Review of Ethmiidae (Lepidoptera) of the Asian part of Russia and neighbouring territories.
by
V. V. Dubatolov, P. Ya. Ustjuzhanin, V. K. Zinchenko

Summary: Based on the materials of the Siberian Zoological Museum, Institute of Animal Systemantcs and Ecology, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk) an annotated list for Ethmidae of Russian Siberia, the neighbouring regions of Kazakhstan, and the Russian Far East is composed including 20 species. Such species as Ethmia vittalbella, Ethmia duodecia, Ethmia funerella, Ethmia discripitella, Ethmia bipunctella, Ethmia nigrimaculata, Ethmia xanthopleura, Ethmia comitella steppella are reported for this territory for the first time, the known ranges of many others being much extended. 2 species, Ethmia nigrimaculata and Ethmia comitella are firstly recorded for the Mongolian People's Republic.

The Ethmiidae fauna of Siberia, the Far East of Russia and the neighbouring territories is so far insufficiently studied. In the main assessment of this group K. Sattler (1967) reported only two species for Siberia, (Ethmia cirrhocnemia (Lederer, 1870) and E. nigripedella (Erschoff, 1877)), and one species for Primorye (E. septempunctata (Christoph, 1877)). Later reach materials of the Zoological Institute (St-Petersburg) were studied by A. S. Danilevsky and A. K. Zagulajev. As a result, a series of papers was published which included data on the Asian Russia (Zagulajev, 1975, 1981; Danilevsky, 1975, 1980), and the number of species known from Siberia increased to eight species. One more species has been described from the Altai by Y. A. Kostjuk (1980). Recently a guide of the Ethmiidae species of the Russian Far East has appeared (Sinev, 1997), in which E. maracandica (Rebel, 1912) was for the first time reported for Siberia, and E. angarensis Caradja, 1939 for the Southern Primorye.

This report is based on rather abundant materials on this group kept in the Siberian Zoological Museum, Institute of Animal Systemantcs and Ecology, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). Their study (together with a review of the so far published information) revealed 15 species for Siberia and 6 species for the Russian Far East (including the Magadan and Amur Regions, and the Khabarovskii and Primorskii (=Primorye) Provinces. 8 are reported for this territory for the first time. 2 species are new for the Mongolian People's Republic. Below follows an annotated list of species.

1. Ethmia vittalbella (Christoph, 1877). A species widely ranging in arid zones of Palearctic: in N Africa, SW and Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Iran, Afghanistan, North Pakistan, NW China (the Kuldja (=Gulja) region), Kazakhstan, and also in the southern and south-eastern European part of the former USSR (Danilevsky, 1980). P. Ya. Ustjuzhanin found it also among the collections (preserved on the cotton vool) of V. N. Kuznetsov from Southern Primorye. A very low probability of label confusion can not be excluded in this case.

Materials. 1 female, Primorye, Chuguevka district, headwater of the Sokolovka River, by light, 12 VIII 1984 (Kuznetsov leg.).

2. Ethmia duodecia (Haworth, [1828]). Earlier was known from moderate and southern parts of West Europe, in Asia Minor, Iran, in the former USSR: in SW, S, and E European part, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and W Kazakhstan (Dainlevsky, 1980; Zagulajev, 1981). Here the species is for the first time reported for Siberia, for the south-eastern part of West Siberian Lowland (the upper Ob' basin), the Altai Mts., and S Transbaikalia. The moths were collected from middle June to late July.

Materials. Novosibirsk Province: 1 female, vil. Yarkovo, SW of Novosibirsk, 24 VII 1963 (Korshunov leg.); 1 male, Novosibirsk vicinity, Academy Town, "Vostok" gardens, by light, 13 VII 1992 (Zintshenko leg.); 1 female, vil. Chingisy, south part of Novosibirsk storage lake, by light, 26 VI 1972 (anonym leg.); Altaiskii Krai: 1 female, vil. Soldatovo, left bank of the Ob' River, 100 km S of Barnaul, 12 VI 1990 (Vasilenko leg.); Altai Republic: 2 females, Lake Teletskoe, 21 VII 1987 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 female, the Chulyshman River, 13 VII 1987 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Chita Province: 1 female, Sokhondo Nature Reserve, kordon Agutsa on the Agutsa River, by light, 24 VI 1991 (Dubatolov et Zintshenko leg.).

