Ecologica Montenegrina 21: 42-45 (2019) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em

https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:44DAEEAE-E381-4345-9BBB-572B0E6193E9

Two new species of Cossinae (, ) from Arabian Peninsula

ROMAN V. YAKOVLEVa, b

Altai State University, pr. Lenina 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Tomsk State University, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecology, Lenina pr. 36, 634050 Tomsk, Russia

Received 19 February 2019 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 12 April 2019 │ Published online 15 April 2019.

Abstract The article gives description of two species of Carpenter- (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) new to science, Brachylia fibigeri sp. nov. from Yemen (Sana’a Province) and Mirocossus pittawayi sp. n. from Saudi Arabia (Asir Province). Both new species belong to the genera new to the fauna of the Arabian Peninsula, previously indicated only in Africa.

Key words: Carpenter moths, fauna, , Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Brachylia, Mirocossus.

Introduction

Cossidae (Lepidoptera) of the Arabian Peninsula are studied relatively well. There is a series of publications about the fauna and taxonomy of this family in Saudia Arabia (Wiltshire 1982, 1990), United Arab Emirates (Legrain & Wiltshire 1998) and Yemen (Hacker et al. 1999, 2001; Borth et al. 2011). All the faunal data are united in extensive monographs of the recent years on Lepidoptera of Arabia (Hacker 1999, 2016). It is known that in the south of the Arabian Peninsula there is a significant percentage of Lepidoptera taxa of African origin (Yakovlev & Dubatolov 2013; Hacker 2016). Some of them were described by us (Yakovlev 2009, 2014; Yakovlev et al. 2015). These are representatives of the genera Meharia Chrétien, 1915 (type species, by monotypy: Meharia incurvariella Chrétien, 1915), Aethalopteryx Schoorl, 1990 (type species, by designation: Phragmatoecia atrireta Hampson, 1910), Afrikanetz Yakovlev, 2009 (type species by designation: Afrikanetz inkubu Yakovlev, 2009), and Camellocossus Yakovlev, 2011 (type species by designation: Cossus abyssinica Hampson, 1910). Examining the collection materials, we managed to find in the south-west of the Arabian Peninsula specimens of two species, representatives of two more African genera: Brachylia Felder, 1874 (type species, by monotypy: Brachylia terebroides Felder, 1874) and Mirocossus Schoorl, 1990 (type species, by monotypy: Brachylia badiala Fletcher, 1968). Both species have been new to science. Their descriptions are given below.

Materials and methods

The material (adults mounted on pins) is deposited in the Museum Witt (later in Zoologische Staatssammlung München (Munich, Germany) and Natural History Museum (London, Great Britain). The

Ecologica Montenegrina, 21, 2019, 42-45

YAKOVLEV genitalia were mounted in Euparal on slides following Lafontaine (2004). Slide-mounted genitalia were photographed with a Canon EOS 600D digital camera mounted on an Olympus U-CTR30-2 trinocular head combined with a Carl Zeiss microscope body. Sets of about 10 images were taken for each specimen and assembled to deep-focused images using Helicon Focus 6 and edited in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

Taxonomy

Brachylia fibigeri sp. nov. (Figure 1: A−B)

Material. Holotype: male, Yemen, Prov. Sana’a, 13º48′N; 44º10′E, Mahal al Houmeira, 5 km NON Qa’idah, 1840−1900 m, 6.iii.2000, leg. F. Aulombard, M. Fibiger, H. Hacker & H.P. Schreier (Museum Witt, GenPr Heterocera: 32.733).

Name. The new species is named after its collector, the prominent entomologist, specialist in Noctuoidea, Michael Fibiger (1945−2011).

Diagnosis. The new species is mostly close to the East-African species Brachylia reussi (Strand, 1913) (Type locality: Morogoro in D.O. Africa [Tanzania]) widely spread in Kenya and Tanzania, from which it differs by the following characters: - the reticulated pattern on the fore wing - the absence of the brown patch on the fore wing discal area - the absence of small prongs on the abdominal edge of the transtilla process - the longer, sharpened transtilla processes.

