Manulea costalis

Manulea costalis (Zeller, 1847)

Original combination: Lithosia costalis Zeller, 1847, Isis von Oken, 1847:16.

T. L.: Bursa (“Brussa”), Turkey.

= Lithosia morosina Herrich-Schäffer, 1847.

Material examined. CYPRUS: 3 ♂, Kapoura, Adelfoi-Forest, 1200 m, 3.ix.2003, Hentscholek leg.; 5 ♂ and 3 ♀, Agyia, Pafos Forest, 400 m, 28.viii.2003, Hemtscholek leg.

GREECE: 5 ♂, Assites, Creta, 800 m, 27.ix.1959, H. Reisser leg.; 4 ♀, Omalos, Creta, 1200 m, 5.viii.2011, Hentscholek leg.

TURKEY: 6 ♂ and 10 ♀, Cirali, Antalya, 15 m, 6.viii.2014, S. Schelhorn leg.; 5 ♂ and 7 ♀, Antalya, Kemer, 700 m, 19.x.2011, A. Saldaitis leg.

Diagnosis. Compared to Eilema caniola, it is a large, narrow-winged species, and differs externally by the narrower, dark greyish earth-coloured wings, with a fine short ochre line on the inner margin. Hindwing pale ivory with a fine yellow costal stripe and faint grey diffusion towards anal area. The forewings are narrower and the costal stripe is thinner, distally more tapered than in Manulea complana and androconia are absent on the underside. It is more contrasting in colour than Manulea pseudocomplana and Manulea palliatella, with a better-defined costal stripe.

Re-description. Imago (Figs. 11–12). Average wingspan males 30.3 mm (n=10; 26–34 mm); average wingspan females 33.0 mm (n=10; 29–36 mm).

Genitalia (Fig. 55). Male genitalia: Structure similar to that of Manulea complana and Manulea pseudocomplana from which it differs mainly in the slightly more pointed valva and the sternite of the 7th segment, which is very pointed in its upper part and less marked. Female genitalia: Bursa copulatrix displaced to the right, as in the previous species, with two small signum; cervix bursa of a great size, with many membraneous warts internally covered with very dense areas of spinules; ductus seminalis begins with a big membraneus process also covered with spinumes.

Immature stages. Not studied.

Molecular data. We sequenced a topotypical specimen of M. costalis that happened to cluster together with an unidentified sample from Greece (LEASW1169-20). These two samples were found to contribute to a wellsupported Manulea costalis node (PP=1) with a considerable within-group distance (0.93% ± 0.37SE), which may be partially due to geographic isolation of the Cyprus population. In agreement with the morphological data, the Bayesian Inference analysis (Figures 119, 120) places this species within Manulea, closer to the Manulea complana group (average TN-dist=4.14%) than to Eilema caniola (TN-dist=5.80%). RESL algorithm produced a distinct cluster with a Nearest Neighbour distance of 3.52%, matching no registered BIN.

Biology. Univoltine, with a flight period from July to September. Hygrophilous, frequent in mixed and open deciduous forests of valleys and streams, extending to slightly above timberline. Sometimes locally abundant. Adults of both sexes are attracted to artificial light and can be seen during the day feeding at flowers. The larvae feed on lichens (Witt & Ronkay, 2011).

Distribution (Fig. 101). Ponto-mediterranean. Widespread but localized and infrequent in the southern half of the Balkans (Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece). It is also known from some Aegean islands including Thasos and Samotracia, and also from Crete, Rhodos, and Samos. Outside Europe present in Asia Minor and the Middle East.