3. Ethmia angarensis Caradja, 1939. Reported for South Primorye by S. Yu. Sinev (1997). Earlier this species, in spite of its misleading name, was known only from the Chinese province Shanxi (Sattler, 1967). The moths fly only in late June - July. Absent from our materials.

4. Ethmia septempunctata (Christoph, 1882). The species was described from Vladivostik and in Russia is so far known only for S Primorye. Besides, it inhabits Japan (Moriuti, 1982). Flies from end of May till middle of July.

Materials. Primorye: 3 males, Khasan district, Far Eastern Marine Nature Reserve, Furugelm Island, 6, 12, 15 VII 1975 (Velizhanin leg.).

5. Ethmia funerella (Fabricius, 1787). A species widely distributed from W Europe to the Caucasus, E Kazakhstan (Lake Zaisan) and Middle Asia. According to A. S. Danilevsky (1980) and A. K. Zagulajev (1981), inhabits almost an entire European part of the former USSR, including the Kola Peninsula (the Khibin Mts.). Reported for the first time for Siberia: in the southern part of the West Siberian Lowland and the NE Altai Mts. The moths fly from middle June to late July.

Materials. Novosibirsk Province: 1 male, Novosibirsk Power Station town, 1 VII 1995 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 male, Novosibirsk vicinity, vil. Ogurtsovo, 27 VI 1986 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Kemerovo Province: 2 males, Gornaya Shoria, vil. Osman, 1 VII 1992 (Ustjuzhanin, Kuzovleva et Miroshnikov leg.); Altai Republic: 1 female, vil. Inya, 19 VI 1989 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Lake Teletskoe, Altaiskii Nature Reserve: 6 males, vil. Yailyu, 5,20,23 VII 1987 (Ustjuzhanin leg.), 1 female, near kordon Kokshi, 16 VI 1994 (A. et R. Dudko leg.).

6. Ethmia pusiella (Linnaeus, 1758). According to A. S. Danilevsky, (1980) this is a transpalearctic species ranging in W Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, E Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the European part of the USSR north to the Khibin Mts. (the Kola Peninusla) (Zagulajev, 1981), and also in W Siberia. Unfortunately, its distribution in W Siberia was not specified. According to our data, here it ranges everywhere from the forest-steppe zone north to the southern taiga zone (the Tomsk surroundings), and also in the Altai Mts (including its Kazakhstan part). For the first time is found in S Primorye, being collected simultaneously with E. vittalbella (Chr.) (mentionned above). The moth fly in July-August.

Materials. Kazakhstan: East-Kazakhstan Province: 1 male, Serebryansk, by light, 24 VII 1994 (Kolpakova leg.); Russia: Kurgan Province: 1 male, 2 females, Ketovo district, vil. Temlyakovo, by light, 18, 26 VII, 6 VIII 1988 (Vasilenko leg.); Omsk Province: 1 female, road from Omsk to vil. Petukhovo in Kurgan Province, 9 VII 1969 (Tibatina leg.); Tomsk Province: 4 males, Tomsk vicinity, settlement Timiryazevskii, 29 VII 1968, 19 VII, 25 VII 1969 (Kolomiets leg.); Novosibirsk Province: 1 male, 1 female, Lake Malyi Chan, the Kargat River delta 10 km NE of vil. Shirokaya Kur'ya, by light, 15, 19 VII 1980 (Totunov leg.); 1 female, 5 km NW of vil. Kozhevnikovo, 55( 03' N, 78( 12' E, 14 VIII 1990 (Dubatolov et L.Ronkay leg.); 2 km S of vil. Vaganovo, 55( 52' N, 78( 26' E, 16 VIII 1990 (Dubatolov et L.Ronkay leg.); 4 females, Novosibirsk Power Station Town, 23 VIII 1984, 17 VIII 1988, 26 VII 1989 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 female, Novosibirsk Academy Town, the Zyryanka rivulet valley, Betula-Pinus forest, by light, 22 VIII 1989 (Dubatolov leg.); 1 female, the same locality, 31 VII 1995 (Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, the vicinity of Novosibirsk Academy Town, the valley of the Nizhnyaya El'tsovka rivulet, 28 VII 1964 (Korshunov leg.); 7 females, Iskitim district, vil. Tal'menka, 12 VIII 1974 (Tibatina leg.); 1 male, vil. Chingisy, south part of Novosibirsk storage lake, by light, 19 VI 1963 (Korshunov leg.); Altaiskii Krai: 1 female, Shipunovo district, El'tsovka, 15 VIII 1983 (Perunov leg.); Altai Republic: 1 female, vil. Chelyush, 19 VIII 1961 (Zolotarenko leg.); 3 males, vil. Cherga, 18, 23 VII 1995 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 female, Lake Teletskoe, Artybash, by light, 26 VIII 1970 (Zolotarenko leg.); 3 males, 1 female, Lake Teletskoe, vil. Yailyu, 20, 22 VII 1987 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Primorye: 1 male, Chuguevka district, headwaters of the Sokolovka River, 12 VIII 1974 (Kuznetsov leg.).

