Phaselia phaeoleucaria Werner & Hausmann & Kostjuk & Wanke & Rajaei 2023, stat. rev.
Creators: name: Werner, Maria Johanna
name: Hausmann, Axel
name: Kostjuk, Igor
name: Wanke, Dominic
name: Rajaei, Hossein
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometridae
Phaselia
Phaselia phaeoleucaria

description: Phaselia phaeoleucaria (Lederer, 1855) stat. rev.   
(Figs 17–26, 73–79, 115, 120–124, 144, 145)  
 Synopsia phaeoleucaria Lederer, 1855.   
 Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 5 (Abh.): 114, pl. 2, fig. 3. Lectotype ♁, in MFN (East Kazakhstan, Altai). Herewith a lectotype is designated in order to stabilize nomenclature. Erschoff, 1870 regarded phaeoleucaria as a junior synonym of P. serrularia. However, examination of the wing pattern and genitalia structure of the lectotype as well as co-distributed material in Altai Mts., clearly shows that P. phaeoleucaria is not related to P. serrularia and is valid at species level.   
 Phaselia serrularia shurensis Wehrli, 1941.   
 In: Seitz, Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4 (Supplement): 466, pl. 41: c. Holotype ♁, 1 Paratype ♁, in ZFMK (Dagestan, Temir-Chan-Shura, distr. Kaptshugaj). Hereby combined as a subspecies to P. phaeoleucaria based on morphological data as well as geographical distribution.   
 Phaselia serrularia catharia Wehrli, 1941.   
 In: Seitz, A (ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4 (Supplement): 467, pl. 41:c, Holotype ♁, in ZFMK (Russ Armenia, Darasham). Hereby regarded as a new synonym of Phaselia phaeoleucaria shurensis based on morphological examination and sympatric distribution of these forms.   
 Taxonomic remark. Here we regard Phaselia phaeoleucaria stat. rev. as a separate species again, based on the original description of Lederer and the occurrence of this species in East Kazakhstan. P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev. shows clear differences to P. serrularia and is therefore reinstated as a valid species (see diagnosis of P. serrularia vs. P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev.). A new lectotype is designated for P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev. Furthermore, we regard P. phaeoleucaria shurensis comb. nov. as subspecies of P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev., as these taxa show strong morphological similarities, but have a clear geographical separation (P. phaeoleucaria shurensis comb. nov. from Caucasus region to Iran and P. phaeoleucaria phaeoleucaria stat. rev. in South Altai). The region between these areas needs further studies. Additionally, P. serrularia catharia is regarded as a junior synonym of P. phaeoleucaria shurensis comb. nov. due to internal and external morphological similarities and their sympatric distribution.   
 Comment on literature. The female specimen figured in Müller et al. (2019), Plate 21, fig 127d, (as serrularia) has an erroneous translated label (“ Krasnodar, Adygeja, Russia, [18]88”) is actually from “Caucasus, [Azerbaijan] Helenendorf [= Goygol], Chr.[istoph], [18]88” (in MFN) and belongs to P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev.   
 Type material examined.   
 Phaselia phaeoleucaria phaeoleucaria Lederer, 1855 stat. rev.   
Lectotype, ♁, “[East Kazakhstan] Altai [N Buchtarmina, Irtysches Ust-Buchtarminsk, Mikotina vil.]”, g. prep. (♁) 0166/2023 M. Werner (in MFN).  
 Phaselia phaeoleucaria shurensis Wehrli, 1941 comb. nov.   
Holotype, ♁, “ Dagestan, T[emir].- Ch [an].- Shura, distr. Kaptshugaj, 3.vi.[1]932, leg. M. Rjabov ”, g. prep. (♁) 1202/2021 D. Wanke (in ZFMK).  
Paratype, ♁, “Russ. Armen, Dzhufla, 16.v.[1]932, [leg.] M. Rjabov ”, g. prep. (♁) 1203/2021 D. Wanke. This male specimen labelled as female by Wehrli (in ZFMK).  
 Phaselia serrularia catharia Wehrli, 1941 syn. nov.   
Holotype, ♁, “Russ Armen, st.[ation] Darasham II [Dərəşam-2] 25.viii.[1] 932 M. Rjabov”, “ Dr. Wehrli Basel ”, “1786” g. prep. (♁) 7320 ZFMK (in ZFMK).  
 Additional material examined. 56 ♁♁, 39 ♀♀ (see the complete list in the appendix).   
 Re-description. Wingspan. Males: 27–33 mm (30.2 mm, n = 13), females: 30–35 mm (average 32 mm, n = 8).   
 Forewing. Ground colour warm white speckled with tiny light to dark grey-brown dots; basal area and postmedial area darker than medial area; antemedial line darker than basal area, clearly zigzagged with rounded tips, all three teeth are of similar length; medial line present as a diffuse darker brown shadow close to postmedial line; postmedial line thin, dark brown, slightly curved inwards on costal area; subterminal line dark brown, serrate with well-pronounced triangular spikes, distally accompanied by a white shadow, terminal line dark brown, wavy.   
 Hindwing. Ground colour white, speckled with brown towards terminal area; postmedial line brown, medially projected outwards; sometimes interrupted or even invisible; subterminal line barely visible as a light shadow.   
Discal spots usually visible as brown, short streaks or tiny dots on all wings, sometimes faded. Fringes in all wings white and brown, dark at the end of the veins. Ventral side generally paler than dorsal side, pattern of upper side shines through the wings, visible as a shadow (figs 17–26).  
 Male genitalia. Uncus triangular, tip incurved; gnathos well-sclerotized, medially not fused; valva trapezoidal; costal part of valva slightly sclerotized, distally finger-shaped, extended over the apex of valvula; sacculus oblong, rectangular, and distally curved upwards with equally distributed spines; dorsal and ventral tip of sacculus elongated with one or more strong spines; juxta variable, formed as two ovals fused on the upper or lower half, or roughly triangular and distally decreasingly sclerotized; saccus wide, triangular, terminally curved. Aedeagus thick and short, straight or slightly curved; vesica with two separate, well-sclerotized cornuti; a claw-like, curved, often very strong, greatly outwards bent cornutus and a long and well-twisted, spinose, plate-like cornutus (figs 73–79).   
 Female genitalia. Ovipositor large and wide; apophyses posteriores three times longer than apophyses anteriores; lamella antevaginalis wide with ruffle-like sclerotization; ductus bursae wide, roundish to triangular, tapered towards corpus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, ornamented with a small but well-sclerotized, round, stellate signum (figs 120–124).   
 Diagnosis. Phaselia phaeoleucaria stat. rev. can be confused with P. serrularia, P. pithana bona sp., P. smettboi sp. nov and P. erika.   
 For differentiation of P. serrularia and P. pithana bona sp. from P. phaeoleucaria stat. rev., see the diagnosis of the respective species above. Characters of the compared species are given in parentheses.
description: Published as part of Werner, Maria Johanna, Hausmann, Axel, Kostjuk, Igor, Wanke, Dominic & Rajaei, Hossein, 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the genus Phaselia Guenée, [1858] (Geometridae: Ennominae) in the Middle East and Central Asia, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 5326 (1) on pages 13-14, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5326.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8243811