A New Species of the Geometrid Moth Genus Earophila (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from the territory of Altai

摘要

A new species, Earophila kolomietsi sp. п., and its differences from E. badiata (Den. et Schiff.) and E. correlata (Warr.) are described. The distribution of these species over the Asian part of the former USSR is considered. All species belonging tothe genus Earophila Gumppenberg, 1887 have a rather similar pattern of wings and nearly the same structure of the genital apparatus, which complicates their identification. Until recently, many researchers (Staudinger and Rebel, 1901; Krulikovsky, 1911;Prout, 1914; Viidalepp, 1977, 1988; etc.) have believed that the only species belonging to this genus, E. badiata ([Denis et Schif-fermuller], 1775), occurs in Siberia. Only in the last years Viidalepp (1996) hypothesized the occurrence of another species, E. correlata (Warren, 1901) described from the Japanese Islands, in the southern part of Pri-morskii Territory. Unfortunately, the genital characters of these species remain unexamined in detail and no characters that can be used to distinguish between them have been revealed. Therefore, it is difficult to outline their distribution ranges in the territory of Siberia. The available material gives the opportunity both to analyze in detail differences between these taxa and to describe a taxon new toscience. The types of the new species are deposited at the Siberian Zoological Museum, Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). The information about the species described is available on web sites of the Siberian Zoological Museum.