7. Ethmia vidua (Staudinger, 1879). The species was described from E Kazakhstan (Lake Zaisan), later its subspecies E. v. flavilaterella Danilevsky, 1975 has been described from W Yakutia (the Vilyui River valley). The same subspecies was found in Transbaikalia. A. K. Zagulajev (1981) attributed these moths to a Central European-Balkan species E. lugubris (Staudinger, 1879), differing by a larger size and small differences in the genitalia structure. The latter species is known also from W Ukraine, the central and southern European Part of the former USSR (Danilevsky, 1980; Zagulajev, 1981).

Materials. Buryat Republic: 1 male, vil. Kalenovo, 29 VI 1985 (Ustjuzhanin).

8. Ethmia maracandica (Rebel, 1912). Reported for South Siberia and Mongolia by S. Yu. Sinev (1997), where ranges east to the Irkutsk Region. Earlier was known from Central Asia (Samarkand) (Sattler, 1967). Absent from our materials.

9. Ethmia soljanikovi Danilevsky et Zaguljaev, 1975. The species was described from Tuva (the Mongun-Taiga Mountain Range) and Mongolia (the Dzavchan and Chovsgol Aimaks) (Zagulajev, 1975). Now it has been found also in the east of Altai Republic (the Altai Mts.). According to our materials, the moths inhabit the mountains within the altitude interval of 1500-3500 m above sea level and fly from early July to early August, although S. Yu. Sinev (1997) reported for June - early July.

Materials. Altai Republic: 4 males, the Yuzhno-Chuyskii Mountain Range, the headwater of the Kokuzek River, the stow Kyp, 2500 m, 5, 11 VII, 1 VIII 1982 (Perunov et Goljakov leg.); 1 male, 80 km E of Kosh-Agach, 4 km NW of the Sailyugem Mountain, 2300-2400 m, 14 VII 1996 (A. et R.Dudko leg.); 1 male, Altaiskii Nature Reserve, the Shapshal Mountain Range, no other data (N. Zolotukhin leg.).

10. Ethmia sibirica Danilevsky, 1975. Described from the old collection by O. Bang-Haas from the highlands of the East Sayan (the Tunkinskie Gol'tsy Mts.) (Zagulaev, 1975). According to the opinion of V. I. Kuznetsov, who prepared the paper by A. S. Danilevsky (1980) to publication, Ethmia ubsensis Zagulajev, 1975, described from the region of Lake Ubsu-Nur (Uvs-Nur) and found in Tuva and Mongolia, should be synonymized to the species considered. On the contrary, S. Yu. Sinev (1997) has again separated these taxa basing on a number of caracters: E. ubsensis Zag. is larger, its hind wings are not translucid, besides, in this species the apex of the gnathos has two closely-set blunt processes, while in E. sibirica Danil. these processes are pointed and widely set.

11. Ethmia zaguljaevi Kostjuk, 1980. This species was described from the territory of Altai Republic where was collected at the Aktash pit at 2600 m above sea level from 16th to 25th June (Kostjuk, 1980). Absent in our materials.

