Amicta sericata Hattenschwiler & Alemansoor 2006
Creators: name: Arnscheid, Wilfried R.
name: Rajaei, Hossein
name: Sobczyk, Thomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Psychidae
Amicta
Amicta sericata

description: Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006
Figs 16, 29
Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006: 80. Type loc.: Iran, Ghatrouyeh, Neyriz, 1580 m, Fars Provinz, 54°42’E, 29°08’N, ex l. 29.viii.2005, leg. Hasan Alemansour. Holotype in NML (not examined).
Material examined. 2 ♂, 2 ♀, 6 larval cases (all paratypes) Iran, Ghatrouyeh, Neyriz, 1580 m, Fars Provinz, 54°42’E, 29°08’N, ex l. 29.viii.2005, leg. Hasan Alemansour (MTD, CTS).
Diagnosis. Male wingspan 25–28 mm, forewing length 12.5 mm, width 5.4 mm forewings wide, apex rounded. FI. 2.3. Veins r3, r4, and r5 extremely variable, normally with one stem and divided in various ways, can differ on left and right wings of same specimen, m2+m3 stalked. Scales hair-like, short, (class 1 after Sauter & Hättenschwiler 1999), dark brown, mixed with longer, whitish scales, loosely attached and set widely separated from one another (therefore wings appear light coloured), easily lost with first wing movements (therefore wings become naked and fully transparent). All wing margins with dark brown, nearly black scales or hairs remaining attached during flight; narrow, hair-like scales located on front and rear margins and wide, toothed scales on apex and outer margin. Hindwing venation m2+m3 stalked, rr fused with sc over a large part of wing, scales and fringes as on forewing. Antenna 6.0 mm, with 40–45 segments. Eyes large and roundish, EI 0.54. Face with long, brown hair tuft; forehead and thorax with mixture of brown and grey hairs. Foreleg longest, with long epiphysis; mid and hindlegs without spurs or only very small apical spurs; all legs coated with appressed dark hairs. Abdomen dark brown to black
Male genitalia. Elongate in general appearance, tegumen slightly indented distally, slightly folded laterally and distally, covered with short hair. Valvae short, not extending beyond the distal end of tegumen, roundish apically and covered with short setae. Clasper of sacculus elongate, slender, slightly bent, narrower distally and covered with short spines apically. Anellus short, pointed. Vinculum broad, bulging laterally. Saccus long and more or less roundish caudally. Phallus very long, longer than whole genitalia.
Larval case. Differs distinctly from all other species of the genus. Male: 32–38 mm long, round in cross section, width 10–12 mm; female 35–48 mm long with diameter of 11–16 mm, round, slightly tapered to nearly cylindrical. Covered with short, thin sections of branches of food plant. Outside covered with layer of silver-grey silk. Therefore, it remains on larval cases of Phalacropterix or Megalophanes.
Distribution. Probably an endemic species, known only from the Fars province in Iran.
description: Published as part of Arnscheid, Wilfried R., Rajaei, Hossein & Sobczyk, Thomas, 2021, A taxonomic review of the genus Amicta Heylaerts, 1881 in North Africa, Near and Middle East (Lepidoptera, Psychidae, Oiketicinae, Acanthopsychini), pp. 349-368 in Zootaxa 5071 (3) on pages 364-365, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5071.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/5723760