Micropterix aglaella
Taxonavigation
edit| Taxonavigation: Micropterigoidea |
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Superregnum: Eukaryota |
Familia: Micropterigidae
Genus: Micropterix
Species: Micropterix aglaella
Name
editMicropterix aglaella (Duponchel, 1840)
Type locality: Central and Southern France (including "Fonscolombe", north of Aix-en-Provence).
Typus : Syntype in coll. MNHN (Minet in litt.).
Synonyms
edit- Adela aglaella Duponchel, 1840: 627: According to Minet (in litt.) the year of description has to be corrected to 1840 (all types are labelled as Micropterix aglaella Duponchel, 1840 instead of 1838). Original combination.
Habit
editDescription of adults: Examined: 5 ♂, 12 ♀. Forewing length: ♂ 3,3 - 3,6 mm; ♀ 3,5 - 4,3 mm. Head black brown, vestiture of hair-like scales on the head white to rusty yellow; antennae dark brown, golden shining with a purple tinge, nearly 4/5 (♂), respectively, nearly 3/5 (♀) of forewing length. thorax bronzy golden, posteriorly reddish to purple, tegulae coppery to purple violet; ground colour of forewing reddish golden to purple violet, distal half sometimes purplish brown, outer margin sometimes reddish golden again, apex rarely also of this colour; a bronzy golden colouration from the base to 1/4, leaving a purple violet basal spot at costa; markings light golden to golden, delicately bordered in bronzy gold: a broad fascia at 1/2, slightly bent outwards, extending across the whole width of the forewing; sometimes a small costal spot at 3/5 (found in 7 of 17 specimens); a larger, almost round to slightly oval spot at 3/4, extending from costa across more than half of, sometimes even across the whole forewing width (in the latter case the posterior part of this fascia is bronzy golden); fringe golden, basally purple coloured, outwards whitish; hindwing bronzy golden, with an intense purple tinge; fringe bronzy golden, outwards whitish; legs and abdomen brown, golden shining.
Distribution:
editAccording to Heath (1996) and Karsholt (2004) this species occurs in Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The records from Portugal (Heath 1996; Karsholt 2004) seem to be doubtful (Corley 2007). To our present knowledge, M. aglaella is distributed in southern France, western Switzerland, south-western Germany, the southern Alps (eastwards as far as Mt. Baldo, Italy), as well as in the Pyrenees (Zeller et al. 2007). The vertical distribution of the species reaches from near sea level up to at least 1600 m a.s.l. (Kurz et al. 2009).
Biology:
editWe have no modern information so are unable to confirm Duponchel’s (1840: 628) records of his species from flowers of "troëne" (=Ligustrum vulgare), "sureau" (=Sambucus) and "cornouiller sanguin" (=Cornus sanguinea). Ruedi Bryner however (see Kurz et al. 2009), has found M. aglaella on blossoms of Dactylis glomerata and Rubus (Rubus) sect. Rubus. The flight period of the imagines reaches from the end of may (one record only) to July (Kurz et al. 2009).
Stages in development:
editThe early stages are unknown.
Anatomy:
edit♂ Genitalia. Uncus moderately long, stout, with a broad, rounded tip; beyond the uncus a weak structure of hair-like setae; between uncus and accessory claspers, situated at the anterior margin of the tegumen, there are weakly sclerotized, elongated, spatulate-like lobes, somewhat variable in length; these lobes with very long hair-like setae at their ends, as well as on a small appendix at their lower margin; accessory claspers spoon-like, with a row of nearly 13 moderately long to long, mostly sickle-shaped thickened setae; near the dorsal margin anteriorly two shorter, straight spinoid setae and basally a row of about 6 strongly modified, very broad T-shaped thickened setae; valvae moderately long, stout, strongly constricted medially; at their inner margin basally a very long and a shorter seta, on the distal part a group of very short to rather long spinoid setae, clustered proximally towards the constriction; a row of short spinoid setae along the rounded anterior margin. ♀ Genitalia. Tergite IX missing, only indicated by a group of setae; sternite IX strongly reduced, weakly sclerotized, constricted medially. Terminal papillae consisting of two somewhat weakly sclerotized plates forming a band; receptaculum seminis more or less short and stout, the second half like a sac, with typical striation; vestibulum a large sac, without any special characters.
Diagnosis:
editM. aglaella can be confused with Micropterix paykullella (Fabricius, 1794), but in most cases it can be recognized by its less intense purple colouration. In contrast to M. paykullella and Micropterix aureoviridella (Höfner, 1898), the golden inner margin of M. aglaella does not reach the fascia in the middle (the border of the bronzy golden inner part of the wing and the fascia in the middle are often nearly parallel). In many cases, the outer spot at 3/4 extends across the entire width of the forewing. M. aglaella can also be separated from M. aureoviridella by the normally more acute shape of its markings, the darker purple colouration and by its consistently bronzy golden forewing base. The male genitalia resemble somewhat those of Micropterix aureatella (Scopoli, 1763), but can be easily distinguished. Also, the female genitalia can be recognized quite well. In particular, the degree of sclerotization of sternite IX and of the terminal papillae of M. aglaella is distinctly weaker than that of M. paykullella. The receptaculum seminis seems to be shorter and stouter, but these differences are too minor to be useful.
Phylogeny: In the male genitalia, M. aglaella has distinct lobes with long, hair-like setae on the posterior margin of the tegumen, between uncus and accessory claspers. Additonally, the valves are relatively short and stout. Thus the species is assumed tentatively to be a relative of Micropterix aureatella, Micropterix sikhotealinensis Ponomarenko & Beljaev, 2000, Micropterix herminiella Corley, 2007 and Micropterix wockei Staudinger, 1870.
References
edit- Corley, M. F. V. 2007. A brief review of the Micropterigidae of Portugal, with description of a new species of Micropterix Hübner. – Nota lepidopterologica 30 (1): 71–78.
- Duponchel, P.–A. J. [1838–1840]. Nocturnes, 8. – In: J.-B. Godart, Histoire Naturelle des Lépidoptères ou Papillons de France 11. – Paris, Méquignon-Marvis. 720 pp., pls 287–314.
- Heath, J. 1996. Family Micropterigidae – In: O. Karsholt & J. Razowski (eds), The Lepidoptera of Europa. A distributional checklist. – Apollo-Books, Stenstrup.
- Karsholt, O. 2004. Families Acanthopteroctetidae, Axiidae, Castniidae, Cossidae, Drepanidae, Eriocottidae, Eriocraniidae, Gelechiidae, Heterogynidae, Limacodidae, Lypusidae, Micropterigidae, Roeslerstammiidae, Somabrachyidae, Uraniidae. In: Karsholt, O. & E. J. van Nieukerken (eds.). Lepidoptera, Moths. – Fauna Europaea version 1.1, https://web.archive.org/web/20170602005826/http://www.faunaeur.org/ [online 16 December 2004].
- Kurz, M. A., M. E. Kurz & H. C. Zeller-Lukashort 2000–2009. Naturkundliches Informationssystem. – URL: http://www.nkis.info [visited on May 14, 2009].
- Zeller-Lukashort, H.C. , M.E. Kurz ; D.C. Lees & M.A. Kurz 2007: A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae). Nota Lepidopterologica 30 (2): 235–298. Full article: [1].