Compsoctena pulla Sobczyk & Breithaupt 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sobczyk, Thomas
name: Breithaupt, Roland
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Eriocottidae
Compsoctena
Compsoctena pulla

description: Compsoctena pulla sp. nov.
(Abb. 1-4, 6a, 9, 10)
Type material. HOlOtype. ♁, Thailand, PhitsanulOk, 16°53,3′ N / 100°16,1′ E, 45 m MSL, 04.v.2022, at light, leg. R. Breithaupt. BTTH20220561. Holotype depositeds at the ZSM.
Paratypes. 2 ♁, 1 ♀, same data as hOlOtype. BTTH20220537 ♀ (CTS), BTTH20220554 ♁ and BTTH20220562 ♁ (THNHM).
Etymology. Pullus, pulla (latin: dark-colored), due to the basic color of the wings of the males and females.
Description. Holotype ♁ (Fig. 1), body length 11.5 mm, wingspan 26 mm, forewing length 11.5 mm, WI 2.9.
Head (Fig. 4). Antennae 6.0 mm long, 44-45 segments. Scapus and Pedicellus densely covered with yellowbrown scales. Antennal segments ventrally ciliated, dorsally densely scaled. Scales of basal segments dark brown mixed with few light brown scales, lightening distally. Scales narrow, mostly forked. Antennal segments bipectinate, pecten, maximum 6.5 times the length of the antennal segment, decreasing in length distally. Pecten dorsally covered with narrow light brown and several dark brown scales. Eyes large, EI 0.55. Frons and vertex covered with yellow-brown scales. Labial palpi (Fig. 6a) directed forwardly, protruding the eyes, tripartite. Basal and middle segment dark brown scaled, distal segment yellow brownish scaled. Basal segment broad, curved, 0.35 mm long, middle segment elongated, 2 mm long, distal segment reduced, 0.3 mm, curved downwardly. According to Dierl (1970), this corresponds to a ratio of 1: 5.6: 0.8.
Thorax. Brown scaled. Scales narrow, distally partially lighter. Mesonotum with lighter scales. Rear-side greybrown. Forelegs scaled dark brown. Tibia with long epiphysis (EPI 0.7). Epiphysis distally longer than tibia. Basal segment of tarsi nearly the length of the four distal segments of tarsi of equal length combined. Mid-legs dark brown, with one pair of spurs. Hind-legs dark brown, tibia and tarsi lighter brown dorsally, with two pairs of spurs. Forewing venation (Fig. 10) with ten veins from dc. R1 to r3 to the anterior margin, r1+r2 from one point or very short stalked, all other veins free emanating, dc with accessory cell of about the same size as intercalary cell. Scales of class 3–4 (after Sauter 1956), rounded distally and predominantly four to five-pointed. Single scales mostly darker distally. Dark grey-brown scales with black-brown scales vaguely scattered over the entire wings, some of which are arranged in indicated transverse lines. At the middle and distally of the dc two indistinct bordered darker spots each.A third spot between middle dc and posterior margin. The distal half of anterior margin very narrow with light brown scales. Fringes multi-pointed, brown-grey, basally lighter. This contrasts with the darker scaled termen of the wings. Rear-side uniformly grey-brown, without markings. Between cup and posterior margin a field of light grey, narrow scales. Hindwings (Fig. 10) slightly lighter, narrow scales (class 2–3). Six free emanating veins from dc, median stem forked. Scales and fringes uniformly light brown, veins somewhat more densely scaled, therefore appearing darker. Rear-side coloured like upper side, darker at the anterior margin.
Abdomen. Uniformly grey-brown scales, longer yellow-brown scales distally.
Male genitalia (Fig. 7). 2.1 mm long, Uncus bilobed, sparsely setose, triangular, rounded distally. At the tegumen the posterior margin rounded, median not notched. Tuba analis present. Appendices lateralis very narrow band-like, terminating in two tips directed outwards. Transtilla as a narrow, horseshoe-shaped structure, wavy in the middle. Valves curved, distally with numerous setae, rounded, basally straight, with a small sclerotized lobe near base. Posterior margin with clearly protruding sacculus, there numerous setae. Clasper as a detached, inwardly curved, pointed spike. Vinculum broad trapezoidal. Phallus 1.0 mm, slightly double curved, tubular, broad at base, tapering distally.
♀ (Figs 2, 3) wingspan 35 mm, labial palpi blackish brown scaled. Antennae 7.7 mm, filiform, 45 segments, diameter distally decreasing. Dorsally short broader scales, light brown. Basal and middle segments each with a pair of ventrolateral with a pair humps with darker long, very narrow bicuspid scales. This gives the impression of sawn feelers. Frenulum with 11-12 bristles, cOlOuring like ♁, markings lesser distinct.
