Muscula muscula
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
Muscula
Muscula muscula

description: Muscula muscula (Staudinger, 1899)
Original combination: Lithosia muscula Staudinger, 1899. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Iris 12: 156.
T. L.: [Turkey, Lebanon] Taurus Mts., Gjaur Dagh; Adalia; Syria (Beirut and Lebanon).
Material examined. CYPRUS: 2 ♂ and 3 ♀, M. Fibiger leg.; 1 ♀, Fasouri, 15 km. W. Limassol, 15.x.1996; 3 ♂ and 1 ♀, Livadhi, Paphos forest, 400 m, 23.ix.2002, Hentscholek leg.; 1 ♀, Agyia Fors., Paphos Forest, 400 m, 28.viii.2003, Hentscholek leg.; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, Nikokleia, 80 m, 12.vi.2002, Hentscholek leg.; 13 ♂, 3 ♀, 1 Km. S. of Kidasi, Paphos, 23.viii.2020, A. Szabó leg.
GREECE: 2 ♂ Hellas, Préveza, Milikas, 10 m, 27.vi.2001, J. Skyva leg.
TURKEY: 4 ♂ and 3 ♀, Kemer, Antalya Reg., 700 m, 19.x.2011, A. Saldaitis leg.
Diagnosis. This species differs externally from the rather similar species Wittia sororcula, in the smaller size, wider, convex and paler forewings, more greyish-ochreous ground colour with paler costal and interior margins and grey-shaded hindwings. In the dark forms of Wittia sororcula, the hindwings darken in a similar way to the forewings, but those of Muscula muscula are always pale ochreous-grey.
Re-description. Imago (Figs. 37–38). Average wingspan males 23.5 mm (n=10; 19–27 mm); average wingspan females 21.9 mm (n=10; 17–27 mm).
Genitalia (Fig. 67). Male genitalia:Uncus elongated,slender, cylindrical and with a rounded tip; valvae triangular, quite short and with a membranous pointed cucullus, with a large, sharp and sclerotised costal process; saccular process short and sharp, not exceeding the cucullus; juxta large, V-shaped with sclerotised arms, the edges covered with a band of dark hair-like setae; vinculum of median size with sclerotised lateral arms. Aedeagus cylindrical, rather short, without cornuti, but with a small, slightly sclerotised plaque. Female genitalia: Lamella postvaginalis heart-shaped, strongly sclerotised; ductus bursae very short and membranous; bursa copulatrix pumpkin-shaped, with an elongated bean-shaped signum, sclerotised and positioned vertically.
Immature stages. Not studied.
Molecular data. Three specimens from Cyprus have been analysed for the COI marker, one of them providing also a successful sequencing of the ArgK marker. The RESL analysis of COI data returned a single cluster that coincided with an existing BIN (BOLD: ACI1211), composed of two sequences identified as Eilema sp. from Turkey. Interestingly, the results reveal a certain degree of mitonuclear discordance, with the mitochondrial sequence showing a closer relationship to Indalia species (average TN-dist = 5.72%) than the nuclear marker (average K-dist = 7.16%), which suggests a more distant relation. The combined mitonuclear tree places this species as a sidebranch of the Eilema-Manulea group, with strong BI support (PP=1). In the view of these results, and especially in regard to the strong morphological differences from Indalia sp., we conclude that an integrative analysis of this species supports its placement in a distinct genus (Muscula muscula).
Biology. Muscula muscula has two or three overlapping generations, with adults in flight from late spring to early autumn. A xerophilous species that inhabits xerothermic sunny forest from lowlands to mid-high elevations, prefering rocky biotopes, rocky walls, bushy gorges and scattered oak groves. Adults attracted to artificial light. It is assumed that the larvae feed on lichens, but their biology is little known.
Distribution (Fig. 113). Ponto-Mediterranean. In Europe known only from the islands of Rhodos and Samos and the Strymon delta in Greece, and from Cyprus. Outside Europe, it occurs in the northern part of Lebanon, southern Turkey, northern Syria and Iraq.
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 pages 39-40, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5191.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7144073