23730 Lepid Phyl), 16 ♀ (GP 5454 J. Tabell, DNA sample MM23728 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample MM23731 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample MM24522 Lepid Phyl), same collecting data as holotype (colls. MZH and TAB).
Diagnosis. Externally, P. variocolor differs from P. azrouensis by the more yellow or brown forewing (greyish in P. azrouensis) and the dark-veined hindwing (veins less distinct in P. azrouensis), and from P. ternaria by the narrower wings and shorter labial palps (palps 4x eye diameter) (wings wider and labial palps longer (palps 6.5x eye diameter) in P. ternaria). In the male genitalia, P. variocolor has a broader base of the uncus and gnathos than in P. azrouensis, a narrower cucullus, a longer anterior extension of the juxta, a club-shaped valval lobe with smooth apex (more parallel-sided with nodulous apex in P. azrouensis), and a robust, irregularly-shaped cornutus (tiny in P. azrouensis). In the female genitalia, P. variocolor has smaller signa (larger in P. azrouensis). Pleurota variocolor differs from P. ternaria by the broader uncus and gnathos, a longer and narrower cucullus, a longer posterior lobe of the juxta, a shorter and smooth valval lobe, and a shorter phallus with a larger, irregularly-shaped cornutus in the male genitalia; and in the female genitalia by the smaller signa.
Molecular data. Five specimens of P. variocolor were sequenced, resulting in 658 bp, full-length barcode fragments for all specimens. The barcodes of P. variocolor, P. azrouensis, and P. ternaria cluster together in the neighbour-joining tree, and the divergences between them are 5.26% (P. variocolor vs. P. ternaria), 5.61% (P. variocolor vs. P. azrouensis), and 2.66% (P. ternaria vs. P. azrouensis). The nearest neighbour to them is a Spanish species, P. protasella Staudinger, 1883, with 5.74%–6.25% divergence. The barcodes of P. variocolor exhibit 0.31% intraspecific variation (Table 1). Consequently, the results support the status of P. variocolor as a distinct species.
Description. Adult. Wingspan 10.0– 13.8 mm. Labial palpus off-white, more or less coloured with brown and light ochre scales, 1 st and 2 nd segments short, about 4 x longer than diameter of eye, 3 rd segment 0.38 x length of 1 st and 2 nd segments. Antenna long, 0.84 x length of forewing in male, in female 0.72–0.77 x, brown, indistinctly annulated with lighter brown, underside black and white. Head, thorax and tegula as forewing. Wings narrow, forewing variable, pale ochre, more or less suffused with white medially, slightly paler narrow costal line indistinct, in male brown discal and plical spots inconspicuous or absent, in female discal, plical and discocellular spots distinct, forming short longitudinal streaks. Another colour variant is ochreous or reddish brown with dense irroration of blackish scales. Fringe slightly paler. Underside dark grey, costa ochre, in female paler ochre. Hindwing grey, fringe paler, with long, grey basal scales, underside pale grey, veins distinct, covered by grey scales, median spot distinct. Abdomen slightly lustrous, greyish brown, each segment with a transverse row of ochre scales.
Male genitalia. Uncus bell-shaped from ventral view, shorter than gnathos, covered with several long bristles. Gnathos funnel-shaped from ventral view, gradually tapered towards apex, apex rounded, apical half granulate. Tegumen broad, anterior margin arched. Valva sclerotized, upwards oblique ventral margin medially concave, costa basally expanded; valval lobe long, club-shaped, apical half strongly sclerotized, lined with few short bristles; cucullus moderately narrow, slightly tapered towards apex, ventrally less sclerotized; sacculus broad, covered with long bristles. Juxta sclerotized; anterior extension straight, median part dilated, posterior lobe reaching apex of uncus. Vinculum broadly U-shaped. Phallus curved, parallel-sided, apex blunt, with a bundle of numerous strongly sclerotized spines and one irregularly shaped, strongly sclerotized large cornutus.
Female genitalia. Papillae anales ovoid, narrow, distal half covered with bristles. Apophyses long; apophysis posterioris 5 x as long as papilla analis and 1.8 x as long as apophysis anterioris, which is 1.5 x as long as segment 8. Segment 8 longitudinally elongated, rectangular, membranous, distally sparsely covered with bristles, dorsolaterally reinforced by sclerotized band; left and right branches of apophyses anteriores fused medially, U-shaped; ventral longitudinal sclerotization narrow, as long as segment 8. Antrum funnel-shaped, short, densely covered by small spinules, slightly sclerotized anteriorly. Ductus bursae membranous. Corpus bursae ovoid, with one arched signum bearing two narrow, sclerotized thorn-like protuberances, and two separate, minute and narrow signa.
Biology. Unknown. All males were collected by sweeping low vegetation in the forenoon when they were flying actively, and all females were detected sitting on the big pale orange flowers of a low, unidentified chrysanthemum in the afternoon.
Distribution. Northwestern Morocco. Known only from the type locality at an altitude of 180 m.
Derivation of name. The specific epithet refers to the variable coloration of the forewing.
description: Published as part of Tabell, Jukka, Mutanen, Marko & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2019, Three morphologically and genetically confirmed new Pleurota species from Morocco (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae: Pleurotinae), pp. 442-450 in Zootaxa 4624 (3) on pages 443-444, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4624.3.12, http://zenodo.org/record/3264518