Pleurota amaurodoxa Meyrick, 1935

Pleurota amaurodoxa Meyrick, 1935 View in CoL ( Figures 2-3 View Figures 1-8 , 28-29, 42, 51)

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:AED0185

Pleurota amaurodoxa Meyrick, 1935 . Exotic Microlep., 4 (18-19), 593

Type locality: SPAIN: Burgos, Estepar. Lectotype ♂, designated by Vives Moreno (2014) ( NHMUK; examined from photographs) .

Material studied: SPAIN, Castilla y León, BURGOS, 8 km SE, 42.28170 -3.64025, 980 m, 4 ♂ (GP 6124 J. Tabell; DNA sample 26327 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample 26329 Lepid Phyl), GoogleMaps 1 ♀ (GP 6349 J. Tabell, DNA sample 26328 Lepid Phyl), 4-VII-2019, J. Tabell leg .; same collecting data, 1 ♂, but 5- VII-2019 (coll. TAB) .

Diagnosis: P. amaurodoxa is a small species which externally resembles the Spanish species P. hebetella and P. pyrenaella sp. nov. The male genitalia can be distinguished by shorter uncus and posterior lobe of juxta, and broader valval lobe. The female genitalia are similar to those of P. pyrenaella , but both apophyses are longer, the posterior signa are markedly longer, and the spines of anterior signum are longer. The female of P. hebetella is unknown.

Molecular diagnosis: Three specimens of P. amaurodoxa were sequenced, resulting in 655, 654 and 651 bp DNA barcodes. The nearest neighbour to P. amaurodoxa is P. hebetella , with a 3.13 % divergence. The barcodes of P. amaurodoxa exhibit no intraspecific variation.

Description: Adult. Wingspan 12-15.5 mm. Labial palpus mixed with off-white, brown and blackish brown scales, ventrally darker, about 5x as long as diameter of eye (1 st and 2 nd palpomeres), 3 rd palpomere 0.3x length of 1 st and 2 nd palpomeres. Antenna brown, mixed with off-white scales, 0.85x length of forewing. Frontal tuft and neck brown, mixed with off-white, tegula and thorax ochre, mixed with off-white. Forewing narrow, covered by pale ochre, ochre-tipped and brown scales, without longitudinal lines and dark spots, except for a narrow off-white costal line from base to 2 / 3. Cilia brownish grey. Hindwing and cilia dark brownish grey. Abdomen slightly lustrous, dark brownish grey, each segment with a transverse row of ochre scales.

Male genitalia: Uncus thimble-shaped from ventral view, elongate, lined with several bristles of different length, distal margin concave. Gnathos 1.75x as long as uncus, funnel-shaped from ventral view, tapered towards apex, with a shallow, long longitudinal median crest, medially surfaced by small nodules. Valva elongate, upwards oblique, thimble-shaped, ventral margin evenly curved. Anterior extension of juxta straight, well sclerotized; median part rounded; posterior lobe not reaching apex of uncus, apex with a small tooth; valval lobe club-shaped, moderately broad, apex evenly rounded, lined with several bristles. Phallus curved, parallel-sided, moderately narrow, with a narrow chain of small spines.

Female genitalia: Papilla analis ovoid, narrow, covered with bristles of different length. Apophyses long; posterior apophysis 6x as long as papilla analis and 1.05x as long as anterior apophysis, which is 2.4x as long as segment 8. Segment 8 longitudinally elongated, rectangular, membranous, quadrate, distally sparsely covered with bristles, dorsolaterally reinforced by sclerotized band; branch of anterior apophysis apically fused, U-shaped; ventral longitudinal sclerotization narrow, shorter than segment 8. Antrum tubular, parallel-sided, anterior half sclerotized, colliculum short. Ductus bursae slightly expanded towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae ovoid; anterior signum strongly arched, broad, protuberances long, thornlike; two leaf-shaped posterior signa with thornlike protuberance and strongly elongated base.

Biology: Unknown. The specimens collected by the first author were netted around Genista sp.

Distribution. Known only from northern Spain, near Burgos.

Remarks: The species description by Meyrick was based on three specimens collected from Estepar, Burgos, in northern Spain. According to Vives Moreno (2014) the type series embraces three different species: P. pyropella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (= P. iberica ?), P. ericella (Duponchel, 1839) and P. amaurodoxa . The last specimen was selected as a lectotype by Vives Moreno (2014).