Incorrect and doubtful records for the European fauna

The following taxa are not treated in this book due to various reasons:

A. Scrobipalpa brandti Povolny, 1972

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa brandti, initially described from Iran, was recorded from a sin• gle male collected in southern Russia (Anikin & Piskunov, 1998: 69-70, figs. 1, 3- 4). This specimen is the only one published from Europe. However, the figures of the adult show a dark species with different markings compared to the distinctly lighter colouredS. brandti (Povolny, 2002a: pl. 7, fig. 19). Furthermore, S. brandti is characterized by short valvae which never reach the tip of the uncus, and a com• paratively broad saccus (Povolny, 1972: 189, 2002a: pl. 25, figs. 224-225). All these characters are different in the species figured by Anikin & Piskunov (1998). Though this species cannot be safely identified from the figures alone, its conspeci• ficity with S. brandti can be denied.

B. Scrobipalpa eremica Povolny, 1967

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa eremica, initially described from Iran and Syria (Povolny, 1967a: 217) was listed in Fauna Europaea (Karsholt, 2004-2009) without further data. The record was based on a specimen from the Ukraine which later turned out to be misidentified.

C. Scrobipalpa filia Povolny, 1969

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa filia was described from Mongolia and later published from Iran (Povolny, 1969a: 7; 1972: 195). Recently, the species was also recorded from south-western Russia, based on a single male, collected from 25.-30.v.2000 (Anikin & Piskunov, 2003: 70). Unfortunately, no figures of the adult and its genitalia were given, leaving doubts about the identity of this finding. Through the courtesy of V. Anikin we received the genitalia of this specimen in glycerine and it seems to be cor• rectly identified. However, since we have not been able to examine the moth itself or the female sex the occurrence of this species in Europe needs further confirmation.

D. Scrobipalpa gregori Povolny, 1967

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa gregori Povolny, 1967, was described from Afghanistan (Po• volny, 1967a: 218), later recorded from southern Russia (Anikin & Piskunov, 1998: 69-70, figs. 1, 3-4) and with some doubts from Italy (Povolny, 1981: 372, figs. 14- 15, 2002a: pl. 7, fig. 24, pl. 26, fig. 236). The figures of the single male specimen from Russia clearly contradict important characters of S. gregori such as the slightly concave uncus and the wing markings and it must belong to another species which cannot be identified safely from the figures alone. The single male specimen from Italy, preserved in ZMUC, is a misidentification of S. artemisiella.

310 E. Scrobipalpa maniaca Povolny, 1969

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa maniaca was described from Mongolia (Povolny, 1969a: 13) and it is widely distributed through Central Asia to the Transbaikal area (Povolny, 1972: 195; 2002a: 54). Recently the species was recorded from south-western Rus• sia, based on a single male collected from 25.-30.v.2000 (Anikin & Piskunov, 2003: 70). Similar to the aforementioned species, no figures of the adult and its genitalia were published. The genitalia capsule in glycerine sent to us by V. Anikin belongs to a species which is probably not conspecific with S. maniaca. Again, further material is needed to clarify the status of this material.

F. Scrobipalpa meyricki Povolny, 1971

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa meyricki Povolny, 1971, was described from 3 males and 3 females from Algeria. We studied the male holotype and a female paratype in the NHMW, which are conspecific with a series of specimens from Tunisia in ZMUC. The genitalia slide of the holotype is embedded in a semilateral position, and this probably misled Povolny (1981: 388-389) to synonymizeS. glaserorum with the otherwise different looking S. meyricki. The former species is here treated as a syn• onym of S. bradleyi q.v.

G. Scrobipalpa optima Povolny, 1969

REMARKS.- A record of Scrobipalpa optima, initially described from Iran (Povolny, 1969d: 4) and later recorded from Russia is most probably due to confusion with S. grossa which is considered as a junior synonym (Ponomarenko, 2008: 96). However, the latter taxon in fact is conspecific with S. indignella, a species which occurs in Russia.

H. Scrobipalpa remota Povolny, 1972

REMARKS.- Scrobipalpa remota was described from seven specimens collected in the Middle East and in Algeria and a male from North Iran was selected as the holotype (Povolny, 1972: 191). Later this species was also published from Spain (Povolny, 1977b: 196). A record from France, probably based on a female figured in Povolny & Luquet (1983: 6 7-68, fig. 11) derives from inadequate labelling of an old speci• men. Hence it is doubted by the authors themselves and also in the most recent French catalogue (Leraut, 1997: 52). All other records from western Europe and those from north-western Africa are based on male specimens. Since the males are similar to those of S. superstes, a species widespread in the western Mediterranean, identification of S. remota should be confirmed with females which are well differ• entiated. All known females from western Europe we have been able to examine in fact belong to S. superstes. Therefore the alleged occurrence of S. remota in this part of Europe is extremely doubtful and unlikely. A further record of S. remota from the Ukraine is based on two male specimens from ZMKU (Povolny, 2001a: 205). We have been able to study both specimens and their genitalia slides which show a superficial similarity to S. remota. However, the adults are very different from this species and fully agree with S. clintoni q.v., a species also known from the Ukraine.

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