An overview of the Romanian Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) summarizing the current knowledge in an updated and annotated checklist

Abstract

This study of the Romanian Gelechiidae fauna deals with 317 species placed in 80 genera arranged in two different lists. The main list comprises 293 species in 78 genera currently accepted for the Romanian fauna, including 286 named and 7 other so far unidentified and probably undescribed species. 269 species (almost 92 %) were identified from examined material, the other 24 are derived from the literature. 30 species are recorded for the first time for the Romanian fauna: Aproaerema cinctelloides (Nel & Varenne, 2012), A. suecicella (Wolff, 1958), A. semicostella (Staudinger, 1871), Dactylotula kinkerella (Snellen, 1876), Bryotropha patockai Elsner & Karsholt, 2003, Aristotelia decoratella (Staudinger, 1879), Psamathocrita argentella Pierce & Metcalfe, 1942, Ptocheuusa paupella (Zeller, 1847), Metzneria diffusella Englert, 1974, Monochroa tekovella Kosorín, 2020, Athrips aquila Junnilainen, 2010, Chionodes ignorantella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854), Gelechia senticetella (Staudinger, 1859), G. dujardini Huemer, 1991, Scrobipalpa acuta Povolný, 2001, S. selectella (Caradja, 1920), S. gallicella (Constant, 1885), S. nitentella (Fuchs, 1902), S. monochromella (Constant, 1895), S. thymelaeae (Amsel, 1939), Scrobipalpula tussilaginis (Stainton, 1867), Ephysteris deserticolella (Staudinger, 1871), Lutilabria lutilabrella (Mann, 1857), Caryocolum amaurella (Hering, 1924), C. petryi (Hofmann, 1899), C. pullatella (Tengström, 1848), C. blandulella (Tutt, 1887), Teleiopsis laetitiae Schmid, 2011, Xenolechia aethiops (Humphreys & Westwood, 1845) and Stenolechiodes pseudogemmellus Elsner, 1996. There are 6 other new additions, their records were overlooked and not included in the checklists: Apodia martinii Petry, 1911, Monochroa conspersella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854), Ptycerata cryptoxena (Gozmány, 1952), Scrobipalpa salicorniae (Hering, 1889), Lutilabria prolata Junnilainen & Nupponen, 2010 and Agonochaetia terrestrella (Zeller, 1872). Additionally, 78 first records for the different regions of Romania are provided. The previously unknown females of Aproaerema incognitana (Gozmány, 1957) and A. semicostella (Staudinger, 1871) are described. A misinterpretation is shown in the literature concerning Bryotropha azovica Bidzilya, 1996. This species is currently known only from Ukraine (type locality) and Romania, all other records of B. azovica sensu Karsholt & Rutten, 2005 from Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia are based on misidentifications and represent a different, as yet unnamed, species. An annotation is given for all listed taxa summarizing the current knowledge: the general distribution, the first Romanian record, the regional distribution and a concise enumeration of recent collecting sites based on both material examined and literature. Detailed data are given only for the first Romanian records or those of the regions of the country, and in the case of a few rarely recorded species. The habitats and collecting methods are mentioned, but concise data referring to the biology are only exceptionally given. The 23 species for which no material could be found for examination are treated as in need of confirmation. In a second list are treated 24 species and 2 genera mentioned earlier from Romania, but currently deleted from the checklist, out of this 8 species and 1 genus are now deleted: Aproaerema larseniella (Gozmány, 1957), Helcystogramma albinervis (Gerasimov, 1929), the genus Pectinophora Busck, 1917 including P. gossypiella (Saunders, 1844), Bryotropha plebejella (Zeller, 1847), Ptycerata furfurella (Staudinger, 1871), Oxypteryx nigritella (Zeller, 1847), Chionodes nebulosella (Heinemann, 1870) and Scrobipalpa salinella (Zeller, 1847). Replacing the Gelechiidae in the latest Romanian checklist (Rákosy & Goia 2021) with this list is recommanded