12. Ethmia pyrausta (Pallas, 1771). A transpalearctic species ranging in North and Central Europe, Kazakhstan (at the Alma-Ata city), Mongolia (Tov (=Central) aimak), NW China (Kuldja; now - Gulja), the north-western, central, and eastern European part of the former USSR (north to the Khibin Mts. on the Kola Peninsula), the Urals, Siberia, the western part (with no details) (Zagulajev, 1981), Irkutsk, and Bunbui on the Chuna River (the Irkutsk Privince) were reported. Found also on the Bol'shoi Shantar Island in the Ochot Sea (Zagulajev, 1975; Danilevsky 1980), but this label seems to be doubtful. There are rather rich materials in the Zoological Institute (St-Petersburg) labelled as if collected on the Shantar Islands (Bol'shoi Shantar and Malyi Shantar), which are quite doubtful, for they include such southern species as Rhyparioides metelkana (Lederer, 1861) (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). In 1986 V. Popov with colleagues made collections on these islands (these collections were transmitted to Yu. P. Korshunov at Siberian Zoological Museum) but found only a set of boreal species such as Arctia flavia (Fuessly, 1779) (Arctiidae), absent, by the way, in the St-Petersburg Shantar collections. Certain doubts in these collections expressed also an orthopterologist Prof. M. G. Sergeev (a personal communication). Here E. pyrausta (Pall.) is for the first time reported for the territory of Tuva. According to S. Yu. Sinev(1997), the moths fly from May to June.

Materials. Tuva Republic: 1 male, 5 km W of Kyzyl, the Ulug-Khem River valley, by light, 19 V 1990 (Dubatolov leg.).

13. Ethmia discripitella (Rebel, 1901). The species was so far known only from the South Urals (at the Guberlya River). There are two specimens in the Siberian Zoological Museum collected in the beginning of XX-th century at Barnaul. Most probably these moths were collected in middle May (early May according to the Julian calendar).

Materials. Altaiskii Krai: 2 males, Barnaul, near the Goretovsky's house, 6 V 1902 (Rodd leg.).

14. Ethmia bipunctella (Fabricius, 1775). A holarctic species ranging in the Palearctic, according to A. S. Danilevsky (1980) and A. K. Zagulajev (1981), in N Africa, S Europe, in the western, southern, and central European part of the former USSR, in the Near East, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. We found it also in NE Kazakhstan and in the steppen and forest-steppen zones and in the very south of the forest zone of West Siberia. The moths fly almost all the warm season, from early May to early September.

Materials. Kazakhstan: Chimkent Province, 2 males, 35 km ESE of Chimkent, vil. Georgievka, a garden, by light, 2 IX 1992 (Dubatolov et Logunov leg.); East-Kazakhstan Province: 2 males, 2 females, the Irtysh River, settlement Glubokoe, 28 VIII 1989, 5 V 1994, 8 V 1995 (Zintshenko leg.); Russia: Kurgan Province: 5 males, Ketovo district, vil. Temlyakovo, by light, 15, 18, 24, 26, 31 VII 1988 (Vasilenko leg.); 1 specimen, Pritobolnyi district, vil. Berezovo, 27 V 1990 (Utkin leg.); Omsk Province: 1 male, vil. Solyanoe, 18-19 V 1989 (Vasilenko leg.); Novosibirsk Province: 1 male, Lake Malyi Chan, the Kargat River delta, 10 km NE of v. Shirokaya Kur'ya, by light, 30 VII 1995 (Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, 5 km NW of vil. Kozhevnikovo, 55( 03' N, 78( 12' E, 14 VIII 1990 (Dubatolov et Ronkay leg.); 1 male, Novosibirsk Power Station Town, 11 VIII 1985 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 16 males, Novosibirsk Academy Town, the Zyryanka rivulet valley, a birch/pine forest, by light, 30 VI 1984, 19 V, 25 V, 22 VIII 1989, 4 VI 1992 (Dubatolov leg.); 1 male, 1 female, Iskitim district, 12 km NE of vil. Morozovo, the Koyon River, 10 VI 1990 (Zintshenko leg.); Altaiskii Krai: 1 male, vil. Klyuchi, 4 VII 1956 (Zolotarenko leg.); Barnaul, 24 V, 3 IX 1984 (Perunov leg.).

