Epermenia reinhardgaedikei Huemer, Mayr, Nel & Stark, 2025, sp. nov.

Epermenia reinhardgaedikei sp. nov. Figs 2–3, 5–6 = E. theimeri sensu Huemer (2011). Type material. Holotype ♂, Italy, Prov. Rieti, Monte Terminillo, 42°29.0′N; 11°00.6′E 1730-1780 m, 16.7.2010, leg. Huemer TLMF 2010-020, DNA Barcode ID TLMF Lep 01598, gen. slide EPE 10♂ P. Huemer (TLMF). Paratypes: Italy, 3 ♂, 3 ♀, same data as for holotype, 2 ♂ gen. slides in glycerin capsule; 1 ♀, same data as for holotype but 11.VII.2010; 1 ♀, same data as for holotype but 13.VII.2010; 1 ♂, 6 ♀, Prov. L´Aquila, NP Gran Sasso, ex Miniera di Lignite, 42°25.6′N; 13°42.8′E 1750 m, 14.–15.VII.2010, gen. slide EPE 12♀ P. Huemer, 1♀ gen. slides in glycerin capsule (RCTM, TLMF). France, 1 ♂, Dep. Hautes-Alpes, Guillestre, 1000 m, 1.VIII.2005, leg. J. Nel, DNA Barcode ID TLMF Lep 30577 (TLMF). Austria, 1 ♂, Prov. Lower Austria, Hundsheimer Berg, 48°07.5´N, 16°56.2E 300 m, 5.VIII.2013, leg. Stark, DNA Barcode ID BC_LSNOE_Lep_02759 (RCWS). Diagnosis. The new species is recognizable externally by its moderately small size, light- and dark-brown forewings mixed with orange-brown, and the three scale teeth on the dorsum. It is easily distinguished from the externally very similar E. iniquellus by the much longer and narrower uncus (ca. 400 µm versus 280 µm), which is furthermore less dilated distally, the evenly convex inner margin of the sacculus, and the shorter spindle-shaped cornutus (Figs 3–4). The male genitalia differ from the somewhat similar E. profugella, E. theimeri, and E. pumila by the distinctly longer and apically slenderer uncus and the phallus with a sclerotized rod. Furthermore, the forewings of the first two species are uniformly brown without scale teeth. The female genitalia cannot be reliably separated from congeners such as E. iniquellus due to insufficient descriptions for some species, but seem to be characterized by particularly long apophyses anteriores. Description. Adult (Fig. 2). Forewing length 5.0– 5.7 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae yellowish-brown with mid-brown admixture, particularly on tegulae and anterior part of thorax, frons yellowish-brown, labial palpus dark brown with occasional yellowish-white admixture on inner side and at distal part of segments 2 and 3; scape mixed with yellowish-brown, flagellomeres yellowish-brown ringed with brown; forewing lanceolate, yellowish-white ground colour, densely covered with dark brown scales, particularly along costa and in terminal area, 3–4 elongated ochre patches in middle and distal part, hind margin of forewing with three black scale teeth, the first, almost twice as large as the second, located at end of first third of wing, the third slightly behind middle, and second located between them; terminal area with intense dark brown mottling surrounding small light spot, dark cilia line. Hindwing greyish-brown. Male genitalia (Fig. 3). Uncus long and slender, rod-shaped, about 400 µm in length apically weakly dilated, with rounded tip; tegumen narrow; valva with strongly sclerotized, inwards evenly convex sacculus; distal portion of sacculus elongated sub-triangular, membranous, densely covered with setae; strongly sclerotized distal part of cucullus (ampulla) about length of sacculus, gently curved, distally tapered with pointed apex; phallus with spindle-shaped cornutus, exceeding half the length of phallus, ventral part with sclerotized basally rounded rod of entire length of phallus. Female genitalia. (Figs 5–6). Apophyses posterioris rod-like, about 500 µm in length; apophysis anterioris ca. 700 µm in length, posterior part furcated; segment VIII densely covered with microtrichia, with weakly sclerotized posterior third of tergum and sternum, ventromedially membranous, posterior edge with long setae; ostium bursae weakly sclerotized, cup-shaped; ductus bursae membranous, gradually widening into sack-like, membranous corpus bursae, without signum. Biology. Adults have been collected at light and by sweeping vegetation during daytime from late June to mid-July. In Italy, the habitat is subalpine grassland slopes on limestone at an elevation from ca. 1700–1800 m a.s.l. Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:AAO3617. The intraspecific average uncorrected distance of the barcode region is 0.54% (n=3). The minimum uncorrected distance to the Nearest Neighbor E. iniquellus is 5.21% (BIN: BOLD: ABX0420) (Fig. 1). Distribution. Italy (Rieti), France (Hautes-Alpes), and Austria (Niederösterreich). Definitely more widely distributed in the Mediterranean and in climatically suitable parts of central Europe. Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Reinhard Gaedike in recognition of his outstanding contribution in exploring the family Epermeniidae. Remarks. Epermenia iniquellus was described from an unspecified number of specimens collected nearby Wroclaw [Breslau] (Poland) on the flowers of Peucedanum oresoelinum (Wocke 1867). We have been able to study two pictures from the Natural History Museum of Humboldt University, Berlin, of male genitalia slides (Nos. 68 and 162 Gaedike) from specimens collected on 19.7. 1857 in Wroclaw by Wocke, and therefore these are considered as original material. The specimen with slide number 162 was selected as the Lectotype by Gaedike (2022). Both specimens correspond fully with E. iniquellus as presented here. Cataplectica kruegeriella was described from a specimen, allegedly female, collected on 12.VIII. 1917 in Croatia (near Senj) by Dobiasch (Schawerda 1921). Gaedike (1966) later synonymized this species with E. dentosella, which had been considered the older valid name for E. iniquellus by Rebel (1916). However, this taxon is now a synonym of E. insecurella, and E. iniquellus has been reinstated as a valid species (including the synonym E. kruegeriella) (Gaedike 1993a). A recent re-examination of the male holotype showed considerable agreement in genital structures with E. iniquellus, with only minor differences in the shape of the valvae. Due to a lack of material, these differences cannot be evaluated taxonomically at this time. The records from central Italy reported by Huemer (2011) under E. theimeri are based on misidentifications of the species described here. A worn paratype from France, initially identified by J. Nel as E. pumila, clusters within the DNA barcode of E. reinhardgaedikei sp. nov. and also matches morphologically. However, due to 139 ambiguous bases, this sequence was not attached to a BIN nor considered for molecular analysis. The species figured by Buszko & Skalski (1980) under the name E. dentosella does not fit the new species or E. iniquellus, particularly in the phallus, and therefore requires further investigations.