Revision of the West-Mediterranean geometrid genus Ekboarmia, with description of a new species from Portugal (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae)

Abstract

The West-Mediterranean geometrid moth genus Ekboarmia Wehrli, 1943 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Ennominae) is revised based on morphology, life history, and DNA barcodes. It was found that wing patterns allow reliable identification of species, whereas the genitalia are rather uniform in shape and less informative, and the genetic divergence (in the COI gene) between species is considerably lower than in the Geometridae on average, ranging 1.5–3.9%. Four species are considered as valid: E. atlanticaria (Staudinger, 1859), with one putative subspecies in North Africa, E. fascinataria (Staudinger, 1900), E. sagnesi Dufay, 1979, and E. miniaria sp. n. from Portugal. Boarmia atlanticaria gracilis Albers & Warnecke, 1941 is downgraded to junior synonym of Boarmia (?) atlanticaria atlanticaria Staudinger, 1859, syn. n. E. fascinataria is removed from the European checklist due to lack of confirmed records. Larvae, where information exists, are external feeders on Juniperus needles (Cupressaceae), and adults are nocturnal, inhabiting various habitats up to 1400 metres above sea level, having apparently at least two generations per year. Adults, male and female genitalia, distribution map, and diagnostic characters are illustrated for all species. Larva and pupa of E. atlanticaria and larva of E. sagnesi are illustrated, and results of DNA barcode analysis are presented for most taxa studied.

Keywords

• Distribution
• new species
• Portugal
• DNA barcoding