Scrobipalpa chardonnayi Huemer & Ozden 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Huemer, Peter
name: Özden, Özge
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Scrobipalpa
Scrobipalpa chardonnayi

description: Scrobipalpa chardonnayi Huemer & Özden, sp. nov.
(Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13)
Holotype ♀ “N CYPRUS, Kyrenia /Girne Yilgaz E 280 m, 11.9.2023 leg. Huemer 33°13’39”E, 35°19’21”N leg. Huemer TLMF 2024-003 ” (gen. slide P. Huemer GEL 1359 ♀ —DNA Barcode ID TLMF _Lep_39121); coll. TLMF.
Paratypes: 3♀, 1♂, same label as the holotype (gen. slide P. Huemer GEL 1360 ♂ —DNA Barcode ID TLMF _ Lep _39127, TLMF _ Lep _39168); 3♀, 3♂, N Cyprus, Iskele, Kaplica, Kantara Castle, 550 m, 33°55’02”E, 35°24’12”N, 5.6.2024, leg. Huemer; colls. CHNHM, TLMF.
Diagnosis. Scrobipalpa chardonnayi Huemer & Özden, sp. nov. is a medium-sized greyish species with some orange-brown mottling and the characteristic three black spots of Gnorimoschemini on the forewing. It differs from the related S. vasconiella by the less extensive orange-brown mottling (Figs. 1–2). Male genitalia are distinguished by the longer and more slender valva without a truncate apex, the distinctly shorter sacculus, the smaller vincular process, and the pointed saccus. The female genitalia of S. chardonnayi Huemer & Özden, sp. nov. differ from those of S. vasconiella by several features: longer apophyses posteriores and apophyses anteriores, the laterally excavated anterior edge of the medial depression of segment VIII, and the longer, more slender, and less curved signum with smaller basal teeth. Additionally, S. chardonnayi Huemer & Özden, sp. nov. and S. vasconiella show a significant divergence in DNA barcodes of approximately 6%. Apart from the less prominent orange-brown suffusion, the new species differs from the very similar S. brahmiella by the more slender tegumen and valva, the pointed apex of the sacculus, the strongly excavated medial depression of female segment VIII, and the small teeth at the base of the signum, which are largely reduced or absent in S. brahmiella (see Huemer & Karsholt 2010; Sattler 1986). Other species at a similar genetic distance are quite different in genitalia characters (see below and Huemer & Karsholt 2010). Significant differences in genitalia morphology are also found in some externally similar species, such as the Central and Eastern Asian S. punctulata Li & Bidzilya, 2019, S. intima (Povolný, 2001), and S. tannuolella Bidzilya, Huemer & Šumpich, 2022.
Description. Adult (Fig. 1). Head grey-brown, face bone white to cream-coloured; antenna grey-brown, distinctly annulated with cream; second segment of labial palpus predominantly grey-brown on outer surface, inner and dorsal surface cream, segment 3 mixed grey-brown with cream medial and dark brown apical part; thorax and tegula mixed grey-brown, tegula sometimes with few orange-brown scales. Forewing length ♂ 4.5–5.0 mm (n=4), ♀ 4.6–5.2 mm (n=7). Forewing upper side mixed light grey-brown from light grey and dark tipped scales, distinct black plical, discal and discocellular spots, further small black spots in sub-basal and subapical area, black markings frequently edged with orange-brown, furthermore orange brown scales particularly along dorsum and on veins; termen with light, apically dark brown tipped scales; grey-brown fringes without fringe line. Hindwing grey-brown with concolorous fringes. Underside of forewing dark grey-brown with light apical part of costa.
Variation. The extension of orange-brown mottling and black spots is quite variable, probably also depending on the age of specimens which increasingly loose their orange-brown.
