Description of Eretmocera hafeetensis sp. nov. from UAE (Lepidoptera, Scythrididae)

By

Roberts, Huw
Bengtsson, Bengt Å. (Bengt Åke), 1942-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-8-11

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

46

Pages

135--144

Subjects

Arabia , Biodiversity , Emirates , Hafit , Insect , moth , taxon , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/nl.46.106936

 

Abstract

Eretmocera hafeetensissp. nov., a moth in the family Scythrididae, is described and illustrated based on the examination of three male and 13 female specimens collected at the foot of Jebel Hafeet, an isolated 1,140 metres-high massif just south of Al Ain, after which the new species is named. The new species is distinct from congeners in details of its male and female genitalia and is also readily separated in the field from other Eretmocera species. The new addition brings the number of confirmed species in this genus represented in the UAE to three. The discovery of this species at Ain Al Waal, Jebel Hafeet highlights the conservation importance of this and similar nearby locations, which are beginning to reveal unique species among its already species-rich fauna at a time of huge human encroachment into the area.