15. Ethmia cirrhocnemia (Lederer, 1870). The speceis widely ranges from the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Iran, S and SE European part of the former USSR, the South Urals, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, S Siberia, Mongolia to the Amurland, Primorye, Central China (Shanxi Province) (Sattler, 1967; Danilevsky, 1980; Zagulajev, 1981). In Siberia it was reliably reported from Minusknsk (the Krasnoyarsk Province), Ust'-Kut (Irkutsk Province), Transbaikalia (Sattler, 1967). S. Yu. Sinev (1997) reported this species for the Buryat Republic, Irkutsk, Chita, Amur and Primorye Provinces. We found it locally on the eastern West Siberian Lowland (the southern Omsk Province, the environs of Novosibirsk and Barlaul cities), in the Altai Mts, Khakassia, southern Buryatia, and Chita Province. The most interesting is a finding of a female in the southern Magadan Province (the so far north-easternmost locality). The imagines occur from middle May to late July.

Materials. Omsk Province: 1 male, vil. Solyanoe, 5-6 VI 1989 (Vasilenko leg.); Novosibirsk Province: 1 male, Novosibirsk Power Station Town, 1 VII 1995 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 male, Iskitim district, settlement Stepnoi, 6 VI 1981 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); 1 female, Toguchin district, Bugotak Hills, 5 km W of town Gornyi, by light, 10 VI 1991 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Altaiskii Krai: 1 male, Barnaul, 15 V 1967 (anonym leg.); Altai Republic: 10 km W of vil. Katanda, the Katun River left bank, 23 VII 1983 (Dubatolov); 3 males, vil. Inya, 16, 18, 23 VI 1989 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Khakas Republic: 1 male, Altaisky district, the Beryezovka farm, by light, 2 VII 1986 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Buryat Republic: 2 males, settlement Tayezhnyi, 23 VII 1984, 11 VII 1987 (Ustjuzhanin leg.); Chita Province: 1 female, vil. Kyra, 27 VI 1991 (Dubatolov leg.); 1 female, 7 km ENE of vil. Nizhnii Tsasuchei, the Onon River left bank, the stow Malyi Batur, 3 VI 1995 (Dubatolov et Dudko leg.); 1 male, Nizhnii Tsasuchei, by light, 2 VII 1996 (Dubatolov et Kosterin leg.); Magadan Province: 1 female, Magadanskii Nature Reserve, 100 km SE of Magadan, the Koni Peninsula, the Burgali River headwater, flying above a large-stoned scree , 19 VII 1989 (Kosterin leg.).

16. Ethmia nigripedella (Erschoff, [1877]). While from Europe this species is known so far only by a single specimen from the Crimea (Zagulajev, 1975), in Asia it is widely distributed in Kazakhstan (Tien Shan), "everywhere in West and East Siberia", Amurland, Primorye, Mongolia (Tov (=Central) Aimak), China (Shanxi), Japan (Hokkaido). S. Yu. Sinev (1997) recorded it in East Siberia from Irkutsk, Chita, Amur and Primorye Provinces. The species was described by a series of specimens collected in E Siberia (Irkutsk, Kyakhta (Buryatia), Albazin [now - Albazino] (Amurland), and the southern Amurland) (Erschoff, 1877). In our materials the species is absent from the West Siberian Lowland but present from all over the mountains of South Siberia from E Altai and Tuva to Irkutsk and Chita Provinces, and also from the Amurskaya Province, Khabarovskii Krai and Primorye. According to A. K. Zagulajev (1975), the moths fry from late April to early July, that corresponds also to our materials.