Description. Fore wing length 17 mm. Wing relatively narrow, apically triangle. Antenna bipectinate, crest processes twice longer than antenna rod diameter. Tegulae and patagia grey. Fore wing grey with thin undulated transverse lines, more dense in discal area, a series of frequent black strokes along costal edge, basal area darkened, fringe pale grey unicolorous. Hind wing pale grey with poorly expressed pattern of grey thin undulated lines, fringe pale grey unicolorous. Male genitalia. Uncus triangle, relatively short, slightly tapered apically; gnathos arms of medium length, thick; gnathos robust, densely covered with short spikes; valve apically semicircular, apex membranous, on costal edge in place of transition of sclerotized part into membranous one there is a robust double crest with two strongly sclerotized ribs on inner valve surface; transtilla process basally thick, gradually narrowing apically, uncinate, strongly curved in medium third; juxta small, triangle, apex directed abdominally, two lateral processes basally thin and gradually widening to apices; saccus semicircular, robust; phallus equal to length of valve, curved at border of proximal and medium thirds, apex obliquely cut, vesica aperture in dorso-apical position, equal to 2/3 of phallus in length, vesica without cornuti. Female unknown.

Distribution. Known only from Yemen (Province Sana’a).

Mirocossus pittawayi sp. nov. (Figure 1: C−D)

Material. Holotype: male, [Saudi] Arabia, [Province] Asir, 80 km N of Abha, 15.vii.1983, A.R. Pittaway (Natural History Museum, slide NHMUK: 010315459).

Name. The new species is named after its collector, the well-known entomologist, specialist in Sphingidae, Tony Pittaway.

Diagnosis. The new species externally resembles M. badiala (Fletcher, 1968) described from Uganda and widely spread throughout all East Africa, but differs by the following external and morphological characters: - the smaller size, - the light color of the wings,

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TWO NEW SPECIES OF COSSINAE FROM ARABIAN PENINSULA

- the absence of prongs on the costal edge of the valve, - the curved short phallus.

Description. Fore wing length 13 mm, wing wide, apically wide and rounded. Antenna bipectinate, crest processes tree times longer than antenna rod diameter. Tegulae and patagia grey. Abdomen covered with pale brown scales Fore wing grey with thin undulated transverse brown lines, more wide brown band in discal area, a series of thin black strokes along costal edge, fringe grey, unicolorous. Hind wing very light, grey, almost white, with very thin, hardly noticeable transverse undulated strokes.

Figure 1. A. Brachylia fibigeri sp. n., holotype, B. Male genitalia of B. fibigeri, sp. n., holotype, Genital slide Heterocera: 32.733, C. Mirocossus pittawayi sp. n., holotype, D. Male genitalia of M. pittawayi sp. n., Genital slide NHMUK: 010315459.

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YAKOVLEV

Male genitalia. Uncus triangle, relatively short, apically tapered; gnathos arms of medium length, thin; gnathos robust, densely covered with short spikes; valve apically semicircular, apex membranous, place of transition of sclerotized part into membranous one poorly expressed, on costal edge of valve near apex there is a crest with strongly sclerotized rib on inner valve surface (reaching valve middle); transtilla process basally thick, gradually narrowing to apex, long, uncinate, strongly curved in medium third; juxta small, heart-shaped, apex directed abdominally, two lanceolate lateral processes; saccus semicircular, very robust; phallus slightly shorter than valve, a little curved in medium third, apex obliquely cut, vesica aperture in dorso-apical position, equal to half of phallus length, vesica without cornuti. Female unknown.

Distribution. Known only from Saudi Arabia (Province Asir).

Acknowledgments The author is grateful to Axel Hausmann and Ulf Buchsbaum (Munich), Geoff Martin and Alessandro Giusti (London) and Anna Ustjuzhanina (Tomsk, Russia) and Prof. Boris Kondratieff (Fort Collins, USA) for language improvements. The author is also indebted to A. Bidzilya (Kiev) and K. Proskuryakova (Moscow) for the technical assistance in making genital preparations.

References

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