Catarhoe (Hyporhoe) narynensis Beljaev, 2025

Catarhoe (Hyporhoe) narynensis Beljaev & Gorbunov, sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8F96972A-6DD8-4252-942A-1C5C336B8359

( Figs 1–19 View FIGURES 1–9 View FIGURES 10–19 )

Material. Holotype: ♂, Кyrgyzstan, Moldo-Too Range , 15 km NW of Kazarman village, Naryn River valley, 1220 m a.s.l., 41°30’46” N, 73°55’38” E, 22– 23.04.2023, leg. P. Gorbunov, S. Melyakh, S. Korb. GoogleMaps

Paratypes: Kyrgyzstan: 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, same locality and date ; 1♂ ( GenBank ID: PQ276049.1) , 1♀ (GenBank ID: PQ276050.1), same locality, 21– 22.04.2023, leg. P. Gorbunov ; 2 ♂♂, Moldo-Too Range , 7 km E of Kyzyl-Korgon, Dyungereme River valley, 41°43’43.08”N, 74°16’38.54”E, 1491 m, 24.04.2023, leg. P. Gorbunov, S. Melyakh, S. Korb GoogleMaps .

The holotype and one paratype are deposed in the collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). The remaining paratypes are in the private collections of P.Yu. Gorbunov and S.F. Melyakh (Ekaterinburg).

Diagnosis. See the diagnosis of the subgenus.

Description. Moth ( Figs 1–9 View FIGURES 1–9 ). Wingspan of males and females 25–30 mm, notable difference between sexes in size, shape and pattern of the wings not traced. Palpi short (1 mm), three-segmented. Proboscis normally developed, about 7 mm long. Frons convex, two times narrower than the diameter of the eye, covered with light scales. Light protruding scales present between the bases of antennae. Antennae of males cylindrical, flagellum on underside covered with thin light cilia, length of which slightly exceeding half of the thickness of the flagellum.

Wings wide, forewing length 12.5–14.5 mm, width 6.5–8.0 mm. Forewing broadly triangular with termen slightly longer than inner margin, apex rounded. Hindwing with costal margin noticeably longer than anal margin, termen rounded. Termen of both pairs of wings barely wavy. Wings above brownish-grey with pink tint in some specimens. Wing pattern soft, not contrasting, dark-grey median field most prominent. Medial field on costal margin of the forewing 2–3 times wider than on inner margin, in anterior half with median triangular brightening centered with weak stroke-like discal spot. Antemedial and postmedial lines grey, wavy or moderately serrated, indistinct. Underside of wings gray with wide, light, indistinct postmedial band and yellowish-grey spots at costal margin of the forewing, and with dark stroke-like discal spot on each wing.

Wing venation ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 1–9 ). Forewing with two radial accessory areoles, proximal one three times shorter than distal one, distal one long, reaching the base of Rs4, vein dividing areoles very short. Discal cell open, discal vein widely interrupted posterior to the base of vein M2. Sc distant from C, R1 rising from the distal end of the distal areole, Rs1 from stalked Rs2+Rs3 two times closer to R1 than to the fork of Rs2 and Rs3, Rs3 approximately as long as stalked Rs2+Rs3 and reaching to the apex of the wing, Rs4 rising from near the distal end of the distal areole. M1 rising from Rs stalk near the discal cell, M2 from anterior portion of the discal vein, M3 from posterior angle of the discal cell. CuA1 rising from discal cell near its posterior angle, CuA2 from posterior vein of discal cell approximately at ¾ of its length. CuP plica not expressed, 1A+2A common. Hindwing with discal cell closed. Sc+R1 rising from 4/5 of the length of the discal cell. Rs and M1 on long stalk (distance between discal vein—Rs significantly greater than distance between Sc+R1—discal vein). Discal vein broken at branching point of M2. M3 and CuA1 rising from posterior angle of discal cell close to each other. CuA2 rising from posterior vein of discal cell approximately at ¾ of its length. CuP plica not expressed, 1A+2A going to tornus, 3A lacking.

Legs. Fore tibia more than two times shorter than middle and hind tibiae, equipped with epiphysis a little bit too short of reach apex of tibia. Middle tibia with pair of unequal spurs (0.3 mm and 0.5 mm long) at the apex. Hind tibia (2.8 mm long) with two pairs of unequal spurs (0.3 mm and 0.5 mm long) on the apical part.

