Indalia marcida Macià & Ylla & Gastón & Huertas & Bau 2022, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Macià, Ramon
name: Ylla, Josep
name: Gastón, Javier
name: Huertas, Manuel
name: Bau, Josep
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Erebidae
Indalia
Indalia marcida

description: Indalia marcida (Mann, 1859) comb. nov.
Original combination: Lithosia marcida Mann, 1859. Wiener Entomologische Monatschrift 3: 94.
T. L.: Palla-gutta, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
Material examined. SPAIN: CÁDIZ: 9 ♂ and 2 ♀, Benalup, 90 m, 14.ix.2015; 25.vi.2016; 17.ix.2015; 8.ix.2012; 22.vi.2012; 20.vi.2014, J. Gastón leg.; 4 ♂ and 3 ♀, Facinas, 100 m, 30.viii.1991, J. Gastón leg.; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, Puerto de Ojén, 200 m, 28.viii.1991, J. Gastón leg.; 2 ♀, Granja escuela bilingüe Monte de la Torre, Los Barrios, 10 m, 30 STF70, 19.vi.2020, JM. Gaona leg.; HUELVA: 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, Parque Nacional de Doñana, Palacio de Doñana, 10 m, 19.v.2009, R. Laffite leg.; MALLORCA: 8 ♂ and 3 ♀, Porto Cristo, Manacor, 30 m, 30 SDE27, 7.vi.2006, 27.vi.2007, G. Zsolt leg.; ZAMORA: 3 ♂ and 2 ♀, Villalazán, 680 m, 14.viii.2009, J.A. Jambrina leg.
Diagnosis. Indalia marcida can be easily confused with the pale forms of Indalia pygmaeola pallifrons, especially the smaller forms found in southern Europe; the costa of the forewing is straighter and less arched, and the same width throughout its length, the ground colour is more uniformly greyish-brownish. For a secure identification a study of the genitalia is necessary.
Re-description. Imago (Figs. 15–16). Average wingspan males 24.6 mm (n=10; 21–27 mm); average wingspan females 22.0 mm (n=6; 20–24 mm).
Genitalia (Fig. 56) Male genitalia: Uncus cylindrical, long and robust, strongly sclerotised; valvae ovoid, saccular process not touching the pointed cucullus; vinculum slightly sclerotised with a doubly curved apical process at its end reaching the same length as the valve; juxta small and triangular. Aedeagus with three mediumsized cornuti. Female genitalia: Anal papillae and 8th segment large compared to the rest of the genital structure; membranous ostium bursae; ductus elongate, narrow and slightly sclerotised below; corpus bursae small, located on the vertical axis, with a single signum in the anterior part; cervix bursae present membranous warts, in this case with low-density microspines inside. The membranous process that extends to the ductus seminalis is of little significance.
Immature stages (Fig. 81). The last instar larva is 15 to 17 mm long. Cephalic capsule well developed, the upper area with black and grey spots. Both sides of body with dark lines touching the D2 and SD 1 verrucae; very short setae, with yellow verrucae. Pupa 8.50 mm, slender, light brown, with small areas of roughness, without spots on dorsum, short clypeus; tip of abdomen rounded, without cremaster, very similar in both sexes. The flimsy cocoon is woven among lichens.
Molecular data. The samples of Indalia marcida form a single cluster of sequences matching a published BIN (BOLD: AAK9891) and appear closely related to Indalia predotae (COI TN-dist=2.93%; ArgK K2-dist=2.25), forming with this species a consistent clade (PP=1). Despite the morphological resemblance of this species with Indalia pygmaeola, molecular data do not suggest an especially close genetic proximity (COI TN-dist=7.69%; ArgK K2-dist=3.55%). Except for this close neighbour, Indalia marcida shows similar COI pairwise distances with all other species of the genus Indalia (TN-dist between 6.44% and 7.97%; average 7.31%).
Biology. Bivoltine, on the wing in a first generation in late spring-early summer and in a second generation in late summer-early autumn. Although in Sicily (Italy) it has been found at an elevation of 1100 m, in the Iberian Peninsula Indalia marcida occurs at a low elevation, below 500–600 m, usually in locations near the coast. Adults are attracted to artificial light. The larvae probably feed on lichens, in captivity they accept artificial diet.
Distribution (Fig. 102). A central-western Mediterranean species. It has been reported with certainty from Morocco and Algeria in northwest Africa, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, and from central and southern Italy. Recently on the island of Malta. In the Iberian Peninsula, there are scattered colonies along a more or less narrow coastal stripe that extends along the east and south of Spain to Portuguese localities in Algarve and Baixo Alentejo (Corley et al. 2009). In Spain, located in the Provinces of Cáceres, Murcia and Zamora although there are very few confirmed records. Also cited from Mallorca.
Observations. The North African taxon diluta is usually considered as synonym or the southern subspecies of lutarella, although it is a subspecies of marcida (Witt & Ronkay, 2011).
description: Published as part of Macià, Ramon, Ylla, Josep, Gastón, Javier, Huertas, Manuel & Bau, Josep, 2022, The species of Eilema Hübner, [1819] sensu lato present in Europe and North Africa (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 5191 (1) on page 25, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5191.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7144073