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.