Male genitalia ( Figs 10–17 View FIGURES 10–19 ). Size of the male genitalia (valva length along dorsal edge without distal process of the costa 1.2 mm.) approximately coinciding with the characteristic size of the genitalia of Catarhoe spp. with similar wingspan. Tegumen very narrow, almost same as lateral arms of vinculum, without dorsal sagittal rib. Vinculum narrow, antero-ventrally with long cylindrical saccus rounded on apex. Between vinculum and 8th segment pair of very long conical coremata, swollen in basal half, 2.5 times longer than valva. Uncus 0.8 mm long, thin, curved, slightly flattened laterally, pointed. Gnathos and socii lacking. Subanal plate distinct, long. Valva oblong (4 times longer than its width in middle part), with strongly sclerotised costal sclerite (costa), curved medially and ending in free flattened apical process with rounded apex. Costa mediodorsally with small dilation at the level of apex of valvula, on middle part from about 1/3 of its length to the base of distal process dorsally and medially covered with randomly scattered small spines. Valvula thin, translucent. Sacculus present in the form of narrow, ridge-shaped, weakly sclerotised dilation of the ventro-lateral edge of valva. Anellus in form of dense manica, dorsally covered with short spines, passing onto its internal fold, laterally with two dense groups of 8–10 longer (0.1–0.15 mm) spines located on the internal fold of manica. Two sclerotised papilla-shaped processes with tuft of moderately long bristles at top (labides) on anellar membrane laterad of phallus. Juxta with short plate-like basal portion connecting dorso-medial angles of valvular sacculi, and with dorso-posterior long spatulate process, covered with rigid long hair-like setae in distal half. Two closely spaced elongated elliptical sclerites present dorsal to the juxta. According to the criteria of position and connections—between the juxta plate and the papillary setaceous processes of the anellus—these sclerites are homologous to the “rod-shaped sclerites” of Xanthorhoini and Epirrhoini (the term proposed by Schmidt 2013: 554). Phallus. Aedeagus (sclerotised tube of phallus) about 1.7 mm long and 0.3 mm in diameter, cylindrical, almost straight, anteriorly with large basal process about 1/4 of length of aedeagus, posteriorly closely connected with manica (during the genitalia dissection, phallus is isolated together with internal fold of the manica, bearing dorsal and lateral spines). Everted vesica about 1 mm long and up to 0.5 mm wide, with several asymmetrical swellings on sides and two small appendices in apical portion, with numerous dispersed small spines, and with sclerotised flat cornutus of irregular shape with several small spines in middle.

Female genitalia ( Figs 18, 19 View FIGURES 10–19 ). Relatively large, about 5 mm in total length. Papillae anales oval. Posterior apophyses 2.5 times longer than anterior apophyses. Antrum sclerotised, weakly conical, very large relative to corpus bursae, anteriorly passing into short and wide membranous portion of ductus bursae, ending in oblique annular sclerite of irregular shape. Dorsal wall of the membranous part of ductus bursae with longitudinal elongated field of small spines, passing into annular sclerite. Corpus bursae membranous, oval, in posterior half with small spot-like sclerotised signum, composed of small spines and larger short spine in the center of plate. Ductus seminalis departing from mammillary protrusion on right side of base of corpus bursae.

Distribution. Kyrgyzstan: west of Jalal-Abad Region. The new species is known so far only from two sites in the lower part of the Naryn River basin ( Fig. 25 View FIGURES 25–26 ).

It is probably one of the endemics of the Fergana—Naryn mountain-steppe region, which is characterised by significant floristic endemism and has the rank of a subprovince in botanical geography ( Rachkovskaya et al. 2003). A number of Lepidoptera species are known from here, the modern distribution of which does not extend beyond the Naryn River basin, the Fergana valley and the southern slopes of the Chatkal range, for example Parnassius davydovi Churkin from Papilionidae , Melitaea acreina Staudinger from Nymphalidae , Neolycaena olga Lukhtanov and Neolycaena zhdankoi Churkin from Lycaenidae , Thargelia orbona (Bang-Haas) and Sartha mirabilis (Staudinger) from Noctuidae , Rhodostrophia lanceolata Kaila & Viidalepp from Geometridae , Hyperlais orodruinella Korb , Gorbunov & Melyakh from Pyralidae , and Zolotuhia paradoxa Beljaev , Gorbunov & Korb from Lasiocampidae .

Ecological notes. All individuals were caught at night in a light trap in the third ten-day period of April in the Naryn River valley and in the Dyungereme River valley (a tributary of the Kekemeren River), in petrophytesteppe habitats at altitudes of 1200–1500 m above sea level ( Fig. 26 View FIGURES 25–26 ). In the Naryn River valley the trap was located in the lower part of a rocky slope with an eastern exposure, quite densely overgrown with shrubs ( Spiraea hypericifolia L., Berberis sphaerocarpa Kar. & Kir. , Berberis nummularia Bunge , Prunus prostrata Labill. , Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. , Zygophyllum atriplicoides Fisch. & C.A.Mey. , Rhamnus songorica Gontsch. , Caragana leucophloea Pojark. , Cotoneaster sp. , Rosa sp. ) and dwarf shrubs ( Helianthemum songaricum Schrenk , Ephedra fedtschenkoae Paulsen ). In spring (during the flight of the imago), the herbaceous plants Tulipa toktogulica B.D.Wilson & Lazkov , Tulipa tetraphylla Regel , Allium galanthum Kar. & Kir. , Artemisia sp. were observed. In the summer, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides (L.), Krascheninnikovia ewersmanniana (Stschegl. ex Losinsk.) Grubov , Glycyrrhiza shiheziensis X.Y.Li , and Sophora alopecuroides L. grew abundantly here.

In 2023, the moths of Catarhoe narynensis , sp. nov. were observed during the final ten-day period of April and the beginning of May. In 2024, in the Dungereme River valley during the second ten-day period of April this species was not observed, possibly, because it was too early for the moths to emergence.

Etymology. The name narynensis is derived from the location where a new species was discovered—Naryn River valley.