Anerastia lotella (Hübner, 1813)

(Figs 1–3, 9–11, 17–20, 31, 33, 36–38, 42)

Tinea lotella Hübner, 1813: pl. 48, fig. 334. Type locality: Europe.

= Phycis miniosella Zincken, 1818: 126. Type locality: Germany: area of Bad Schandau near Dresden.

= Anerastia dubia Gerasimov, 1928: 35–36, pl. V, figs 1, 2; pl. VI, figs 5, 6, 8. Type locality: Ukraine, Kyiv vicinity: Trostjanetzkoje lesnitchestvo near Bortnichi station.

Material examined. Austria: 3 ♂, Nordtirol, Stanzach, Blockau, 920 m, 16.vii.1989, leg. Huemer | gen. slide 640/23, O. Bidzilya | PYR 383 ♂ P. Huemer; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, same data, but 26.vii.1989 | gen. slide 641/23, O. Bidzilya; 7 ♂, 1 ♀, same data but 5.vii.1989; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Vorarlberg, Hard, NSG Rheindelta rechtsrheinisch, 400 m, 6.viii.1992, leg. Huemer. Slovakia: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Studienka Holbyeky, 10.viii.1993, leg. J. Ortner, coll. F. Lichtenberger | DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 33607 | gen. slide 645/ 23♂, 646/ 23♀, O. Bidzilya. Germany: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kelheim, Siegenburg, Dümbucher Forst, LF, 20.vi.1995, leg. H. Kolbeck | gen. slide 643/ 23♂, 644/ 23♀, O. Bidzilya (all TLMF). Ukraine: 1 ♂, Volyn reg., Tsumanska pushcha, sanatorium Prolisok, 20.vi.2008, leg. O. Bidzilya (ZMKU). 1 ♀, Rivne reg., Klevan’ 9 km N, sanatorium Chervona Kalyna, 19.vii.2014, leg. O. Bidzilya (ZMKU). 1 ♂, 1 ex., Zhytomyr reg., vic. of Pochuiky, 10.viii.2010, leg. M. Nesterov (VYe). 12 ♂, 6 ♀, 2 ex., Kyiv reg., Trostjanetzkoje lesnitshestvo (Prope statio Bortnitshi), at light, 5, 26.vi, 21.vii, 2.viii.1926, 13.vi, 2.viii.1927, 16.vii.1928, 13.vii.1929, leg. J. Zhycharev | gen. slide 212/ 18♀, 227/ 18♀, 230/ 18♂ O. Bidzilya; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Kyiv reg., Kiew, Rossia m. oc., 13.vi.1916, 1.viii.1917, 20.v.1918, leg. L. Sheljuzhko; 1 ♂, Kyiv reg., Vita Poshtova, at light, 5.viii.1996, leg. I. Kostjuk (all ZMKU). 1 ♂, 3 ex., Kyiv reg., Muzytchi, at light, 24.vi, 3.viii.2006, 21.vii.2007, leg. M. Nesterov. 