Materials. Altai Republic, Altaiskii Nature Reserve: 1 male, the Chulyshman River right bank, the stow Dyon, 12 V 1984 (N.Zolotukhin leg.); Lake Teletskoe: 1 female, Yailyu, 8 V 1984 (N.Zolotukhin leg.), 1 female, the stow Khaira, 15 V 1984 (N.Zolotukhin leg.), 2 females, Bele, 21 VI 1984 (N.Zolotukhin leg.); Tuva Republic: 1 male, 1 female, Kyzyl environs, mountains N of the Ulug-Khem River, 30 V 1989, 18 V 1990 (Dubatolov et Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, the Khondyrgei River, 21 V 1963 (Violovich leg.); 1 male, 6 km S of vil. Targalyg, the Targalyg River, 9 V 1990 (Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, 5 km E of vil. Erzin, a rock, 23 V 1990 (Dubatolov leg.); 1 male, 20 km W of vil. Erzin, the Onchalaan relic mountain , 28 V 1989 (Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, 30 km W of vil. Erzin, 28 V 1989 (Zintshenko leg.); 2 males, 4 females, Bii-Khemskii district, vil. Ust'-Uyuk, 21 V 1989 (Zintshenko leg.); 2 males, vil. Azas, 12 VI 1987, 31 V 1988 (Zintshenko leg.); 3 males, 1 female, Tandinsky district, 6 km W of vil. Khovu-Aksy, the Elegest River, 5 V 1990 (Zintshenko leg.); Irkutsk Province: 1 male, vil. Mel'nikovo, 3 VI 1941 (Bykov leg.); Chita Province: 1 female, SW border of the Sokhondo Nature Reserve, kordon Agutsa, 16 VI 1991 (Tshernyshev leg.); 2 males, 2 females, 7 km ENE of vil. Nizhnii Tsasuchei, the Onon River left bank, the stow Malyi Batur, 3 VI 1995 (Dubatolov et Dudko leg.); 2 males, 1 female, 20 km SW of vil. Nizhnii Tsasuchei, Lake Butyvken, an open pine forest with steppen glades, 4 VI 1995 (Dubatolov, Dudko leg.); 1 male, Daurskii Nature Reserve, SW corner of Lake Barun-Torei, the stow Bulum-Khuduk, 15 V 1995 (Dubatolov et Dudko leg.); 1 female, 23 km E of vil. Kholui-Baza, Adon-Chelon Mts., a part of Daurskii Nature Reserve, 19-21 VI 1995 (Kosterin, Berezina et Ljubechansky leg.); Amurskaya Province: 1 female, 10 km of Blagovestshensk, 28 VI 1981 (Streltzov leg.); 2 females, Blagovestshensk, 31 V, 10 VI 1994 (Streltzov leg.); Khabarovskii Krai Province: 1 specimen, 9 km NW of town Obluch'e, 10 VI 1993 (Streltzov leg.); Primorye: 3 males, 1 female, Khasan district, the Gamov Peninsula, the Vityaz Bay, 21 V 1994 (Dubatolov leg.).

17. Ethmia nigrimaculata Sattler, 1967. The species was hitherto known only by the original description from Central China (Shanxi Province) (Sattler, 1967). A. K. Zagulajev (1981) reported this species with a doubt for the Crimean Peninsula. We found it for the first time in the Russian territory in Central Tuva and the southern Chita Province. One of the localities, the Imalkinskii section of the State Nature Reservation Daurskii, at the SW corner of Lake Barun-Torei, is situated just at the boundary with Mongolia, and some specimens were collected in 30-50 m of the boundary and obsered flying across it. So, the presence of the species in the Dornod (the Eastern) Aimak of Mongolia is doubtless.

Materials. Tuva Republic: 1 male, 3 females, Kyzyl, 2 VI 1948 (Tsherepanov leg.); 27 males, 5 km W of Kyzyl, the Ulug-Khem River valley, by light, 15-20 V 1990 (Dubatolov leg.); Chita Province: 2 males, vil. Nizhnii Tsasuchei env., a pine forest, by light, 22 VI 1996 (Kosterin, Ljubechansky, Berezina leg.); 11 males, 3 females, SW corner of Barun-Torei lake, the stow Bulum-Khuduk, 15 VI 1995 (Dubatolov, Dudko et Ljubechansky leg.).

18. Ethmia xanthopleura Meyrick, 1931 (Fig. 5-7). The species was described from Korea (Vongsan) and has been so far known only from this country. We have found it on the very south of Primorye at the boundary with China and Korea. The moth fly in early and middle June on open meadows.

Materials. Primorye: 3 males, 4 females, 8 km E of settlement Khasan, Golubinyi Utyos Mt., near a boundary with Korea, 12 VI 1994 (Dubatolov leg.); 1 female, settlement Pogranichnyi, 1 VI 1972 (Kostina leg.).

