Northern Arctic Federal University, 163002, Arkhangelsk, Russia.
Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia.
Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 29;7(1):12430. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-12797-3.
The tussock moth genus Leptocneria Butler, 1886 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae) has been considered an entirely Australian taxon that includes two species: L. reducta (Walker, 1855) and L. binotata Butler, 1886. However, we discovered a divergent lineage of Leptocneria inhabiting Flores Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia. Here, we describe this lineage as the third species of the genus, L. vinarskii Bolotov, Kondakov et Spitsyn sp. nov. The new species is sister to L. reducta but differs from it by dark gray marking patterns of the forewing that lack orange or dark yellow marks. The mean COI genetic distance between L. vinarskii sp. nov. and L. reducta sensu lato is 2.9%. Our findings confirm that the Wallacean region was a faunal exchange area between Sundaland and Sahul during the Pleistocene but highlight that the vicariance events may have played a crucial role in origin of the endemic faunas on the islands of East Nusa Tenggara. Additionally, we show that both Australian species most likely represent cryptic species complexes, which are in need of further taxonomic revision.
球须夜蛾属 Leptocneria Butler, 1886（鳞翅目：夜蛾科：林夜蛾亚科）被认为是一个完全澳大利亚的分类单元，包括两个物种：L. reducta (Walker, 1855) 和 L. binotata Butler, 1886。然而，我们在印度尼西亚小巽他群岛的弗洛勒斯岛上发现了一个分化的球须夜蛾属谱系。在这里，我们将这个谱系描述为该属的第三个物种，即 Leptocneria vinarskii Bolotov, Kondakov et Spitsyn sp. nov.。这个新物种与 L. reducta 是姐妹种，但与后者不同的是，前翅的深灰色斑纹没有橙色或深黄色的斑纹。L. vinarskii sp. nov. 和 L. reducta sensu lato 之间的平均 COI 遗传距离为 2.9%。我们的研究结果证实，华莱士区在更新世期间是巽他陆架和萨胡尔之间的动物交换区，但强调地理隔离事件可能在东努沙登加拉群岛特有动物的起源中发挥了关键作用。此外，我们表明，这两个澳大利亚物种很可能代表隐种复合体，需要进一步的分类修订。
