Cteipolia mimetica (L. Ronkay, 1995 )

Cteipolia mimetica (L. Ronkay, 1995) View in CoL

( Figs 15, 16 View Figures 11–16 , 26–28 View Figures 25–28 )

Type material examined. Photographs of the holotype ( Fig. 16 View Figures 11–16 ): “ Kazakhstan, Prov. Almaty, | Zailiisky [ Transili ] Alatau , 15 km S Issyk | 1750–1950 m, 77°42[']E, 43°13'N, | 3–4.X.1994, leg. Gy. Fábián | & Gy. M. László ” / red framed label “ Holotypus [in red] | Dasypolia (Cteïpolia) [handwritten] | mimetica sp. n. [handwritten] | det. L.Ronkay [in red] / 94 [handwritten]” / “4901 ♂ | gen.prep.No. | det. L.Ronkay ” ( HNHM) .

Additional material examined. KAZAKHSTAN: 1 male, vic. of Vernyi [modern Almaty], Semirechye Reg., Kvochkin [leg.] [in Russian] / 24.X.1907, gen. prep. No.: AV7552 ♂ ( ZISP) ; 1 male, 4.X.2015, Almaty Region, Transili Alatau Mts, Big Almaty Lake , 43°03'N 76°58'E, 2523m, S. V GoogleMaps . Titov & M. Černila leg., gen. prep. No.: AV1611 ( CAV) ; 5 males, Almaty Reg., Transili Alatau Mts, 15 km S Issyk, Issyk Lake , 1710m, 30.IX., 6 and 8.X.2002, B. Benedek & T . Csővári leg. ( BBC); 1 female, Almaty Region, Temerlik [Mts], 15 km NWN of Kegen settl., 43°03'N 79°24'E, [2600m], 10.X.2015, P. Gorbunov leg., gen. prep. No.: TB2120 ( BBC) GoogleMaps .

Note. The species was described from four males from Southeast Kazakhstan and a single male from Kyrgyzstan ( Ronkay et al. 1995). The female of the species is illustrated and diagnosed for the first time in the present paper .

Diagnosis of female. The forewing length is 11.0–13.0 mm in males and 14.0 mm in the female. Cteipolia mimetica ( Fig. 15 View Figures 11–16 ) is externally reminiscent of C. sacelli ( Fig. 14 View Figures 11–16 ) but has a narrower forewing with markedly shorter subbasal dash and an elliptical circular stigma, which is long dash-shaped in the congener. Additionally, the hindwing of C. mimetica is darker than in the congener. Compared to C. sacelli ( Fig. 25 View Figures 25–28 ), the female genitalia of C. mimetica ( Fig. 26 View Figures 25–28 ) have longer apophyses anteriores, broader antrum with a broader sclerotised plate, and a somewhat shorter but broader corpus bursae.

Distribution and bionomics. The species is known from northern and central parts of the Tien Shan Mts (Southeast Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) ( Ronkay et al. 1995). In the vicinities of the Big Almaty Lake in the Transili Alatau Range, C. mimetica was collected at an altitude of ca. 2500m in the subalpine zone with scarse trees of Picea schrenkiana tianschanica (Rupr.) Bykov , thickets of bushes of Juniperus L., Salix L., Lonicera L., Cotoneaster Medik. , etc., and subalpine meadow patches ( Fig. 31 View Figure 31 ). In the Temerlik Mts (SE Kazakhstan), the species was collected at an altitude of ca. 2600m in the subalpine zone with a mosaic of Picea schrenkiana tianschanica sparse forest, subalpine meadows, and thickets of shrubs of the genera Rosa L., Spiraea L., and Lonicera L. ( Fig. 32 View Figure 32 ).

Acknowledgements

The authors are deeply grateful to Dr. George Fayvush (A.L. Takhtajan Institute of Botany NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia) for the invaluable advices and consultations concerning habitats characterisation of the type locality of C. aloyani sp. n.; Anna A. Ivashchenko (Institute of Zoology, Almaty, Kazakhstan) for the data on the flora of the Sholak Mountains; László and Gabor Ronkay (Budapest, Hungary) for pictures of the types of C. vera and C. mimetica ; and Sergey Gordeev and Tatyana Gordeeva (IGEB, Ulan-Ude, Russia) for valuable discussion and pictures of the Cteipolia amissa paratype. Sergey Melyakh (Yekaterinburg, Russia) is acknowledged for data from their research collections provided.

Anton Volynkin sincerely thanks Wolfram Mey (MfN, Berlin, Germany) for his kind assistance during the work at MfN collection. Juozas Dûda and Aidas Saldaitis express their sincere thanks to Gayane Karagyan and Tigran Ghrejyan (Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology NAS RA) for their multiple help in organizing the entomological expedition in Armenia. Juozas Dûda and Aidas Saldaitis’ special thanks go to Alena Kazakevich (Lida, Belarus) and Elena Kazyrytskaya (Darginiai, Lithuania) for their help in preparing the manuscript. Sergey Titov acknowledges Andrey M. Shapovalov (Institute of Zoology, Almaty, Kazakhstan) for organising the collecting trip in the Sholak Mountains; the Bayanaul State National Nature Park ( Kazakhstan) (director Suyindik B. Akhmetzhanov, deputy director for science Yergalym U. Kayerdenov, senior researcher Dinara N. Kunshuakova, Sergey M. Reznichenko (former research fellow), the late Venera T. Tuleubekova (former research fellow), and the late Kuantay K. Abukenov (former head of the Department of Science, Ecological Education and Tourism)) for kind assistance in organising the research in the Bayanaul Mountains; Timur N. Smagulov, director of Institute of Archaeological Research, Margulan University (Pavlodar, Kazakhstan), for organising the collecting trip in the Saur and Monrak Mountains; Alexander Belousov and Yulia Belousova (Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan) for their kind hospitality and assistance in organising the collecting trips in the south-eastern Balkhash Basin and Dzhungar Alatau Mountains. Sergey Titov is also deeply grateful to the tragic deceased Sergey Ruzanov, director of the Cherkasai Tourist Center, for his warm welcome and kind assistance in organising the research in the Dzhungar Alatau Mountains.

The study of Sergey Titov was funded by Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Program No. BR21882199, “Inventory of wild animals of arid territories of the Balkhash-Alakol basin with an assessment of threats to their conservation and sustainable use.”). The study of Alexey Matov was performed in the frames of the research project №122031100272-3 “Systematics, morphology, ecophysiology and evolution of insects”, and the research was completed using equipment of the Core Facilities Centre “Taxon” at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The study of Pavel Gorbunov was partly financed by the project FUWU-2022-0007 “Interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors in the formation of biological diversity of the Ural flora and fauna” of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural branch of the RAS. The study of Juozas Dûda, Aidas Saldaitis and Mark Kalashian was carried out in the framework of the Agreement of Scientific cooperation between Lithuanian Nature Research Centre and Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology NAS RA.

Anton Volynkin, Balázs Benedek, and Balázs Tóth, while performing this work, received no specific grant from any funding agencies.

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