19. Ethmia comitella steppella Dubatolov et Ustjuzhanin, 1997.
A series of moths collected in steppes of East Siberia by colouration of the body and wings and a general male genitalia structure should be attributed to the species group E. mongolica (Rebel, 1901) - E. comitella Caradja, 1927 - E. xanthopleura Meyrick, 1931 - E. asbolarcha Meyrick, 1938. They has almost black legs; fore wings with 5 black dots arround the cell, one at the base, two on R vein, at its middle and at cell apex; 2 dots on vein Cu. Male genitalia with a well developed prolonged saccus, as in E. comitella Car. and E. xanthopleura Meyr., not expressed in two other species. By the valva shape (characterized by an almost straight outer margin of the cucculus) our specimens are most close to E. comitella Car., known from China from Central Tien Shan (Aksu) to Peking. But they differ from this taxon by the structure of the caudal processus of the gnatos. In E. comitella this processus is short and having no more than 3-4 teeth on the central field, judging from the figures 53-5 and 53-6 on Table 54 in the book by K. Sattler (1967). In our specimens the processus is somewhat larger and bears 6-7 teeth. The male genitalia resembles also those of E. xanthopleura Meyr., but in the latter the outer margin of the cucculus of the valva is more rounded, while the caudal processus of the gnatos bears more teeth, more than 10 on the central field and 9-10 on the upper margin. In E. comitella, including E. c. steppella ssp.n., this margin bears no more than 6-8 teeth.

Material. Holotype: a male, 7 km ENE of vil. Nizhnii Tsasuchei, the Onon River left bank, the stow Malyi Batur, 3 VI 1995 (Dubatolov et Dudko leg.). Paratypes: Krasnoyarsk Province: 1 male, Sayano-Shushenskii Nature Reserve, delta of the Uzun-Sug stream, 25 V 1989 (Vagin leg.); Tuva Republic: 1 male, Kyzyl environs, a mountain on the north side of the Ulug-Khem River, 20 V 1989 (Logunov et Zintshenko leg.); 1 male, vil. Khaibar, 26 V 1959 (anonym leg.); 4 males, 1 female, Kyzyl environs, a mountain N of the Ulug-Khem River, 20 V 1989, 20 V 1990, 1-5 V 1993 (Dubatolov, Logunov, Zintshenko leg.); Chita Province: 1 male, SW corner of Barun-Torei lake, the stow Bulum-Khuduk, 15 V 1995 (Ljubechansky leg.); 1 male, Mongolia-Russia boundary, 2 km W of Lake Barun-Torei, a Nipsei boundary landmark, 15 VI 1995 (Dubatolov).

20. Ethmia ultima Sattler, 1967. The species was described from Mongolia from Omnogov' (South Gobi) and Oborchangai Aimaks. Later it was found by Y. A. Kostjuk in South Tuva on the Tsagan-Shibetu Mountain Range in the Mugur River lower reaches (Zagulajev, 1975). Besides, thie species was reported by Danilevsky (1980) for Transbaikalia. In Mongolia the moths were collected in middle and late June, in Tuva - in middle May; S. Yu. Sinev (1997) reported these moths to fly in July. Absent from our materials.

The authors express their sincere gratitude to Dr. O. E. Kosterin for translating the manuscript into English.

REFFERENCES

Christoph, H. (1882): Neue Lepidopteren des Amurgebietes. - Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 17: 5-47.

Danilevsky, A. S. (1975): New moths of the genus Ethmia Hb. (Lepidoptera, Ethmiidae) from the USSR. - Entomologicheskoe obozrenie 54(3): 615-616 (in russian).

Danilevsky, A. S. (1980): A key to Ethmiidae (Lepidoptera) of the European part of the USSR. - Entomologicheskoe obozrenie 59(2): 322-345 (in russian).

Erschoff, N. (1876 [1877]): Diagnosen neuer Lepidopteren aus den verschiedenen Provinzen des Russischen Reiches. - Horae Soc. Entomol. Ross. 12: 336-348.

Kostjuk, Yu. A. (1980): A new species of the genus Ethmia Hbn. (Lepidoptera, Ethmiidae) from Altai mountains. - Entomologicheskoe obozrenie 59(4): 858-859 (in russian).

Moriuti, S. (1982): 32. Ethmiidae. - Moths of Japan. - Tokyo: Kodansha: 1: 254-256; 2: 14, 112, 207, pls. 12, 241.

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Adresses of the authors

V.V.Dubatolov
Siberian Zoological Museum
Institute of Animal Systemantcs and Ecology
Siberian Department of Russian Academy of Sciences
Frunze street, 11, Novosibirsk, 630091, Russia

P.Ya.Ustjuzhanin
Post Box 169
Novosibirsk, 630056, Russia

V.K.Zintshenko
Siberian Zoological Museum
Institute of Animal Systemantcs and Ecology
Siberian Department of Russian Academy of Sciences
Frunze street, 11, Novosibirsk, 630091, Russia