Integrative taxonomic revision of the genus Phaselia Guenée, [1858] (Geometridae: Ennominae) in the Middle East and Central Asia
Author
Werner, Maria Johanna
0000-0001-5390-8993
Author
Hausmann, Axel
0000-0002-0358-9928
Author
Kostjuk, Igor
0000-0002-8656-5330
maria.werner@smns-bw.de
Author
Wanke, Dominic
0000-0001-5390-8993
Author
Rajaei, Hossein
0000-0001-5390-8993
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-08-11
5326
1
1
66
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5326.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5326.1.1
1175-5326
8243811
2EC25BF0-D36F-4029-AD1C-A9B62A668FEE
Phaselia
Guenée, [1858]
Phaselia
Guenée [1858]
: Histoire naturelle des insectes. Spécies général des lépidoptères IX, p.
228f.
Type
species:
Synopsia phaeoleucaria
Lederer, 1855
stat. rev.
No genus synonyms.
Description.
Wingspan
.
24–43 mm
, females slightly larger than males. Antennae bipectinate in both sexes. Head and thorax densely pale grey-brown scaled. Abdomen concolorous with head and thorax or dark brownish. Tibial spurs 0–2–2. Palpi short, proboscis reduced, barely visible.
Forewing
.
Costa
slightly concave with well-curved outer margin; ground colour warm white, speckled with light to dark grey-brown tiny dots; basal area and postmedial area darker brownish than medial area; antemedial line dark brown, with strongly pronounced zigzag-shape with up to three peaks; medial line present as a diffuse darker brown shadow close to postmedial line; postmedial line thin, dark brown, S-shaped (medially curved outwards in the upper half, inwards at the lower half); subterminal line dark brown with triangular spikes and a white line as outer border; terminal line thin, dark brown and slightly wavy.
Hindwing
. Ground colour white, speckled with brown towards terminal area; postmedial line brown, medially projected outwards, sometimes interrupted or even invisible; subterminal line barely visible as a light shadow; terminal line thin, dark brown and slightly wavy.
Discal spots usually visible as brown, short streaks or tiny dots on all wings, sometimes faded. Ventral side of wings generally paler than dorsal side, lines and patterns as on dorsal side but less pronounced. Fringes in all wings chequered white and brown, dark at the end of the veins (fig. 1).
FIGURE 1:
Terminology of the wing pattern of the genus
Phaselia
used in this paper.
al
—antemedial line;
ba
—basal area;
cm
—costal margin;
ds
—discal spot;
ma
—medial area;
ml
—medial line;
pml
—postmedial line;
stl
—subterminal line;
ta
— terminal area;
tl
—terminal line. Photo: holotype of
Phaselia smettboi
sp. nov.
Venation.
In the forewing, vein Sc arising separately from the base of wing; R1 and R2 originating separately from cell and continuing to costal margin; R3–R4 on a common stalk, originating from the single areole (see fig. 2A), R3 ending at subapical part of costa, R4 ending at apex; R5 originating separately from areole (green colored in fig. 2); one single A vein originating from the base of wing. In the hindwing, vein Sc+R1 originating from base of wing, continuing parallel to cell, then medially strongly curved towards costa, ending at wing apex; A1+A2 originating separately from A3 (fig. 2).
FIGURE 2
: Wing venation of male specimen of genus
Phaselia
(based on
P. serrularia
) with magnification of the costal part of the forewing (section A). Sc = subcostalis; R = radial veins; Rs = radial sector; M = medial veins; CuA = cubital veins; A = anal veins.
Male genitalia.
Uncus triangular, tip rounded, curved inwards; gnathos well-sclerotized, medially not fused; valva trapezoidal; costal part of valva slightly sclerotized, distally finger-shaped, extended over the apex of valvula; sacculus oval to square-shaped, well-sclerotized, mostly with diagnostic characters; juxta roughly triangular or horseshoe-shaped (fig. 3A). Aedeagus short, thick, straight or slightly curved; vesica with two separate, well-sclerotized cornuti: a claw-like curved cornutus and a more or less twisted, plate-like cornutus with numerous small spines (fig. 3B).
Female genitalia.
Ovipositor large and wide, oval; length of apophyses varying slightly among the species; lamella postvaginalis well-sclerotized,narrow to wide; ductus bursae short, membranous;corpus bursae membranous, pear-shaped to oval, elongated; signum small, well-sclerotized and stellate, of variable shape (fig. 3C).
FIGURE 3
: Terminology of genitalia characters of
Phaselia
used in this study. A-B: male genitalia; C: female genitalia; Abbreviations (after
Schmidt, 2017
;
Wanke
et al.
, 2019
):
ant
—antrum;
apoa
—apophyses anteriores;
apop
—apophyses posteriores;
clac
—claw-like cornutus;
corp
—corpus bursae;
cosa
—costal arm;
dts
—dorsal tip of sacculus;
duc
—ductus bursae;
gna
—gnathos;
lmav
—lamella antevaginalis;
lmpv
—lamella postvaginalis;
ovp
—ovipositor;
sac
—saccus;
sacu
—sacculus;
sig
—signum;
spic
—spined plate-like cornutus;
unc
—uncus;
val
—valva;
valu
—valvula;
ves
—vesical;
vts
—ventral tip of sacculus. Photo:
P. phaeoleucaria shurensis
comb. nov.
; Scalebar 1 mm.
Diagnosis.
Due to their characteristic wing pattern,
Phaselia
species
cannot be confused with any other genera of the tribe
Boarmiini
.
Note.
As the original descriptions of most
Phaselia
species
are only superficial and genitalia characters were often left out, we provide a re-description part for all discussed species in this study.