Research Article |
Corresponding author: Richard Mally ( richardmally@web.de ) Academic editor: Bernard Landry
© 2016 Richard Mally, Andreas H. Segerer, Matthias Nuss.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Mally R, Segerer AH, Nuss M (2016) Udea ruckdescheli sp. n. from Crete and its phylogenetic relationships (Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Spilomelinae). Nota Lepidopterologica 39(2): 123-135. https://doi.org/10.3897/nl.39.9090
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DNA barcode data reveal a distinct group of Udea specimens collected on Crete and previously misidentified as Udea fulvalis (Hübner, 1809) and U. languidalis ab. veneralis (Staudinger, 1870). Morphological examination of the specimens corroborates their status as a distinct species which is described as Udea ruckdescheli sp. n. Images of the adults and the genitalia of both sexes, as well as the DNA barcode sequences are presented. A phylogenetic analysis using molecular (COI, wingless) and morphological data indicates that the new species belongs to the Udea numeralis (Hübner, 1796) species group and is sister to the Udea fimbriatralis (Duponchel, 1833) species complex.
Udea Guenée (in Duponchel), 1845 is the most species-rich genus of Spilomelinae, comprising 214 described species (
With 38 species occurring in Europe, Udea constitutes almost 40 percent of the European Spilomelinae diversity (
Taxonomic and systematic research in Udea is impeded by the morphological homogeneity of the species: the uniform wing pattern between closely related species differs only slightly in colouration and maculation, and genitalia of both sexes provide only minor structural differences (
Combining morphological and molecular data in taxonomic studies not only increases the amount of information, but also allows for a comparison of the outcome of the different data sets against each other (
DNA barcodes were either obtained via sending a leg per specimen to the Barcode of Life Facilities in Guelph, Canada, or via DNA extraction and amplification from the abdomen according to the procedure of
Dissection of genitalia was performed according to
The Bayesian inference of the combined molecular and morphological data was conducted using MrBayes 3.2.5 (
Molecular data used in this study. GenSeq nomenclature after
Origin | Collection | DNA collection number | COI GenBank/ EBI access number; BOLD Barcode number | Wingless GenBank/ EBI access number | GenSeq nomencl. |
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Greece, Crete, Lasithi, near Moni Kapsa monastery, Perivolakia gorge, 35.021555°N, 26.050902°E, 10 m |
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KX422253; BC |
– | genseq-1 |
Greece, Crete, Rethymnon, Ano Saktouria, 35.121994°N, 24.614528°E, 400 m |
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KX422252; BC |
– | genseq-2 |
Greece, Crete, Lasithi, near Moni Kapsa monastery, Perivolakia gorge, 35.021555°N 26.050902°E, 10 m |
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LT595884 | – | genseq-2 |
Greece, Crete, Chania Province, Imbros, 35.220867°N, 24.161978°E, 570 m |
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LT595885 | LT595888 | genseq-2 |
Greece, Crete, Chania Province, Imbros, 35.220867°N, 24.161978°E, 570 m |
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LT595886 | LT595889 | genseq-2 |
Greece, Crete, Chania Province, Imbros, 35.220867°N, 24.161978°E, 570 m |
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LT595887 | LT595890 | genseq-2 |
The data were divided into three partitions: COI (1459 bp), wingless (363 bp) and the morphological data (23 characters). We applied the GTR+G model for the gene partitions and the Mk model (
BC Barcode
bp base pairs
COI cytochrome oxidase subunit I
DNA desoxyribonucleic acid
EBI European Bioinformatics Institute, Saffron Walden, Great Britain
PCR polymerase chain reaction
prep. preparation
ZMHB
The analysis of DNA Barcodes of Udea specimens from Crete resulted in three clusters: U. ferrugalis, U. numeralis and one unknown cluster. The latter remained unknown when analysing these sequences together with the data set of
Greece, Crete, Lasithi, near Moni Kapsa monastery, Perivolakia gorge, 10 m, 35.021555°N 26.050902°E.
