Ephysteris (Microcraspedus) flavida Povolny 1969
Creators: name: Li, Houhun
name: Bidzilya, Oleksiy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Ephysteris
Ephysteris flavida

description: Ephysteris (Microcraspedus) flavida Povolný, 1969
(Figs. 4, 10, 16, 22)
Ephysteris (Opacopsis) flavida Povolný, 1969: 25; Povolný 1972: 201; Povolný 1973: 18. Microcraspedus flavidus (Povolný): Povolný 2002: 90.
Material examined. CHINA: 2 ɗ, 2 Ψ, Zepu (Poskam), Xinjiang Autonomous Region, 1220 m, 2– 21.viii.1994, Aisiher Mamati leg. genitalia slide nos. L05183 (male), L05184 (female), L06025 (female); 1 ɗ, Chengguan, Dalad Qi, Inner Mongolia, 960 m, 13.viii.2002, Zhiqiang Li & Dandan Zhang leg., genitalia slide no. L05190; 1 ɗ, Heiliu, Urad Qianqi, Bayannur Meng, Inner Mongolia, 1075 m, 12.viii.2006, Zhiwei Zhang leg. (NKU).
Adult (Fig. 4). Length of forewing 3.9–5.0 mm. Head, thorax and tegula yellowish-white. Labial palpus strongly upcurved, second segment about 1.5 times length of third segment, covered with long grey, browntipped scales, inner surface yellowish-white; third segment light-grey, with broad brown basal and subapical rings. Antenna dark-brown on scape, other antennal articles dark-grey ringed with white basally. Forewing covered with cream, yellow-tipped scales and mottled by dark-grey scales along costal margin and termen; cilia creamy, brown-tipped. Hindwing pale-grey.
Male genitalia (Figs. 10, 16). Posterior margin of sternite VIII with deep triangular incision. Uncus subtriangular, evenly narrowed apically, apex rounded. Gnathos relatively broad, sickle-shaped, with broadened apex. Tegumen narrow. Valva at most level with base of gnathos, evenly curved inwards, slender, of equal width, apex distinctly pointed; sacculus narrow, slightly exceeding half length of valva; paired process on posterior margin of vinculum short, subtriangular, rounded apically, medial incision deep, triangular. Saccus basally broad, triangular, distal portion very slender. Phallus about as long as tegumen, basal quarter rounded, slightly inflated, distal portion relatively slender, straight, evenly tapered with small subapical teeth.
Female genitalia (Fig. 22). Apophyses anteriores straight, short. Segment VIII trapezoid, twice length of apophyses anteriores, posterior margin weakly curved anteriorly, with moderately broad suboval membranous zone between subgenital plates, which distinctly narrowed and prolonged anteromedially around ostium bursae, ostial zone covered with minute spines. Ductus bursae slender, evenly broadened near corpus bursae; antrum slightly longer than apophyses anteriores. Corpus bursae large, broadened proximally; signum a subtriangular plate, about as long as broad, with distinctly prolonged, narrow and pointed basal corners, medial process narrow, its proximal part shorter than basal corners of signum.
Variation. All examined specimens show slight variation in the extent of yellowish patches on forewing; the sacculus varies slightly in width; the vinculum lobes may be triangular, pointed apically, or rounded; the length of apophyses anteriores varies from half to two-thirds the length of segment VIII.
Biology. Host plant unknown. In China adults fly in August, up to 1200 m on northwestern altiplano.
Distribution: Iran, Mongolia (Bajanchongor aimak, South Gobi aimak). In China it was recorded from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.
Remarks. Ephysteris (Microcraspedus) flavida is recognizable externally by the yellowish-white forewing with dark costal margin, but may occasionally be confused with yellowish-coloured E. (M.) speciosa Povolný and E. (M.) chretieni Povolný. The male genitalia are characterized by the slender, evenly curved valva not expanded apically, the short, paired process on the posterior margin of the vinculum, and the slender distal portion of the phallus. The female genitalia resemble particularly those of E. (M.) treskensis, E. (M.) hispanica, and E. (M.) diminutella, but differ in the broader, subtriangular signum and the ostial zone with minute spines.
description: Published as part of Li, Houhun & Bidzilya, Oleksiy, 2008, A review of the genus Ephysteris Meyrick, 1908 from China, with descriptions of two new species (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), pp. 45-56 in Zootaxa 1733 on pages 52-53, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.181377