1 ♂, Kyiv reg., Vasylkiv dstr., Dibrova, 16.vii, 21.viii.2010, 3.vi.2011, leg. M. Zaika | gen. slide 061.18 ♂ V. Yepishin. 4 ♀, 1 ex., Kyiv reg., Fastiv, at light, 1-2.viii.2014, 25-26.vi, 11-12.vii.2017, 26-27, 30-31.vii.2018, leg. V. Yepishin; 1 ♀, Chernihiv reg., Kozelets dstr., Otrochy, at light, 6-7.vii.2014, leg. V. Yepishin. 1 ♀, Chernihiv reg., Nizhyn at light, 18.vi.2018, leg. V. Kavurka | gen. slide 051.18 V. Yepishin; 2 ♂, Kharkiv reg., Dvurichanskiy distr., Novomlynsk, 18-21.vii.2017, leg. V. Mushynskiy & A. Zhakov; 1 ♀, Dnipropetrovsk reg., Pavlograd distr., s. Kocheryzhki, mixed forest, 24.vi.2015, leg. V. Mushynskiy & A. Zhakov; 1 ♀, Dnipropetrovsk reg., Pavlograd distr., s. Bulahovka, 6.vii.2015, leg. V. Mushynskiy; 7 ♂, 2 ♀, Zaporizhzhia reg., Melitopol distr., Mirnoe, 6, 16, 28.viii. 2015, leg. V. Mushynskiy & A. Zhakov | gen. slide 267/ 18♂ O. Bidzilya; 1 ♂, Priazovskiy reg., Stepanivka 1-a, 6-8.vii.2017, leg. V. Mushynskiy & A. Zhakov | gen. slide ♂ 455.20g V. Yepishin (all VYe); 2 ♂, Kherson reg., 10 km NE Radensk, Oleshky Sands, at light, 18.vi.2010, leg. I. Kostjuk, 6.vi.2015, leg. O. Bidzilya; 2 ♂, Kherson reg., Hola Prystan dstr., vic. Burkuty, 21, 22.vi. 2017, leg. O. Bidzilya; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data but 13,14. ix.2019, leg. O. Bidzilya & V. Yepishin (all ZMKU); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kherson reg., Hola Prystan dst., 1.5 km SE Burkuty, Steppe, at light, 46°23’36”N, 32°48’37”E, 12-14.vii.2019, leg. V. Yepishin | gen. slide ♀ 765.24, ♂ 767.24 V. Yepishin (VYe); 2 ♂, Luhansk reg., S vic. Sievierodonetsk, at light, 26.vi, 4.ix.2015, leg. S. Demianenko; 1 ♂, Seiverodonetsk, 4.vi.2014, S. Demianenko (all ZMKU). Russia: 1 ♂, Perm Kray, Osa, vii.[19]09; 2 ♂, Zabaikalskiy kray, vic. Nizhniy Tsasuchey, pine forest, at light, 30.vi., 1.vii.1997, leg. O. Bidzilya, I. Kostjuk & O. Kostjuk | gen. slide 226/18 O. Bidzilya. Kazakhstan: 1♀, 1ex, Dzharkent, 1915. 1 ♂, Ussek ad Djarkent, v.1915 | gen. slide 215/18 O. Bidzilya. Uzbekistan: 1 ex., Tashkent, 25.vi. Tajikistan: 1 ♂, Task-Kurgan, 1913. China: 2 ♂, Inner Mongolia, 80 km N Khuakhot, Zhao-Khe, 10.viii.2007, leg. O. Bidzilya | gen. slide 216/18 O. Bidzilya (all ZMKU).

