A phylogenetically isolated and endemic Geometridae discovered from montane forests in the Canary Island of Tenerife (Spain) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Larentiinae)

The Lepidoptera fauna of Europe is among the best studied in the world, and new species are only rarely discovered that do not fit in the existing classification. We present an unknown Geometridae from the Canary Islands (Spain), which, according to the multi-gene molecular phylogeny and morphology...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pasi Sihvonen, Peder Skou, Per Falck, Leidys Murillo-Ramos, Elina Laiho, Max Söderholm, Hermann Staude, Mikael Englund
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americana de Lepidopterología 2025-06-01
Series:SHILAP
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Online Access:https://shilap.org/revista/article/view/1052
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Summary:The Lepidoptera fauna of Europe is among the best studied in the world, and new species are only rarely discovered that do not fit in the existing classification. We present an unknown Geometridae from the Canary Islands (Spain), which, according to the multi-gene molecular phylogeny and morphology, represents a phylogenetically isolated lineage and does not fit into any known Geometridae genus or tribe. Using an integrative approach, we classify it in the subfamily Larentiinae, in a lineage that is included in the Larentiini complex of tribes. The new taxon, named Atlanticola mystica Sihvonen, Skou & Falck (new genus, new species) is an island endemic, occurring in Tenerife only and it is restricted to the montane forests above 500 m AMSL. We also illustrate an unrelated Herbulotina grandis (Prout, 1914) for comparison, which has a similar wing pattern, but is structurally different, and it is transferred here from Larentiini to the Xanthorhoini complex of tribes, supporting its original systematic position (original classification revived).
ISSN:2340-4078