Male genitalia (Figs. 3, 5, 7). Uncus moderately slender, longer than wide, apical corners rounded, posterior edge straight; gnathos-hook short, weakly curved; culcitula small; tegumen elongated, anteriorly broadly widened with sinusoid anterior edge, pedunculus sub-triangular; valva long, slightly exceeding apex of uncus, evenly slender, apex rounded; sacculus short, about one-fifth length of valva, nearly same width from base to apex, apically curved ventrad, with pointed apex; vincular process short, about half length of sacculus, tooth-like with outwardly turned and pointed apex, inner margin continuous with broad and deep V-shaped posteromedial emargination of vinculum; saccus shorter than vinculum, exceeding apex of pedunculus, basally moderately broad, distally evenly tapered to pointed apex; phallus moderately short, stout, ventrally with sclerotized ridge, apically with hooked sclerotization, coecum inflated.
Female genitalia (Figs. 9, 11, 13). Papillae anales sub-ovate, sparsely covered with short setae; apophysis posterioris nearly four times length of apophysis anterioris; segment VIII about as long as broad, smooth and without foamy sculpture; posterior margin of sternum VIII broadly emarginated, strongly sclerotized ventrolateral edges, anterior margin straight, with strongly sclerotized edge; subgenital plates distinctly broadened posteriorly and almost connected at 3/4 length, smoothly sclerotised, with several transverse folds at base of apophyses anteriores; ventromedial depression smooth, medially merged, strongly sclerotized anterior edge broadly rounded, medially with short triangular incision and few microtrichia, laterally with distinct excavation, sclerotized edge extending distinctly posteriad of anterior margin of segment VIII; apophysis anterioris straight, as long as segment VIII; colliculum narrow ring-shaped; ductus bursae anteriorly widened, with indistinct transition to sub-ovate corpus bursae; signum large, near entrance of ductus bursae, basal plate sub-oval, small, with several small teeth on inner side at base of hook, distal hook long and slender, weakly curved at about middle.
Molecular data. Scrobipalpa chardonnayi sp. nov. differs strongly in DNA barcodes from all related species of Scrobipalpa. The three successfully barcoded specimens cluster in an unique BIN: BOLD:AFN8036 with a maximum intraspecific divergence of 0.32% and a p-distance to the nearest neighbor, S. vasconiella (BIN BOLD: ABA3381), of 6.1%. In addition, seven congeneric species exhibit a minimum genetic distance to the new species, ranging from 6–7% (Fig. 15).
Bionomy. The early stages and the foodplant are unknown. The species was recorded in mid-September and early June, but the generation sequence is still unknown. The habitat is located on the northern slopes of an extensive mountain ridge (Besparmak/Pentadactylos), composed of carbonate rocks with Mediterranean maquis vegetation (Fig. 16).
Distribution. Cyprus (North), Kyrenia (Girne) and Iskele districts, only known from the northern exposed slopes of the Kyrenian mountain ridge (Besparmak/Pentadactylos) so far.
Etymology. The name is derived from the Chardonnay grape variety and recalls its widespread presence in the type region as well as the guesthouse named after it, which served as the central location for the surveys.
Remarks. Scrobipalpa vasconiella is widely distributed from the Mediterranean to the Middle East but absent in Cyprus (Huemer & Karsholt 2010). It was frequently mixed with S. brahmiella, and, i.e., genitalia figures of the female sex in Huemer & Karsholt (2010) in fact belong to the latter species, whereas Sattler (1986) gives a correct figure of female genitalia. Based on these errors, S. brahmiella was incorrectly reported from North Macedonia (Huemer et al. 2011). However, these records belong to S. vasconiella, which is here also recorded for the first time for Kyrgyzstan: Chüy Oblast, North Tian-Shan, Alexander Mountains near Bishkek, 1060 m, 74°32’2.7”E, 42°46’31.5”N, 22.6.2022, leg. P. Huemer.
description: Published as part of Huemer, Peter & Özden, Özge, 2024, Scrobipalpa chardonnayi Huemer and Özden, sp. nov.: a new presumably endemic species from Cyprus (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), pp. 437-447 in Zootaxa 5523 (4) on pages 438-444, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5523.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/13949619