Diagnosis. A very variable species that cannot be separated from A. dignella and A. oleshkyella sp. nov. based on external characters alone. Ground colour of the forewing, head and thorax ranges from dark brown to ochreous brown and to light grey, costal margin distinctly mottled with white, and black point in the cell corner developed in some specimens (Figs 1-3). The male genitalia are characterized by valva normally gradually narrowed apically, long (longer than phallus) vesica with straight cornutus that is longer than ring-shaped cornutus. These characters separate A. lotella from A. oleshkyella sp. nov. (see details under the latter species). The differences from A. dignella are discussed below. The female genitalia are indistinguishable from those of A. dignella except for female abdominal segment VIII that is almost as long as broad (1.5 times longer than broad in A. dignella). In A. oleshkyella sp. nov. segment VIII weakly narrowed posteriorly with posterolateral corners rounded (parallel-sided with nearly right corners in A. lotella) (Table 2).

Male genitalia (Figs 9–11, 17–20, 31, 33). Uncus large, sub-rectangular, width 1/2–2/3 of length, broadest in middle, covered with short setae laterally, posterior margin straight with short medial incision. Gnathos stout, 1/2–2/3 length of uncus, gently constricted in middle, broadened posterolaterally into two lobes densely covered with short and thick spikes, posterior margin weakly emarginated in middle, sometimes with short medial thorn, 2/3 width of uncus, postero-medial process wide, subtriangular, hook-shaped. Tegumen with indistinct transition to uncus, nearly of equal width, half as long as uncus. Valva 3 times as long as broad at base, parallel-sided to 3/5–2/3 length, distally tapering to dorsal margin, crescent-shaped ridge near base of tapering portion; covered with hair-like setae along margins. Juxta flat rounded, cranially with V-shaped sclerotization. Saccus short, broadly rounded. Aedeagus 2/3 length of valva, cylindrical or conical, weakly narrowed at base, apex truncate or oblique cut, vesica as long or slightly longer than aedeagus, distal part wide, straight cornutus longer than ring-shaped cornutus.

Female genitalia. (Figs 36–38, 42). Papillae anales subtriangular, densely covered with strong setae and hairs, apex pointed or weakly rounded. Apophyses anteriores slender in extreme base, weakly broadened to 1/7 length, then gently bent, slightly longer than apophyses posteriores and about 2 times longer than sternum VIII. Segment VIII parallel-sided, as long as broad, tergum covered with short setae in posterior part, posterior margin rounded with narrow V-shaped medial incision extending to 1/5 length of segment VIII, postvaginal plate about 1/3 length of tergum, subtrapezoid, its anterior margin weakly or distinctly thickened, varies from weakly straight to weakly sinuate, posterior margin broadly emarginated in middle; sternum evenly sclerotized, deeply (to about 1/2 length) and broadly emarginated anteriorly and weaker (to 1/4 length) emarginated posteriorly, medial margin of antevaginal lamina rounded. Apophyses anteriores about 1.2 length of segment VIII. Ductus bursae broadly funnel-shaped in posterior 1/4, then thin, strongly widened in anterior half, with gradual transition to pear-shaped corpus bursae, signum absent.

Biology. In Europe, larvae were observed feeding on Calamagrostis epigeios, Festuca ovina, Aira canescens, Ammophila arenaria and Corynephorus canescens (Schütze 1931; Lepiforum 2024). Falkovitsh (1969: 459) reported larvae living in silken tube covered with sands and frass in tussock on Poaceae in Kazakhstan. Adults fly from late May to mid-September.

Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:AAB1408. Anerastia lotella is a genetically variable species with a mean intraspecific p-distance of 0.57% and a maximum distance of 1.46% (n=49). However, this intraspecific variation is mainly based on two sub-cluster without a strict geographic structure, though the majority of material from the second cluster originates from N America. The distance to the nearest neighbor, an unrevised specimen from Kyrgyzstan is 1.71%, whereas the minimum distance to the nearest congeneric species A. oleshkyella sp. nov. is 2.02%.

Distribution. Palaearctic (Leraut 2014; Sinev et al. 2019), Nearctic (Pohl et al. 2016) and Afrotropical (Sudan) regions (De Prins & De Prins 2023).

Remarks. Tinea lotella was described from an unspecified number of specimens from Europe, however, without precise locality (Hübner 1796 –1836). The species description was only based on a hand painted illustration (pl. 48, fig. 334) which from the wing shape and colour likely depicts another species, viz. Agriphila poliella (Treitschke, 1832). Already Herrich-Schäffer (1847–1855) pointed to this error but for the sake of stability hesitated to synonymize Chilo poliellus with the senior name Tinea lotella and to introduce the name Phycis miniosella Zincken, 1818 instead. Since the original figure of Hübner doesn´t allow an undisputed identification of the species and the type material is considered lost (Horn & Kahle 1935), designation of a neotype is necessary to preserve the stability of nomenclature (ICZN 1999). The type locality is not fixed but following Hübner´s place of residence, Augsburg in southern Germany, we designate as neotype a male specimen from adjacent Austrian Tyrol, collected alongside the river Lech which also flows through Augsburg.

Neotype ♂, Austria, Nordtirol, Stanzach, Blockau, 920 m, 16.vii.1989, leg. Huemer | gen. slide 640/23, O. Bidzilya.