Female genitalia (Fig. 9). At rest, total genital length 10.0 mm. Oviscapt visible, clearly protrudes beyond the abdOmen, distally with fine setae. Genital prOpped by three pairs Of apOphyses. POsteriOr apOphyses almOst reaching total genital length at 9.8 mm, anterior apophyses thickest, 5.0 mm long, third pair of apophyses 3.8 mm long. Ostium bursae arched, postvaginal plate elongated, basally narrower.
Habitat. The habitat is a fruit orchard with fish ponds, bordering a landfill area. Inside the orchard the ground is covered with grasses and a row of dense shrubs is growing along the border fence. In the area of the landfill a 1 m thick layer of soil (sand with few clay) has been dumped on the former rice fields to prepare the area for construction. As a topsoil layer is missing and the sandy soil does not store much water, the vegetation in this area is rather scarce. The whole area is part of the Menam plains at an altitude of 45 m. The species came to the light on 5.iv.2022 (one specimen), 4.v.2022 (15 specimens, partly as type series) and 2.vi.2022 (3 specimens).
Diagnosis. There is a certain similarity to C. reductella (Walker, 1863) described from India (“Darjiling, Sikkim ”), and also reported from East Nepal (Dierl, 1970). It was originally described monotypically in the genus Toxaliba Walker, 1863. It is the only species known to be diurnal. The wingspan of males varies between 22 and 29 mm. The wings are significantly wider than in C. pulla sp. nov. (WI 2.2 versus 2.9 in C. pulla sp. n.). According to Dierl (1970), the scapus and pedicellus of the antennae is covered with dark brown scales dorsally. The wing colour is dark brown and has a slight copper sheen, as well as violet-grey clarifications. The anal hair-tuft is yellow-grey. Foretibia with epiphysis, EPI index 0.63. The labial palps (Figs 5, 6b) are compressed and the second palpus segment in particular is short (ratio basal palpus segment: middle palpus segment: distal palpus segment corresponds to 1: 1.4: 0.6), in C. pulla sp. nov. 1: 5.6: 0.8 (measurement accOrding tO Dierl 1970). The ♁-genital (Fig. 8) differs from C. reductella by the lobes of the uncus which are only small bands and the narrower valves with a non-protruding sacculus, outwardly curved claspers and also by a simply curved phallus.
The female has a wingspan of 22-33 mm. The antennae are bipectinate, with the length of the pecten corresponding to the diameter of the antennal segment (category according to Dierl 1970: 1). In C. pulla sp. nov. the pecten are indicated only by a pair of ventrolateral corners.
Of the three species described from India, Compsoctena dehradunensis Pathania & Rose, 2004 (“creamish black”, 32 mm, forewings all veins free, palpi thick brownish-black) C. robinsoni Pathania & Rose, 2004 (ochreous scaled, 20 mm) and C. himachalensis Pathania & Rose, 2004 (black-brown, 23 mm). C. pulla sp. n. (26 mm.) by the coloration and wingspan of the males. Moreover, in the three Indian species, relatively narrow labial palps are shown in the illustrations of the original description, which clearly protrude beyond the heads and whose distal segments are not or only slightly angled. The 2nd segments are significantly longer than the horizontal diameters of the eyes. In C. pulla sp. n. it is significantly shorter.
Compsoctena pantherina Sobczyk, 2012 from Indonesia has only nine veins from dc and the accessory cell in dc is missing. In addition, r3+r 4 in the forewing are long-stalked. In the hind wing, the median stem of C. pantherina sp. nov. undivided and in C. pantherina sp. nov. only five venes from the dc.
Discussion. A first review of the subfamily Compsocteninae was done by Dierl (1970) (as new family croup name Compsoctenidae). He lined out that many of the species originally described as Tineidae within the genus Melasina Boisduval, 1840 (and meanwhile understood as Psychidae) in fact belong here. However, only part of the taxa and their type specimens were examined. A comprehensive revision is pending. So far, no differentiation has been made at the genus level. Dierl (1970) synonymized the genera of the subfamily Compsocteninae studied by him with Compsoctena: In particular Galaria Walker, 1866, Thapava Walker, 1864, Tissa Walker, 1863, Eccompsoctena Walsingham, 1897, Melasiniana Strand, 1914, Alavona Walker, 1863, Torna Walker, 1863 and Toxaliba Walker, 1863. Only the monotypic genus Eucryptogona trichobathra Lower, 1901, described from Australia, is currently accepted as another valid genus and species of the Compsocteninae. Dierl (1970) characterized Compsoctena by having ten veins from the dc of the forewing and the presence of an accessory cell. Some species, such as C. pantherina, have only nine veins, and some lack the accessory cell. Whether the genus concept is justified basis on the number of fore forewing veins and the presence of the accessory cell requires verification. Differentiation at the genus level may make sense. Differences arise furthermore in the genital structure of the males.
description: Published as part of Sobczyk, Thomas & Breithaupt, Roland, 2023, Compsoctena pulla sp. nov. a new species of Eriocottidae, Compsocteninae from Thailand (Lepidoptera), pp. 290-294 in Zootaxa 5227 (2) on pages 291-294, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5227.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/7518708