Kiwaia (Empista) kostjuki Povolny 2001
Creators: name: Bidzilya, Oleksiy
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Kiwaia
Kiwaia kostjuki

description: Kiwaia (Empista) kostjuki Povolný, 2001
(Figs 7–9, 33–37, 55, 56)
Kiwaia (Empista) kostjuki Povolný, 2001: 199.
Material examined. Holotype ♂, "Vost.[ochnoe] Zabaikalie, r.[eka] Shilka u st.[antsii] Kuenga, (45 km Yuzh. Sretenska), 24.05.1995, I. Kostjuk, O. Kostjuk, M. Golovushkin" | " Holotype, det Povolný, Empista kostjuki Pov. ", gen. slide Bdz. 31 (ZMKU). Paratype 1♂, same data as holotype (ZMKU).
Additional material examined. 5♂, 3♀, China: Mt. Xinglong, Hebei, 16.v.2010, coll. Houhun Li and others, gen. slide nos. L13053♂, L13054♀, OB7/ 14♂, OB124/13♀ (NKU).
Description. Adult (Figs 7–9): Wingspan 14.5–16.0 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae ligth grey mixed with light brown, frons grey; labial palpus upcurved, segment 2 black, with wide white medial belt and white narrow apical ring, upper and outer surface white, underside with groove, segment 3 nearly one half width of segment 3 and about 1.5 times shorter, black with whitish basal belt and white apex; scapus brown, other antennal segments brown, grey ringed; forewing grey, two indistinct black streaks on base under costal margin, diffuse black spot near base on mid-width, dorsal margin black on base, blackish dash surrounded with brown scales and two poorly defined black dots in fold, diffuse blackish spots on the base of cell, two black spots the middle of cell; subapical area mottled with black, termen black-spotted, indistinct blackish spot near apex, cilia grey black-tipped; hindwing light grey.
Male genitalia (Figs 33–37): Uncus comparatively broad, gradually narrowed apically, apex rounded; gnathos slender, sickle-shaped, pointed; tegumen broad with comparatively shallow triangular anteromedial emargination, that extends to 1/3 of its length; valva of moderate width, slightly broadened in middle, apex dilated with pointed tip, not reaching the top of uncus; sacculus about 1/3 length of valva, narrow, evenly curved, of even width with small tip, separated from valva by very narrow gap; vinculum narrow, posterior margin with moderately deep medial emargination, vincular process ovate, apex rounded or weakly pointed, extending to about one half length of sacculus, covered with short setae in apical part, separated by comparatively broad incision; saccus short, base broad, gradually tapered apically, apex abruptly cut, slightly extending beyond the top of pedunulus; caecum weakly swollen, distal portion of phallus weakly narrowed towards apex, caecum and distal portion join in middle length forming large triangular process, apical arm big, down curved with weakly serrated posterior margin, lamina well developed.
Variation. The holotype slightly differs from the paratype in basally narrower sacculus. The male from Inner Mongolia (gen. slide no. L13053) matchs well both to the type specimens and another male from Inner Mongolia (gen. slide no. OB7/14) in all characters of the male genitalia except for slightly shorter and rounded rather than apically pointed vincular processes. The top of valva varies from pointed to rounded.
Female genitalia (Figs 55, 56): Papilla analis ovate, covered with short setae; apophyses posteriores thin, about 2.5 times longer than segment VIII; sternite VIII subrectangular, concave near base of apophyses anteriores, slightly longer than broad, subgenital plate densely covered with microtrichia, almost of even width, anteriorely with digitate medial projections,ventromedial depression broad, rounded anteriorely with well developed, strongly edged inversely V-shaped sclerite around ostium opening; apophyses anteriores distinctly shorter than segment VIII, curved; antrum short, weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae very broad and short with gradual transition to long subovate corpus bursae; signum small, narrow, base with a few small teeth, distal portion narrow, weakly curved, pointed.
Remarks. Kiwaia (E.) kostjuki is characterized externally by ligth grey forewing with well developed comparatively large black spots in combination with small size. K. (E.) spinosa is most similar externally but differs in the costal margin of forewing darker and black dots are expressed poorly. The male genitalia resemble those of K. (E.) palaearctica, but differ in thicker phallus with well expressed corner on it right side, broader, apruptly cut rather than apically pointed saccus, deeper posteriomedial emargination of the vinculum and shorter gap between vincular processes and sacculus. Broader saccus and shorter valva separate K. (E.) kostjuki from K. (E.) mengdana sp. n. The female genitalia is easily recognizable by unique shape of subostial sclerite in combination with very broad and short ductus bursae and small, weakly curved signum.
Biology. Host plant unknown. In Zabaikalsky krai of Russia, adults have been collected on steppes slopes with rare forest vegetation in Shilka river valley at 600 m. Moths fly in May both in China and Russia.
Distribution. Russia (Zabaikalsky krai), China (Hebei).
Notes. Kiwaia (E.) kostjuki was described from two specimens collected in Zabaikalsky krai of Russia. Both specimens are dissected, there are also two slides: the first one bears the label "Bdz. 31, Kiwaia (Empista) kostjuki, Holotype " and another one bears the label " Kiwaia (Empista) kostjuki Pov., paratype " but without number. However, the label for slide "Bdz. 31" is under adult paratype, whereas the holotype does not bear slide number label. Both slides slightly differ in the shape of sacculus (see Figs 33–34) but undoubtedly represent one species.
description: Published as part of Bidzilya, Oleksiy & Li, Houhun, 2016, A review of the genus Kiwaia Philpott, 1930 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in the Palaearctic Region, pp. 471-497 in Zootaxa 4098 (3) on pages 478-479, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4098.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/265642