Ent. Tidskr. 132 (2011) Review of the unicolorous species in subgenus Blastotere Review of the unicolorous species of the subgenus Blastotere (Lepidoptera, Argyresthiidae) with descriptions of Argyresthia svenssoni sp.n. and A. kulfani sp.n. BENgT Å. BENgTSSoN & RoLAND JoHANSSoN Bengtsson, B.Å. & Johansson, R.: Review of unicolorous species of the subgenus Blas- totere (Lepidoptera, Argyresthiidae) with descriptions of Argyresthia svenssoni sp.n. and A. kulfani sp.n. [Revision av de enfärgade arterna i undersläktet Blastotere (Lepidoptera, Argyresthiidae) samt beskrivning av Argyresthia svenssoni sp.n. och A. kulfani sp.n.] – Entomologisk Tidskrift 132(4): 257-274. Uppsala, Sweden 2012. ISSN 0013-886x. The unicoloured species of the subgenus Blastotere in the family Argyresthiidae are re- viewed. Two new species, Argyresthia svenssoni sp.n. and A. kulfani sp.n., ,are described and compared with closely related species. The biology of A. svenssoni seems to be es- sentially identical with that of A. glabratella, and the two species have a similar distribu- tion pattern. However, when dissecting female specimens from north and south Sweden two different types emerged displaying totally different signa, which led to the conclusion that two good species were involved. Argyresthia svenssoni is so far recorded only from a few European countries, from Italy in the south to north of the Polar Circle in the north of Europe. Argyresthia tatrica Baraniak, Kulfan & Patočka, 2003, the description of which was based on material from Slovakia, is judged to be a junior synonym of A. illuminatella Zeller, 1839. The larva feeds on Larix decidua and possibly other species of Larix. The type material of A. illuminatella has been studied and a lectotype is designated. The status of Argyresthia amiantella (Zeller, 1847) is discussed and as the type material seems to be lost a neotype is designated. Also the type material of the Blastotere species reared from Abies alba is apparently lost and the taxon seems to have been misinterpreted. Subsequently, as it has no name the species is described here as Argyresthia kulfani sp.n. A recently described species, A. uralensis Baraniak & Junnilainen, 2011, has not been studied but the original description indicates that it might be a synonym of A. illuminatella but is not formally synonymized. Bengt Å. Bengtsson, Lokegatan 3, S-386 93 Färjestaden, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected] Roland Johansson, Seminarievägen 47B, S-352 38 Växjö, Sweden The family Argyresthiidae was previously con- to A. glabratella (Zeller, 1847) are particularly sidered a subfamily (cf. for instance Karsholt difficult to separate and embrace till now the fol- & Razowski 1996: p. 57) but the subfamily Ar- lowing species: A. laevigatella Herrich-Schäffer, gyresthiinae was raised to family status by Nieu- 1855, A. illuminatella Zeller, 1839, A. amian- kerken et al. (2011). Argyresthia, the only genus tella Zeller, 1847, A. tatrica Baraniak, Kulfan in the family, embraces many species difficult to and Patočka, 2003, S. uralensis Baraniak & determine. The species belonging to the subge- Junnilainen, 2011, and A. bergiella (Ratzeburg, nus Blastotere have proved to be especially no- 1840). All species feed on coniferous trees and torious. The unicolorous species closely related appear to be host-specific on Picea, Abies, or 257 Bengt Å. Bengtsson & Roland Johansson Ent. Tidskr. 132 (2011) Larix. The external appearances are nearly iden- A. illuminatella (Zeller, 1847). Moreover, the tical and the genitalia almost indistinguishable, type material of A. amiantella Zeller, 1839 is as well. The genitalia, especially in males, are to by all judgement lost and a neotype is therefore a large extent membranous without hard sclero- selected. tization, and this may be one reason why there have been so few specialists who have devoted Methods and material their studies to this group. Different museums and private collections were For many years Ingvar Svensson kept in his visited with the purpose of finding out which private collection undetermined or enigmatic species of this critical “glabratella species- specimens in a small wooden box with the la- group” occur in Sweden and Europe. In the bel ‘UFos’ on the lid. From time to time he had Natural History Museum, London, the lectotype placed, in his ordinary collection under Argyres- of Argyresthia illuminatella Zeller, 1839 and thia glabratella, a specimen found in Värmland, specimens judged to be A. amiantella (Zeller, Sweden, but the identity of the specimen was 1847) were checked. In the Swedish Museum discussed several times during our visits to him. of Natural History, Stockholm, and in the coll. When writing the manuscript (BÅB) and Ingvar Svensson (now in the Zoological Mu- making the illustrations (RJ) for the Swedish seum, Lund – MZLU) specimens from Central project Nationalnyckeln (The Encyclopedia of Europe, assumed to be illuminatella, were stud- the Swedish Flora and Fauna) (Bengtsson & Jo- ied. Specimens believed to be A. amiantella, hansson 2011), we had to decide how to regard kept in the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinande- this mysterious specimen. Judged by its exter- um, Innsbruck, and Argyresthia specimens from nal appearance the specimen was supposed to Slovakia were dissected. Material from our own belong to A. glabratella, but the genitalia dif- collections was thoroughly examined and many fered considerably from those of A. glabratella dissections were made to see if reliable differ- by the signum possessing only one process and ences between relevant taxa could be confirmed. for this reason A. laevigatella Herrich-Schäffer, Pertinent literature has been scrutinized but in 1855 was also an option. However, Larix was no work have the new species been implicitly or not growing at the site where it was found, so the explicitly mentioned. problem was left unsolved until 2010. The genitalia have been dissected according By coincidence RJ had reared a series of Ar- to the standard methods described by Robinson gyresthia specimens from Boden (c. 66°N 22°E) (1976). Staining is vital to see the details, as they in the province of Norrbotten, Sweden, and are to a great extent membranous. genitalia examination of females revealed that In this paper only the genitalia morphology those also exhibited the same kind of genitalia, and the biology are considered. As most type specifically a signum with one single process material is old, sequencing of DNA has not been and not two as in glabratella. After checking done. more specimens in the authors’ collections and consulting colleagues in Norway and Finland, Abbreviations: it became clear that glabratella in fact consists BMNH – Natural History Museum, London, UK of two species, one “northern” and one “south- BÅB – Bengt Å. Bengtsson (private collection) ern”. No known species name is available for MZLU – Zoological Museum, University of Lund, the hitherto unknown taxon and a new species, Sweden Argyresthia svenssoni, is described herein. NRHS – Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden For the description it was needed also to re- RJ – Roland Johansson (private collection) view other material from this difficult group SASZ – Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen and the result of that is presented species-wise TLMF –Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum Inns- below. Most importantly we found that Argyres- bruck, Austria thia tatrica Baraniak, Kulfan & Patočka, 2003 ZMUC – Zoologisk Museum, University of Copen- showed virtually identical male genitalia with hagen, Denmark. 258 Ent. Tidskr. 132 (2011) Review of the unicolorous species in subgenus Blastotere Previous treatment pressed a clear admonition: “Die bisher in der Argyresthia glabratella was described by Zeller Literatur vermerkten Färbungsunterschiede in (1847) in his monograph “Die Argyresthien”. It der Kopfbehaarung, im Ton der Flügel wie in must be regarded the height of skilfulness (or der Ringelung der Fühler sind nicht konstant luck?) being able to distinguish glabratella from und wechseln je nach Erhaltungsgrad, Alter und illuminatella and amiantella on the basis of one geschlecht der Falter. Als Anhaltspunkte für die male and two female specimens that Zeller had Determination können die Futterpflanzen der available and only comparing the external ap- Raupen dienen, woran ja auch die Falter meist pearance. Even if most experts in the 19th cen- gefangen oder geklopft werden.” tury often reared the lepidopterous specimens Friese (1969) stated the following host plants and thus had a good knowledge of the immature for the species (known to him) dealt with in this stages, they did not know anything about genita- paper: lia examination or barcoding to distinguish vari- A. laevigatella – Larix ous species from each other. In this case Zeller A. illuminatella – Abies alba [but is in fact had found the three specimens of A. glabratella Larix decidua; authors’ note] on spruce branches hanging down so he obvi- A. glabratella – Picea abies ously assumed the specimens were associated A. amiantella – Picea abies with spruce. A. bergiella – Picea abies Subsequent lepidopterists treated the three Now we can add A. svenssoni sp.n. – Picea above-mentioned Argyresthia species partly re- abies and A. kulfani sp.n. – Abies alba lying on the observations of previous authors. For three of the species (Argyresthia bergi- E.g. Heinemann (1877: 658–659) presented ella, A. svenssoni and A. glabratella) taxonomic very short re-descriptions of the species where differences have been found in the