Stigmella damocles Stonis & Remeikis & Diškus & Navickaitė 2020, sp. nov.

Stigmella damocles Remeikis, sp. nov.

(Figs 35–37, 103–108)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2167AC23-7E27-4750-BB6B-9770F4EA76DB

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Turkmenistan, western Kopet Dag range, 40 km E Garrygala (Kara Kala), 21.v.1993, R. Puplesis and A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AN459 (ZIN).

Diagnosis. Belongs to the Stigmella sanguisorbae group. Externally, this new species can be confused with many other, similarly speckled nepticulid species with an ill-defined fascia of the forewing. In the male genitalia, the combination of long, slender lobes of the vinculum (Fig. 108) and absence of cornuti in the phallus distinguishes S. damocles sp. nov. from all known species of the S. sanguisorbae group.

Male (Figs 35–37). Forewing length 2.3 mm; wingspan 5.1 mm (n = 1).

Head. Frons, palpi and pecten grey cream; frontal tuft brown-grey, collar and scape white cream; flagellum cream.

Thorax. Tegula and thorax covered with dark brown scales. Forewing greyish cream, irregularly speckled with brown, ochre-glossy scales; fascia wide, ill-defined, greyish cream; fringe cream; forewing underside grey cream, without spots or androconia. Hindwing and fringe grey cream on upper side and underside, without androconia. Legs greyish cream.

Abdomen. Colour of scaling unknown. Genitalia (Figs 103–108) with capsule 240 µm long, 130 µm wide. Vin-culum with very long and slender lateral lobes (Figs 103, 108). Uncus with small triangular lobes (Fig. 103). Gna-thos with two slender, apically pointed caudal processes (Figs 107, 108). Valva (Fig. 105) about 130 µm long, with a slender apical process; inner lobe of valva rounded and ribbed (Fig. 105). Transtilla with short, triangular, distally pointed sublateral processes (Figs 103, 108). Phallus (Figs 104, 106) about 175 µm long, vesica without cornuti.

Female. Unknown.

Bionomics. Adults occur in late May. Otherwise, biology is unknown.

Distribution. Known from a single locality in the western Kopet Dag Range, Turkmenistan, Garrygala, at the elevation of about 800 m (Fig. 1: Ko).

Etymology. The species is named after Damocles, a character in the story “The Sword of Damocles”, in reference to the unusually long and pointed, sword-like lateral lobes of vinculum, also distinctly pointed and slender processes of valva and gnathos in the male genitalia.