Gelechiaomelkoi sp. nov. – a new species from the Russian Altai Mountains related to the Nearctic Gelechiamandella Busck, 1904 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), with a synopsis of Gelechia from the Altai Republic of Russia

Abstract Gelechiaomelkoi sp. nov. is described from the Ukok plateau and South Chuisky ridge in the Altai Mountains of Russia. The adult of the new species, including its male genitalia, is illustrated and compared with species most similar in morphology and DNA barcodes—G.sororculella (Hübner, 1817) and G.jakovlevi Krulikovsky, 1905 from the Palaearctic region, as well as G.mandella Busck, 1904 from Canada. This last species is redescribed based on adult specimens, including the genitalia of both sexes, and a lectotype is designated. Gelechiasirotina Omelko, 1986 is recorded from the Altai Republic for the first time. An updated list of six species of Gelechia from the Altai Mountains of Russia is given. Dorsal habitus photographs of all species are provided. The male genitalia of the lectotype of G.jakovlevi is illustrated for the first time.


Introduction
Male and female genitalia were dissected and prepared using standard methods for Gelechiidae (Landry 2007;Huemer and Karsholt 2010). Slide-mounted genitalia were prepared and photographed as described by Landry et al. (2013) and Bidzilya et al. (2020).
The descriptive terminology largely follows Huemer and Karsholt (1999), except cucullus instead of valva and phallus instead of aedeagus.

DNA Barcoding
A tissue sample from a specimen of Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov. was successfully processed at the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CBG, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph) (deWaard et al. 2008), resulting in a 658 base-pair full DNA barcode segment of the mitochondrial COI gene (cytochrome c oxidase 1). Complementary public sequences of G. mandella (n=13), G. sororculella (n=17) and G. rhombella (n=10) from BOLD systems v. 4.0. (http://www.boldsystems.org; Ratnasingham and Hebert 2007) were used for analysis ( Table 1). Degrees of intra-and interspecific variation of DNA barcode fragments were calculated under the Kimura 2-parameter model of nucleotide substitution using the analytical tools of BOLD. A neighbor-joining tree of DNA barcode data of selected taxa (Table 1) was constructed using MEGA 6 (Tamura et al. 2013) under the Kimura 2 parameter model for nucleotide substitutions.

