Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire 1966
Creators: name: Rajaei, Hossein
name: Hausmann, Axel
name: Trusch, Robert
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometridae
Rhodostrophia
Rhodostrophia lenis

description: Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, 1966
(Figs 35–37, 71, 88, Map 9)
Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, 1966: Zeitschrift der Wiener Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 51 (9–11): 134. (Afghanistan, Khurd-Kabul SO, v. Kabul, 1900m), Holotype ♂ (examined), ‘Afgh[anistan], Khurd-Kabul SO, v. Kabul, 1900m, 18.VI.1965, Kasy & Vartian’, ‘Mus. Vind. Gen. Präp. 15.941 ♂ ’, ‘Preparation WW. 195’, ‘ Rhodostrophia lenis Wilts. ♂, Holotypus’. Paratypes (6♂, 1♀ examined): 1 ♀, ‘Afgh[anistan], Khurd-Kabul SO, v. Kabul, 1900m, 18.VI.1965, Kasy & Vartian’, ‘ Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltsh. ♀, Allotypus’, ‘ Paratype, Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, det. H. R., 2009’, ‘prep. 1532/2011 H. R.’; 4 ♂, same locality, ‘Paratypoid Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire 1967 [1966]’, ‘ Paratype Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, det. H. R., 2009’; 1 ♂, same locality, ‘Paratypoid, Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, 1967 [1966]’, ‘ Paratype Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, det. H. R., 2009’, ‘prep. 1534/2011 H. R.’; 1 ♂, ‘ 40 km SW, v. Kabul 2300m, Afghan[istan], 17.6.1965, Kasy & Vartian’, ‘Paratypoid Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire, 1967 [1966]’, ‘ Paratype Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire det. H. R., 2009’; all in NHMW.
Records in literature. Rhodostrophia lenis: Scoble (1999: 823); Scoble & Hausmann (2007).
Previous records from Iran. Iran-Khorasan National Park Golestan-Almeh Tal, 1541 m, 23.– 24.5.2001; Iran, Khorasan, Kuh-e Sorkh, Pass NE Rivash, [N Kashmar 58°27'E, 35°28'N] 2100 m, 19.V.2007; Iran, Khorasan, Kopet Dagh, Quchan-Dargaz (SW Passhöhe), 55–56 km N Quchan, 1900–2100m, 15.VI.2006; Iran, Khorassan, Kopedagh-Allahakbar, 1950m, 16.6.1974 (all reported by Rajaei & Trusch 2011).
Additional material examined. 2 ♀, Iran, Khorasan-e Razavi, Mashhad, Binaloud [Mt.], 1679 m, 36°13'12,3"N, 59°20'50.2"E, 18.05.2016, leg. Sh. Feizpur, g.p. 2364/2020 H. Rajaei; 1 ♀, Iran, Khorasan-e Shomali prov., Gifan to Izman road, between Ghale Mohammadi and Izman-e Sufla, Alt. 1823 m, N37°51'31.9'', E057°32'27.2'', 20.vi.2013, leg. H. Rajaei, J.-U. Meineke, B. Hafezi; 1 ♂, Iran, prov. Khorasan-e Shomali, N Qochan, Emam Gholi to Kabkan road, After Agh-Mazar, Allah-o Akbar Mt., Alt. 1763 m, N37°19'27.2'', E058°43'26.1'', 18.vi.2013, leg. H. Rajaei, J.-U. Meineke, B. Hafezi; all in SMNS.
Specimens studied total: 8 ♂, 4 ♀.
Differential diagnosis. (Figs 35–37). Wingspan 26–30 mm. Forewing triangular, apex pointed, termen straight. Wings in both sexes uniformly brown-ochre, getting darker towards the apex of the forewing and the termen in both wings. Discal spots hardly visible. The underside is slightly brighter than the upperside. The species cannot be confused with any other Iranian Rhodostrophia species. Externally, it resembles to some Lithostege species in Iran and R. vartianae Wiltshire, 1966, known from Afghanistan (see Rajaei & Trusch 2011 for more details).
Male genitalia (Fig. 71) with elongated uncus, apically clubbed, cleft at tip (Fig. 3). Valva broad, subapical part and sacculus curved interiorly; apex not spinulose (Fig. 71a). Juxta wide, rhomboid. Aedeagus medially curved; vesica membranous. Male sternite A8 slightly notched, but octavals not developed.
Female genitalia (Fig. 88) with an oval corpus bursae, completely membranous, without signa; ductus bursae tubular and broad, roughly of same size as corpus bursae, strongly sclerotized. Posterior apophyses twice length of anterior apophyses.
Genetic data. No data available yet.
Distribution (Map 9). Up to now the species is recorded only from Afghanistan (south-east of Kabul) and Iran (Golestan National Park and northern Khorassan, Kopet-Dagh Mts.).
Life history and habitat (Fig 116). Biology and larval stages are unknown. Most probably, this species is diurnal (Rajaei & Trusch 2011) and seems to be univoltine, recorded from mid-May to mid-June. According to the material examined here, it flies at altitudes from 1500 m up to 2300 m. The species is sympatric with R. abscisaria, flying in the same habitats (see Fig. 116).
description: Published as part of Rajaei, Hossein, Hausmann, Axel & Trusch, Robert, 2022, Taxonomic review of the genus Rhodostrophia Hübner, 1823 (Geometridae: Sterrhinae) in Iran, pp. 1-64 in Zootaxa 5118 (1) on pages 30-31, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5118.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6378566