Holotype: ♂ “Perivolakia-Schl. 10m | M.Kapsa, N.Lassithi | KRETA/GRAECIA | (Tagf.T F - Lwd./BL) | leg. W. Ruckdeschel | [transverse, handwritten] 20.5.2000”, [yellow label] “86509:
In wing pattern elements, Udea ruckdescheli is similar to U. accolalis (Zeller, 1867), U. afghanalis (Amsel, 1970), U. ardekanalis Amsel, 1961, U. ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796), U. fimbriatralis, U. fulvalis, U. languidalis (Eversmann, 1842), U. praefulvalis (Amsel, 1970) and U. rubigalis (Guenée, 1854). Udea accolalis, U. ferrugalis and U. rubigalis belong to the Udea ferrugalis species group, whose members differ by features of male and female genitalia (
The other similar species mentioned above belong to the Udea numeralis species group according to the presence of a longitudinal split posteriorly in the sclerotized section of the phallus, an autapomorphic character for this species group (
U. ruckdescheli is different from its sister species U. fimbriatralis and U. languidalis (Fig.
Adult specimens. 1–7. Udea ruckdescheli. 1. Holotype ♂ (
Male genitalia. 11–15. Udea ruckdescheli. 11–12. Holotype, Greece, Crete, N-Lasithi (Mally prep. no. 872;
Female genitalia. 20–21. Udea ruckdescheli. 20. Paratype, Greece, Crete, locality (Mally prep. no. 980;
The DNA barcode (Table
Head: Head greyish to light brown; frons slightly bulged; labial palps porrect, brownish, 1st segment and ventral side of 2nd segment white, 3rd segment in females approximately twice the length compared to males; maxillary palps well developed, with whitish scales; haustellum well developed, with whitish scales on base; eyes large, hemispherical; ocelli present; antennae ciliate, light brown, cilia in males dense and shorter than 1/4 of antennal diameter, ciliation in females shorter than in males; vertex with light brown spatulate scales; chaetosemata absent.
Thorax: Dorsal side light brown; ventral side cream to whitish; forelegs light brown, mid- and hindlegs cream to whitish; tibial spurs on fore-, mid-, hindleg: 0, 2, 4, on hindlegs anterior outer spur minute while inner spur almost reaching base of posterior pair of spurs.
Wings: Forewing ground colour diffuse light brown to orange-brown; diffuse dark brown antemedian line running obliquely distad, after half of length bending and running more or less orthogonally towards dorsum; proximal cellular stigma circular, distal cellular stigma 8-shaped, both stigmata bordered dark brown; postmedian line dark brown, running from costa parallel to termen, at half of length bending proximad, running below distal cellular stigma, then turning in semicircle towards lower end of termen and then half that way approaching dorsum orthogonally; postmedian line distally framed by lighter diffuse band; subterminal band with dark brown spots where it meets with wing veins; fringe dark brown; costa slightly darker than ground colour, with dark spots at ends of costal veins. Hindwings with one frenular bristle in males and two in females, without subcostal retinaculum on forewing, but with basal tuft of filiform scales reaching over the frenular bristle; ground colour brownish-grey, cell with a proximal and a distal brown spot, both often faint; postmedian line brown, clear to diffuse; continuous brown subterminal line with dark spots where it meets with veins; fringe dark brown. Undersides (Fig.
Abdomen: Light brown, underside somewhat lighter.
Male genitalia: (Figs
Female genitalia. (Figs
Unknown.
So far only known from the Greek island of Crete, and potentially endemic. The altitudinal distribution ranges from 10 m to 570 m.
The species is named after Walter Ruckdeschel, the collector of the initial part of the type material.
The morphological investigation of external and genital characters of the adult moths of U. ruckdescheli resulted in the following morphomatrix coding based on the characters proposed by
The phylogenetic analysis of the combined data resulted in the well-supported placement of U. ruckdescheli in the U. numeralis species group, where it is sister to the species pair U. languidalis–U. fimbriatralis (Fig.
Bayesian inference phylogeny of European Udea species including U. ruckdescheli, sp .n. (red clade, numbers correspond to DNA collection numbers in Table
The original specimen of Botys fimbriatalis [sic] ab. veneralis Staudinger, 1870 at ZMBH (Fig.
Udea ruckdescheli was found to co-occur spatially and temporally with its closest look-alike U. fulvalis (leg. L. Aarvik,
We are thankful to Walter Ruckdeschel (Munich and Westerbuchberg) and Leif Aarvik (