Diagnosis.
The new species differs externally from most other Palaearctic species of Gelechia by the uniformly blackish-grey forewing without markings. Gelechia mandella and G. sororculella are similarly dark but without glossy forewings and with at least some indication of paler markings. The male genitalia are similar to those of G. mandella, G. sororculella and G. jakovlevi. The differences among these taxa are summarized in Table 2. Description. Adult (Figs 2,15,16). Forewing length 6.5-7.2 mm (mean = 6.7, n=10). Wingspan 13.8-15.0 mm. (mean = 14.4, n=10). Head, thorax and tegulae black, with rare grey-tipped scales on frons, labial palpus black mixed with white, underside of palpomere 2 with brush of long scales separated by medial gap, white on the inner side, scape black, flagellomeres black, ringed with grey, densely ciliated beneath, forewing overall matt, covered with grey brown-or grey-tipped scales, without markings, fringe grey, brown-tipped; hindwing grey, veins mottled with brown.
Female genitalia. Unknown. Biology. Part of the type series, including the holotype, was collected by netting during early sunrise around dwarf willows (Salix glauca and others) at altitudes from 2200 to 2500 m. It is highly likely that one of these Salix species is a host plant for the larvae, and that the new species is restricted in its distribution to mountain areas where its possible host plant occurs. Other specimens were attracted to light in the . Gelechia sororculella is also known from neighboring territories of Altai, but was observed in river valleys (Chuya, Chagan). This species is associated with several species of Salix (Huemer and Karsholt 1999), but not with the dwarf willows presumed to be the host for G. omelkoi sp. nov. Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:ADD9926 (n=1). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, the North American G. mandella, is 2.88%, whereas it is 5.94% distant from the nearest Palaearctic G. sororculella (Fig. 1).
Distribution. Russia: Altai Republic, Ukok plateau and South Chuisky ridge. Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Mikhail M. Omelko (Federal Scientific Center of East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia), in recognition of his contribution to the study of Gelechiidae, and the genus Gelechia in particular. The species name is a noun in the genitive case. Busck, 1904 Figs 3-5, 8, 9, 12, 13 Gelechia mandella Busck, 1904 Diagnosis. Gelechia mandella is a blackish-grey, medium-sized species with a black streak interrupted by diffuse white spots in the middle of the forewing, a black streak in fold and a diffuse white subapical fascia. The wing pattern resembles that of the Holarctic species Gelechia sabinellus (Zeller, 1839), but it is darker and predominantly black rather than grey. Additionally, G. sabinellus has strikingly differently coloured scales on the labial palps. The Palaearctic G. sororculella looks nearly indistinguishable externally (Fig. 19).
Female genitalia (Figs 13, 13A, 13B). Papillae anales elongate, subovate, with straight anterior margin; apophyses posteriores three times as long as segment VIII, apophyses anteriores reduced to melanized bands fused to lateral wall of sternum VIII; sternum VIII three times longer than broad, with narrow, sclerotized lateral rods, wrinkled along medial membranous zone, with strongly sclerotized short anterolateral drop-shaped processes confluent with apices of apophyses anteriores; subgenital plate small, band-shaped, with short, pointed anterior protrusions near anterior margin of sternum VIII; ostium rounded, with distinct posterolateral edging connected anteriorly with base of apophyses anteriores; antrum cylindrical, colliculum short, trapezoid, laterally sclerotized; ductus bursae very short, broadened into corpus bursae, with indistinct transition, corpus bursae as long as and slightly wider than adjacent part of ductus bursae, signum plate subovate, with serrate margins and broad transverse medial groove.
Biology. Adults have been collected from late June to early August in Alberta and in late July in Yukon. Two specimens from Nordegg, Alberta were reared from an unspecified willow.
Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:AAG0039. The intraspecific average distance of the barcode region is 0.14% (n=13, data from BOLD). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, the Palaearctic G. omelkoi sp. nov., is 2.88% (Fig. 1).
Distribution. Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon (new record), Northwest Territories (new record). Two alleged records from Montana, USA in SCAN (2021) are represented by photographs taken on 14-15 May 2018 near the town of Missoula in the mountainous western part of the state. Although the superficial appearance of the moths on the photos makes it possible that this be G. mandella, their identity remains unverified. The same website also shows two Northwest Territories records, which are actually sourced from two BOLD public records analyzed here (BIOUG23265-E04 and BIOUG23126-F09 deposited in CBG; see Table 1). The record from Quebec in Pohl et al. (2018) was based on a female specimen in CNC from Forestville (specimen # CNCLEP00100429), which has since been barcoded and belongs to a different BIN (BOLD:AAH6283). It is here excluded and likely represents a different species.
Remarks. Busck (1904) described Gelechia mandella from an unspecified number of specimens, as indicated by a size range accompanying the original description. There is a series of specimens of G. mandella identified by Busck in the collection of USNM. We assume four of them, with red type labels, are from Busck's original series. None of these syntypes has a locality label, only a Dyar field number, which corresponds with Kaslo, British Columbia (Canada). This series comprises two females collected 15.08.1903 (USNM slide #6773 (genitalia), USNMENT01480487 and USNM slide #6779 (wings), USNMENT01480485); one specimen without an abdomen, collected 13.08.1903 (USNMENT01480486); and one dissected male collected 5.08.1903. This last specimen, labelled "type No. 7859, U.S.N.M", "Genitalia Slide 6775, by AB, ♂, USNM", "Gelechia mandella Busck, Type" (USNMENT00835335) was incorrectly published as the "holotype" by Brown et al. (2004). Photographs of the specimen, its labels, and the genitalia are available online (https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/ento/?ark=ark:/65 665/38eb1f15df800489fac64727ff945379c). At one time, the USNMENT00835335 specimen was labelled with "Mesilla, NM [New Mexico]." This was likely due to a mixup when labels were removed from the pins to be photographed and the Mesilla label belongs to another type, possibly Gelechia malindella Busck, 1910 [a junior synonym of Friseria cockerelli (Busck, 1903)]. The label error for the USNMENT00835335 specimen is now corrected. Here, we designate the USNMENT00835335 specimen among the likely syntypes as lectotype of G. mandella, to stabilize nomenclature.
The CNC series from Nordegg, Alberta collected in 1921 was identified as G. mandella by Annette Braun. Despite the difficulty to interpret some characters of the male genitalia from the photo of the lectotype slide of G. mandella, visible features match those of the barcoded specimens. Taking also into consideration the similarity in external appearance, we are confident that specimens from Yukon and Alberta represent G. mandella.

Discussion
The genus Gelechia is represented by 22 species in Europe, and the European fauna was revised and studied in detail by Huemer and Karsholt (1999). In North America, 40 valid species are recognized, but the genus has never been the object of any revision and several names remain of uncertain identity (Lee et al. 2009). In Russia, the genus was revised for the Far East (Omelko 1986), and the data on the distribution of 24 species throughout the country were summarized (Ponomarenko 2019). Until recently, 10 species were recorded from Siberia, including the rather unexpected finding of Gelechia repetitrix Meyrick, 1931 from the Omsk region (Ponomarenko and Knyazev 2020). Currently, six species of Gelechia are known from the Altai, but records of additional species (e.g., G. turpella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) are expected. Below, we provide a list of Gelechia species known from the Altai Republic of Russia, with updated information on their distribution and corresponding references.
Remarks. Gelechia jakovlevi mongoliae was described based on a female from Songino, western Mongolia. The status of this taxon needs clarification after examination of a male, which is unknown to us.  (Piskunov 1990). Distribution. Belarus; Tajikistan (Piskunov 1989); Russia: Altai (new record), Tuva, Zabaikalskiy krai, Primorskiy krai (Ponomarenko 2019). assistance during field work. We are thankful to Sangmi Lee and Ole Karsholt for valuable comments on the manuscript. Our special thanks to Mark A. Metz (Systematic Entomology Laboratory-USDA) for clarifying the status of the primary types of G. mandella, providing information on and images of the Busck material, and editorial suggestions concerning the manuscript.