Lepidoptera in Europe includes butterflies and moths, with about 11,000 known species and extremely rich research resources. However, the discovery of a new genus and species of moths in the family Geometridae shows that there is still much to learn. The findings were recently published in the journal ZooKeys. The moth, named Mirlatiaarcuata and discovered by a team of researchers from Germany, Austria and the UK, is one of the most striking discoveries of lepidopterans in recent decades.
UFOs from decades ago
In the early 1980s, Austrian amateur entomologist Robert Hentscholek collected three moth specimens in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The specimens were included in his collection or given to colleagues, but were not identified. Decades later, the specimens were sold to another amateur researcher in Austria, Toni Meier, who immediately noticed the unusual insect, which was unlike any known European species and could not even be assigned to a known genus.
To provide more information, we contacted the collector and discovered that one male and one female specimen of the same species had been given to another collector, who had since passed away. In 2015, the female specimen was rediscovered in the collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, while the whereabouts of the other specimen remain unknown. This unique male specimen was eventually handed over to the Federal State Museum of Tyrol by Toni Mayr.
In 2022, a research team was formed to identify this mysterious moth, and finally described it as a new genus and species in early November 2023. It has been named "Mirlatiaarcuata," with Mirlatia being the sum of the stems of two Latin words, roughly translated as "bringing surprise," referring to the surprising discovery of this peculiar new moth.
Adaptation to the cold or an alien species?
Discovering such a large and unique moth species in such a heavily explored area of southern Croatia seems unlikely. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted in the area during the moth's March flight season, according to Peter Huemer, a researcher at the Ferdinandeum in Tyrol who was involved in the study. "Mirlatiaarcuata may be a cold-adapted, winter-active species that needs to be looked for in mid-winter," he said.
The study authors abandoned the hypothesis of introduction from other continents for a number of reasons. Axel Hausmann of the State Zoological Collection in Munich studied all known moths in cold regions of the northern and southern hemispheres, but was unable to find similar species from these regions.
Furthermore, the collection site at Podgora was not close to a port, and during the Yugoslav period, Dalmatian port traffic was quite limited. Moreover, during the communist period, Split and other Croatian ports were rarely visited by ships from other continents. In addition, Robert-Hunter-Shorek never collected in the tropics, thus ruling out the possibility of labeling error.
Many questions, few answers
Despite all efforts, the relationship between the new genus and the new species has not yet been clearly clarified. It is only determined based on some characteristics such as wing veins, and even its inclusion in the subfamily Arthropodinae is not completely reliable. Preliminary genetic data on mitochondrial COI barcoding and characterization of the tympanic organ (the hearing organ) suggest that this species has a largely independent systematic localization. Further studies of the entire genome could provide clearer information.
Little is known about the biology of this new species, except for its known habitat of coastal rocky biomes with Mediterranean vegetation. In March 2022, Slovenian lepidopterist Stane Gomboc launched a comprehensive search, but ultimately failed. The moth's flight season may have ended due to climate warming.
The study's authors hope they can rediscover Mirlatiaarcuata soon and learn more about its habitat requirements and biology.
Compiled source: ScitechDaily