Micropterix sikhotealinensis Ponomarenko & Beljaev, 2000

(Figs 5, 6, 9, 10, 17, 26, 27, 30, 33, 34)

Material examined. Type material. Holotype, 1 ♂, Russia, Primorskii Krai, Chuguevskii district, 16 km SSE Yasnoe village, Sister stream, 1000 m a.s.l., 43°33’48” N, 134°04’01” E, 17.vi 1998 (leg. E. Beljaev), GS 350 MP. Paratypes: 1 ♂, same locality, date and collector; 1 ♂, Russia, Primorskii Krai, 16 km SE Yasnoe village, valley of Ussuri river, 43°36’05” N, 134°06’46” E, 20.vi 1998 (leg. E. Beljaev), GS 351 MP, all in FSCB.

Additional material. 1 ♀, Russia, Primorskii Krai, 30 km NW Lazo, Lazovskii pass, 896 m a.s.l., 43°33’08” N, 133°34’57” E, 11.vii 2001 (leg. M. Ponomarenko), GS 346 MP, FSCB.

Diagnosis. M. sikhotealinensis is similar to M. aureatella (Scopoli, 1763) by cucullus curved dorsally almost at a right angle and significantly expanded in the distal part, by dorsal and lateral processes having similar shape and position on annulus in the male genitalia. It differs by a forewing with an inverted groundcolour and pattern of forewing (Figs 5, 6, 9, 10). It can be also distinguished by dorsal process of annulus, which wider basally, proximal part of valva with longer inflated part, which about 3/5 of total valval length in the male genitalia (Fig. 26). M. aureatella has dorsal process of annulus narrower basally and proximal part of valva with shorter inflated part, about half of total valval length in the male genitalia. In the female genitalia, M. sikhotealinensis differs from the related species by narrower sternal sclerotisation of 9 th segment, split in two more or less equal lobes, with smoothly sloped lateral edge in the female genitalia (Figs 30, 33, 34).

Adult. Wingspan 9.1–9.5 (♂) and 8.9 mm (♀); length of forewing 4.2–4.5 (♂) and 4.1 mm (♀) (Figs 5, 6). Head with raised brown hair-like scales (Fig. 17). Antenna brown and monochromatic. Thorax and tegula dark brown, covered by iridescent violet and bronze scales. Forewing golden-yellow with violet two transverse fasciae at 1/8 and 1/3 of wing length, and one costal spot at half of wing length, two indistinct spots formed by accumulated iridescent violet scales before tornus and at the end of cell; fringe brown. Hindwing brown, slightly darker distally, with iridescent violet and bronze shine; fringe brown (Figs 5, 6).

Comparative morphological notes. The forewing of M. sikhotealinensis has golden groundcolour and pattern formed by violet two transverse fasciae at 1/8 and 1/3 and one small costal spot at half of wing length (Figs 5, 6, 9, 10). M. aureatella has violet groundcolour and two golden fasciae at 1/3 and about half of wing length and more or less costal spot sometimes almost reaches dorsal edge of wing (Figs 7, 8). In the male genitalia both species differ by width of basal part of dorsal process of annulus: M. sikhotealinensis has wider dorsal process compared to that in M. aureatella. The subspecies M. aureatella shikotanica Kozlov described from the Far East of Russia has not only narrower dorsal process of annulus but smaller and shorter one than that in the nominotypical subspecies. The inflated proximal part of valva in this subspecies about half of total valval length (after Kozlov 1988: fig. 2), which corresponds to that in European M. aureatella illustrated by Zeller-Lukashort et al. (2007), but longer than in M. aureatella from Japan (Hashimoto 2006). M. sikhotealinensis has longest inflated proximal part of valva, exceeding half of total valval length (Fig. 26). Females of M. aureatella from Europe and Japan, and M. sikhotealinensis from the Russian Far East have different shape of sternal sclerotisation of 9 th segment. M. sikhotealinensis has shorter (along to longitudinal body axis) sclerotisation split in two more or less equal lobes (Figs 33, 34), European M. aureatella with longer sclerotisation split in two lobes different in size (Figs 35, 36), Japanese specimen of the same species with slightly longer sclerotisation than in European one and without distinct split (Figs 37, 38).

Host plant. Unknown.

Distribution. Russia (south of Far East: Primorskii Krai).