Pleurota pleurotella (Staudinger, 1871)

Tabell, Jukka, Honey, Martin, Leger, Théo, Mutanen, Marko, Nupponen, Timo & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2025, New and poorly known Pleurota Hübner, [1825] species from peninsular Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae, Pleurotinae), SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología 53 (209), pp. 43-74 : 48-50

Pleurota pleurotella (Staudinger, 1871) ( Figures 8-10 , 32, 44, 51)

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ACW2024

Protasis pleurotella Staudinger, 1871 . Berl. Ent. Z., 14 (3/4), 317

Type locality: SPAIN: Andalusia. Lectotype [here designated]: “Origin” [pink label], “ex Coll. Staudinger ”, “Andalucia Kal.[isch]” [pale blue label], “Zool. Mus. Berlin” [pale brown label], “Lectotypus Pleurota pleurotella Stgr. design. Lvovsky” [red label] ( MFNB; examined from photographs) .

Material studied: SPAIN, GRANADA, Sierra Nevada 700 m, 2 km N Cherin , 1 ♀, 28-III-1998, T. Nupponen leg .; ALICANTE, 3 km E San Miguel de Salinas , 1 ♀ (GP 5951 J. Tabell), 16-IV-2009, J. Tabell leg .; Alicante, 6 km NW San Miguel de Salinas , 2 ♀ (GP 5298 J. Tabell), 22-IV-2009, J. Tabell leg .; ALMERÍA, 1 km SW Tabernas, 370 m, 1 ♂ (GP 5460 J. Tabell, DNA sample 23688 Lepid. Phyl), 7- IV-2014, J. Tabell leg .; GRANADA, 10 km NE Baza, 700 m, N37.563 W2.709, 2 ♂ (DNA sample 23701 Lepid. Phyl), 1 ♀, 8-IV-2014, J. Tabell leg .; 1 ♂, same collecting data, but 10-IV-2014 ; same collecting data, 1 ♂ (GP 5308, DNA sample 23687 Lepid. Phyl), but 13-IV-2014 ; Granada, 7.5 km N Motril , 100 m, N36.811 W3.546, 1 ♂ (GP 5409 J. Tabell), 10-IV-2014, J. Tabell leg .; Granada, 5.5 km N Cüllar , 870 m, N37.632 W2.571, 1 ♂, 12-IV-2014, J. Tabell leg. (all coll. TAB) . The species was not treated by Back (1973).

Diagnosis: From the outer appearance, P. pleurotella is similar to P. gallicella Huemer & Luquet, 1995 , but the dark spots on the forewing are larger, and the 3 rd palpomere of the labial palpus is not visible. The combination of a narrow cucullus, long valval lobe and long posterior lobe of juxta distinguish P. pleurotella from other species. In the female genitalia, the long segment 8 and the shape of signa are characteristic.

Molecular diagnosis: Three specimens of P. pleurotella were sequenced successfully, resulting in 658 bp barcodes for all specimens. The nearest neighbour to P. pleurotella is the morphologically distinct P. candia Back, 1973 , with a 7.77 % divergence. The barcodes of P. pleurotella exhibit no intraspecific variation.

Description: Adult. Wingspan 13.5-16 mm. Labial palpus 5.8x as long as diameter of eye (1 st and 2 nd palpomeres), 3 rd palpomere very short, entirely concealed by scales, greyish white, mixed with pale brown, below broadly dark brown. Antenna hairy in male, brown, 0.65x length of forewing. Head off-white, thorax and tegula mixed with brown and grey. Forewing off-white, scattered with brownish grey scales, blackish brown discal, discocellular and plical spots large, fringe line formed of several blackish brown scales; costal line absent; subcostal line brownish grey, mixed with white, gradually widened from base to near apex, apically indistinctly edged; cilia long, off-white, with two grey lines. Hindwing pale grey, cilia pale grey with yellow tinge, apically white. Abdomen slightly lustrous, grey, each segment with a transverse row of ochre scales.

Male genitalia: Uncus triangular from ventral view, lined with few long bristles. Gnathos basally fluke-shaped, distally finger-shaped from ventral view, 1.6x length of uncus, surfaced with small nodules medially, apex broadly rounded. Valva upwards oblique; cucullus narrow, ventral margin medially concave, costa slightly bulged basally; valval lobe narrow and long, club-shaped, basally slightly bulged, apical half more sclerotized, surfaced with few short bristles apically. Anterior extension of juxta straight, posterior lobe very long, with a small apical tooth. Vinculum trapezoid. Phallus curved, parallel-sided, with a robust plate-shaped cornutus and a loose bundle of several spiniform cornuti.

Female genitalia: Papilla analis ovoid, narrow, apical half covered with bristles. Apophyses long; posterior apophysis 6.8x as long as papilla analis and 1.5x as long as anterior apophysis, which is 1.7x as long as segment 8. Segment 8 longitudinally elongated, membranous, quadrate, dorsolaterally reinforced by sclerotized band; branch of anterior apophysis apically fused, U-shaped, weekly sclerotized; ventral longitudinal sclerotization narrow, as long as segment 8. Antrum tubular, long, parallel-sided. Ductus bursae narrow. Corpus bursae ovoid, narrow, with one arched signum with two serrated protuberances, and two leaf-shaped signa with long, straight spine.

Biology: Unknown.

Distribution: Known from southern Spain.

Remarks: The designation by Lvovsky is unpublished, and according to the ICZN (1999, Article 74.7) it is not valid. Consequently, one original specimen is designated herein as a lectotype.

Figures

Figures 1-8. Adults of Pleurota spp. 1. P. hebetella Ragonot, 1. 2-3. P. amaurodoxa Meyrick. 2. 1 lectotype. 3. 1. 4-5. P. protasella Staudinger. 4. 1 lectotype. 5. 1. 6.-7. P. glitzella (Staudinger). 6. 1 lectotype. 7. 1. 8. P. pleurotella (Staudinger), 1 lectotype.

Figures 9-16. Adults of Pleurota spp. 9-10. P. pleurotella (Staudinger). 9. 1. 10. 0. 11-13. P. sobriella (Staudinger). 11. 1 lectotype. 12. 1. 13. 0. 14-15. P. nobilella Rebel. 14. 0 lectotype. 15. 1. 16. P. sp., 1 syntype of P. nobilella.