Sitochroa malekalis
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Ordo: Lepidoptera
Familia: Crambidae
Genus: Sitochroa
Name
Sitochroa malekalis (Amsel, 1950) comb. nov. – Wikispecies link – Pensoft Profile
- Loxostege malekalis Amsel, 1950: 245–246, figs 37, 78.
Material examined
Iran, Fārs Prov [ince]: 2 ♀♀, 50 km Khonj- Lar Rd., 920 m, 14.iv.1975, Borumand leg. (genitalia preparation No. HA-2512, HMIM), 1 ♀, 50 km Lar- Jahrom Rd., 890 m, 13.iv.1975, Borumand leg.; Tehrān Prov [ince]: 1 ♀, Tehrān, Evin, 26.v.1971, no collector given, 1 ♀, Tehrān, Evin, 1600 m, 22.vi.1972, no collector given (genitalia preparation No. 158, HMIM).
Turkmenistan, 1 ♂, W. Kopet Dagh, Parchai, 400 m, 2.v.1996, Z. Klyutschko leg. (genitalia preparation No. 5567 Asb).
Note
Loxostege malekalis was described by Amsel (1950)[1] based on a single male collected in Takht-e Malek (Sistan and Baluchestan Province) at the beginning of April 1938, and since then the female remained undescribed. During our study, five females were found in the HMIM with the same wing pattern and external characteristics as the male holotype based on the original description, but not examined. They are also externally very similar to the single examined male specimen collected in Kopet Dagh. Because of this superficial similarity, the females are here considered conspecific with L. malekalis and described.
Following a careful examination, the male genitalia of L. malekalis possess the main diagnostic characters of the genus Sitochroa, i.e. a biramous clasper and the presence of a distal sclerotized process at the apex of the phallus. Therefore, this species is here transferred to the genus Sitochroa.
Diagnosis
Sitochroa malekalis is similar to S. palealis in female genitalia but can be distinguished from the latter by the weakly sclerotized antrum and narrower medial notch at the posterior margin of the seventh abdominal sternite (Figs 7A–C, 10A, B). Moreover, S. palealis has a heavily wrinkled, sclerotized lamella postvaginalis (Fig. 7A–C) while in S. malekalis it is hardly sclerotized with less visible wrinkles (Fig. 10A, B). These two species also differ from each other in wing pattern (Figs 1C–F, 8A, B) and male genitalia structure (Figs 6A–G, 10D).
There are similarities in the female genitalia between S. malekalis and S. straminealis owing to the presence of a distinct upturned curvature at the posterior end of the ductus bursae, and an elongate sclerotized structure next to it (Fig. 10A–C), the shape of the corpus bursae and appendix bursae, and the hardly sclerotized lamella postvaginalis (Fig. 10A–C). However, they are very different from each other mainly in the more sclerotized funnel-shaped antrum of S. straminealis compared to the less sclerotized trapezoidal antrum in S. malekalis, and nearly smooth posterior margin of seventh abdominal sternite of S. straminealis compared to that of S. malekalis with deep medial notch (Fig. 10A–C).
The male genitalia S. malekalis and S. straminealis are similar to each other in having a long sclerotized process at the internal base of each clasper. However, in S. malekalis the two processes are divergent, less sclerotized, and with rounded apices (Fig. 10D) while in S. straminealis they are nearly parallel (in some specimens slightly curved inward), more sclerotized and pointed apically (Fig. 2D, E). Moreover, in both species the uncus is relatively wide (Figs 2D, 10D) and the phallus has a narrow, elongate distal sclerotized process (Figs 2D, E, 10D), although in S. malekalis the vesica has only one slender cornutus compared with the three cornuti in S. straminealis (Fig. 2D, F). These two species are also very different from each other in wing pattern (Fig. 8A–D).
The close external resemblance of S. malekalis to Loxostege phaeoneuralis (Hampson, 1900) was mentioned by Amsel (1950)[1]. However, these two species are very different from each other in genitalia structure.
Description of female
Head (Fig. 9A–C). Frons with bluntly pointed cone (Fig. 9B, C), covered with brown to pale brown scales and sometimes cream scales admixed with pale brown scales, paler laterally next to the compound eyes in some specimens; vertex with erect cream scales; with few ochre scales behind compound eye; labial palpus porrect with drooping apical segment (Fig. 9B, C), nearly twice (n = 4) horizontal diameter of compound eye, second segment longest, apical segment one-third of second segment (n = 1), first segment covered with cream scales, second and third segments covered with cream scales ventrally, brown to ochreous-brown dorso-laterally, in one specimen cream scales admixed with brown scales dorsally; proboscis mostly covered with cream to dirty-cream scales dorsally, in one specimen admixed with ochreous-brown scales; antennae covered with pale brown scales dorsally, in one specimen with cream scales dorsally, with a single considerably long seta present on dorsal surface of basal segment; collar cream, admixed with few pale ochreous-brown scales (Fig. 9A–C); thorax and tegula cream, admixed with pale brown scales anteriorly, cream posteriorly; abdomen dirty-cream to pale brown (Fig. 8A).
Forewing (Fig. 8A, B). Elongate, slightly rounded apically, with costa slightly convex at distal one-third and obliquely rounded termen, with length of 14.50–16.50 mm (Xˉ = 15.80 mm, n = 5); upper side glossy cream, veins and terminal line with brown suffusion, a curved brown medial line present, a strongly curved brown postmedial line crenate towards dorsum between veins Cu1, Cu2, A1+2 and dorsum, with brown discoidal spot, a brown antemedial spot and a relatively broad brown subterminal line thickened towards costa and crenate towards the dorsum, sometimes fading away towards dorsum, fringes dirty-cream to pale brown, with a median pale brown band; underside same as upper side, with antemedial, postmedial and subterminal lines less visible than on upper side, except for the thickened pale brown costal tip of the subterminal line. Hindwing (Fig. 8A, B). Upper side creamy-white, veins and terminal line with pale brown suffusion except for cream suffusion on anal veins, with relatively wide brown to pale brown subterminal line, medial line hardly visible, fringes dirty-cream with hardly visible median pale brown band; underside same as upper side.
Female genitalia (Fig. 10A, B). Papillae anales of moderate length and width, slightly narrowed anteriorly; apophyses posteriores slightly shorter than apophyses anteriores; posterior margin of seventh abdominal sternite with deep medial notch, with rounded edges, and setae of moderate sizes (nearly all removed during slide preparation); lamella postvaginalis very slightly sclerotized with hardly visible wrinkles; ostium bursae rounded; antrum nearly membranous, large, trapezoidal and slightly constricted medio-laterally, with small funnel-shaped appendage anteriorly (Fig. 10A, B); ductus bursae long, partly twisted, with posterior end widened and partially wrinkled just behind antrum, an elongate sclerotized structure beyond widened area and distinct upturned curvature next to it, with deep kinks at anterior end; ductus seminalis emerging from slightly beyond intersection of ductus bursae and antrum; corpus bursae ovoid, thick-walled, wrinkled, with relatively large rhomboid signum, appendix bursae extending from corpus bursae ventro-apically, round to ovoid when fully inflated (Fig. 10A).
Distribution
Iran: Tahte Malek (= Takht-e Malek, Sistan and Baluchestan Province) (Amsel 1950[1]) (see also material examined for Iranian specimens), Turkmenistan (current study).
Taxon Treatment
- Alipanah, H; Malm, T; Asselbergs, J; 2020: A new species of Sitochroa Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Pyraustinae) from Iran, with taxonomic notes on the genus Nota Lepidopterologica, 43: 61-76. doi
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