Coleophora maculosa, Šumpich & Richter, 2025

Šumpich, Jan & Richter, Ignác, 2025, Description of Coleophora maculosa sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae) from the Southern Ural Mountains, Zootaxa 5659 (2), pp. 296-300 : 297-299

Coleophora maculosa sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Type material: Holotype, ♂, Russia, Southern Ural, Orenburg Region, Donskoe village environs, Verbljushka Hill , 170–250 m, 51.3841275N, 56.8109086E, 22.–24.vii.2011, gen. prep. Ignác Richter 23727, photograph number JŠ25014, DNA Barcode NMPC-LEP-1925 [failed], J. Šumpich leg. ( NMPC) . Paratypes: 2 ♂ ♂ ( GP 4861 J. Tabell, DNA sample 16431 Lepid Phyl, GP 3945 J. Tabell, DNA sample 20440 Lepid Phyl), Russia, Southern Ural, Orenburg Region, 20 km Pokrovka village S of Schibendy valley, 21.viii.2006, K. Nupponen leg. ( TAB) ; 1 ♀ ( GP 6739 J. Tabell, DNA sample 20441 Lepid Phyl [failed]), Russia, Southern Ural, Orenburg Region, 6 km W of Donskoje village, Verbljushka Hill , 27.viii.2000, T. Nupponen leg. ( TAB) .

Diagnosis. Externally, C. maculosa sp. nov. is nearly identical to C. teheranella Baldizzone, 1994 , a species known only from Iran. The two species can be distinguished via differences in male genitalia and abdominal structures, namely by the length of the cucullus (thinner and longer in C. teheranella ), the shape of the sacculus (much stouter in C. teheranella ) and the arrangement of the cornutes in the vesica (11–12 longer isolated needles in C. teheranella , more than 20 shorter, closely adjacent needles in C. maculosa sp. nov.). The tergal disk of the 3rd tergite is nearly round in C. maculosa sp. nov., but ellipsoidal in C. teheranella .

Description. Adults. ( Figs 1–2 ). Male. Wingspan 9.0 mm. Head and tegula dirty white, thorax ochreous. Palpus white, base of second segment brown laterally. Antenna ringed white and pale fuscous. Forewing lanceolate; ochrewhite; bearing a fine dirty white streak along the costa from the base to 2/3 of their length; approximately in the middle of the wing, pointing slightly to posterior margin, there is a longitudinal stripe formed by distinct brown scales, and brown scales line the apex of the forewing, with an additional prominent brown spot in the subbasal area; cilia pale grey-brown, darker near the apex, lacking scales at their base. Hindwings grey-brown, darker apically; cilia ochre-brown, brown subterminally.

Abdominal structures ( Fig. 5 ). No posterior lateral struts. Transverse strut almost straight at proximal margin, slightly convex at distal margin, tergal disk in 3rd tergite almost round, with about 38 short conical spines, about twice as long as they are wide.

Male genitalia ( Figs 3–4 ). Spinose part of gnathos large, globular. Tegumen long, distinctly constricted medially, greatly extended anteriorly. Transtilla small, subtriangular. Valvula with straight ventral margin. Cucullus relatively long, tapering distally, rounded at the end. Sacculus narrow, long, slightly curved, closely attached to the base of the cucullus, with its end reaching the ventral edge thereof. Posterior part of sacculus with small bumps, blunt-ended. Phallotheca short, sclerotized, sharply pointed, with a sharp lateral protrusion at its base. Vesica long, curved, almost transparent, with large, sclerotized plate and approximately 26 cornuti in the form of sharp spines of different lengths, forming a curved chain.

Female. Unknown to us, however a paper including the description of a female is currently in the works (G. Baldizzone, pers. com.).

Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:AAP5890. The intraspecific average distance of the barcode region is 0.26% (n = 5). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, a specimen from United Arab Emirates identified as Coleophora teheranella Baldizzone, 1994 (BIN: BOLD:ACR0050), is 4.18% (p-dist).

Bionomy. Host plant unknown. The holotype and one paratype were collected by light trap on steppe habitat in July, at an elevation of 170–250 m ( Fig. 6 ). The site is located near extensive floodplain forests in the Ural River alluvium, so it cannot be ruled out that the species is associated with wetland or forest habitats ( Fig. 7 ).

Distribution. Russia (Southern Ural).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin word maculosus (= spotted).

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Coleophora maculosa sp. nov., holotype 1. Adult. 2. Head. 3. Male genitalia. 4. Phallotheca, vesica and cornuti. 5. Abdomen. 6. Steppe habitat on Verbljushka Hill. 7. View of floodplain forests near the Ural River from Verbljushka Hill.