Pseudophlepsius abdykulovi, Tishechkin, 2025

Pseudophlepsius abdykulovi sp. nov.

Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 , 10–13, 23–27, 44–53, 63–66, 71–72, 78–80, 89–98

Phlepsopsius liupanshanensis Li, 2011: 172–173 View in CoL (unavailable name; Dmitriev et al., 2024)

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, northern Kyrgyzstan, 5 km west of Balykchi , N 42.460, E 76.068, Halimodendron halodendron in semi-desert, 18. VII. 2023, D. Tishechkin, calling signals recorded at 30–31 oC GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 12 ♂, 14 ♀, same data, calling signals of GoogleMaps 6 ♂ recorded at 30–31 oC; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, northern Kyrgyzstan, south-western shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake , the Turasuu River gorge 13 km upstream from Kara-Talaa Village, N 42.221, E 76.327, Caragana sp. , 18. VII GoogleMaps . 2023, D. Tishechkin, calling signals of 2 ♂ recorded at 30 oC; 1 ♂, northern Kyrgyzstan, southern shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake , environs of Kadzhi-Sai Village, Caragana sp. , 8. VII . 2013, D. Tishechkin; 2 ♂, northern Kyrgyzstan, ca 20 km south of Kara-Balty , environs of Sosnovka Village, Glycyrrhiza uralensis , 14. VII . 2023, D. Tishechkin; 5 ♂, northern Kyrgyzstan, ca 20 km south-southwest of Kara-Balty , environs of Erkin-Sai Village, G. uralensis , 17. VII . 2023, D. Tishechkin; 6 ♂, northern Kyrgyzstan, ca 20 km south-west of Kara-Balty , environs of Telman Village, G. uralensis , 25. VII . 2023, D. Tishechkin; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, southeastern Kazakhstan, the Lower Ili River Valley , environs of Topar Village, Glycyrrhiza sp. , N 44.995, E 75.013, 18. VI GoogleMaps . 2024, D. Tishechkin, calling signals of 2 ♂ recorded at 29 oC; 3 ♂, southeastern Kazakhstan, the bank of the Ili River , environs of Akzhar Village, Glycyrrhiza sp. , N 44.960, E 75.787, 20. VI GoogleMaps . 2024, D. Tishechkin, calling signals of 3 ♂ recorded at 32 oC; 5 ♂, 2 ♀, southeastern Kazakhstan, ca 35 km southwest of Chundzha (= Shinzha) Town, the bank of the Temirlik River, Caragana sp. , N 43.280, E 79.206, 15. VI GoogleMaps . 2022, D. Tishechkin, calling signals of 5 ♂ recorded at 26–28 oC; 1 ♀, same locality and host, 27. VI GoogleMaps . 2024, D. Tishechkin. The type series is deposited in ZMMU .

Description. Externally indistinguishable from the other two species of Pseudophlepsius (Figs 10–13). Pale yellowish or brownish with whitish forewings. Head, pro-, and mesonotum with dense dark speckles partially merging with each other; head also with two larger spots on fore margin on both sides of midline. Forewings with fine mesh pattern. Both the background color and the shade of the dark pattern can vary within a population, so darker and lighter individuals are often found in the same sample (Figs 12–13).

Abdominal apodemes of the 2 nd tergite in male wide triangular (Figs 23–27). Aedeagus U-shaped, stems with denticles in distal halves on ventral side and with comparatively narrow rounded apices in dorsal view (Figs 44–53). Basal processes of aedeagus curved inwards, with hook-like tips. Styles with long narrow tips evenly bent outward and slightly widened at ends ( Figs 63–66 View FIGURES 54–80 ). Valve large, with broadly rounded hind margin. Pygofer lobes with rather narrow, rounded apices and pointed, almost straight, directed slightly dorsally ventral processes. Subgenital plates with numerous thin setae but without macrosetae, with elongated narrow tips, tapering smoothly towards ends ( Figs 71–72 View FIGURES 54–80 ).

2 nd valvulae of ovipositor with 14–16 strongly convex teeth ( Figs 78–80 View FIGURES 54–80 ).

Body length: ♂, 4.6–5.4 mm; ♀ (to the ends of forewings or ovipositor if extends beyond forewings), 6.0–7.6 mm.

Diagnosis. Differs from P. septentrionalis by narrower apices of the aedeagus stems and by longer tips of subgenital plates. Indistinguishable from P. binotatus in the shape of the male genitalia, but differs from it in having more convex teeth on 2 nd valvulae of ovipositor (cf. Figs 73–76 and 78–80 View FIGURES 54–80 ).

Hosts. Was collected from Glycyrrhiza sp. in the lower Ili valley (near the southwestern shore of the Balkhash Lake, Kazakhstan), from Caragana sp. in southeastern Kazakhstan and in Kyrgyzstan on the southern shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake, from Halimodendron halodendron in Kyrgyzstan west of the Issyk-Kul Lake, and from G. uralensis in the northern foothills of the Kyrgyz Alatau (Northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan) ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). In Mongolia, Emelyanov (1977) collected specimens, most likely belonging to this species, from H. halodendron , Glycyrrhiza sp. , and Hedysarum mongolicum .

Calling signal. Typically, the male calling signal is a syllable lasting for 0.5–2.0 s ( Figs 89–91 View FIGURES 81–98 ). Syllables follow each other with irregular gaps from 1–2 up to 6–7 s and more. Each syllable consists of 4–12 discrete pulses; the initial pulse is somewhat longer than the subsequent ones and is separated from them by a longer gap ( Figs 93–98 View FIGURES 81–98 ). Usually, on oscillograms at high speed, low-amplitude vibrations are discernible between high-amplitude pulses ( Figs 93–96 View FIGURES 81–98 ). Sometimes a prolonged succession of additional shorter syllables consisting of two or three pulses each follows the main syllable ( Fig. 92 View FIGURES 81–98 ); such a more complex signal can be classified as a phrase.

Distribution. Southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and, apparently, Mongolia ( Emelyanov, 1977). Formally undescribed taxon, P. liupanshanensis , cannot belong to P. binotatus , since Alhagi spp. does not grow in the Ningxia Province, China, where it was collected. On the other hand, several species of Caragana and two species of Glycyrrhiza including G. uralensis , i. e. hosts of P. abdykulovi sp. nov., were recorded in Ningxia ( Xu et al., 2010). Thus, it can be assumed that P. abdykulovi sp. nov. occurs also in northern China.

Etymology. The species is named after my friend Asek Abdykulov (Kara-Balty, Kyrgyzstan), without whose help and support my many years of research in Central Asia would not have been possible.