First record of the genus Shargacucullia G . Ronkay & L . Ronkay , 1992 ( Insecta , Lepidoptera , Noctuidae ) from the Altai Mountains

The genus Shargacucullia G. Ronkay & L. Ronkay, 1992 is recorded in Altai Mountains (eastern Kazakhstan) for the first time. Three species, S. (Verbascullia) verbasci (Linnaeus, 1758), S. (Shargacucullia) xylophana (Boursin, 1934) and S. (Shargacucullia) nekrasovi G. Ronkay, L. Ronkay & Gyulai, 2011 are reported in the Tarbagatai Ridge and West Altai Mountains. These are the north-easternmost known localities of the species. Adults, genitalia and habitats of the species are illustrated.

Starting in 2005 and continuing until now, we conduct an intensive faunistic study of the Noctuoidea fauna from the Altai Mountains.We use the term "Altai Mountains" (also known as Altai mountain country) in the sense proposed by Kamelin (1998Kamelin ( , 2005)); the borders of this mountain system are discussed in detail by Kamelin (2005) and Volynkin and Matov (2011).Our study led to species of the genus Shargacucullia being found in western part of the Altai Mountains.This is a first record of the genus for the region.

Methods
The fieldwork was conducted from April to September every year.In June 2013, during an expedition to eastern Kazakhstan, Shargacucullia xylophana (Boursin, 1934) was collected in the western part of the Tarbagatai Ridge.An additional female specimen was found among materials collected in the Kazakhstan part of the western Altai (Fig. 1).In late April 2014 and early May 2015, a second NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION species of the genus, S. verbasci (Linnaeus, 1758) was collected in the southwestern foothills of the Tarbagatai Ridge (Fig. 2).Finally, in late April 2015, a third species, S. nekrasovi G. Ronkay, L. Ronkay & Gyulai, 2011 was collected in the Kyzylbeltau Mountains in the southwestern foothills of the Tarbagatai Ridge (Fig. 3).These are the first occurrences reported for the genus Shargacucullia in the Altai Mountains.
We collected the moths using ultraviolet and mercury light-traps.For correct species identification, the genitalia were studied and compared with the genitalia of specimens from other localities and the diagnoses and illustrations presented by Ronkay et al. (2011).The genitalia were dissected and mounted in euparal on glass slides.Photographs of the genitalia where made using a Zeiss Stemi 2000-C microscope and Zeiss AxioCam Erc 5c camera, and processed in Adobe Photoshop CS4® software.Photographs of moths where taken using a Nikon D3100/AF-S the camera with a Nikkor 18-55 mm lens.The specimens are deposited in the collection of Siberian Zoological Museum of the Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (SZMN; Novosibirsk, Russia) and the private collection of Anton Volynkin (CAV, Barnaul, Russia).The identification of the specimens from the Tarbagatai Ridge was confirmed by consulting Ronkay et al. (2011) and by comparison with specimens from southern Kazakhstan that are identical to the types illustrated by Ronkay et al. (2011).The genitalia of specimens from the Tarbagatai Ridge have no differences from those of specimens from southern Kazakhstan as well as the illustrations by Ronkay et al. (2011).This species can be distinguished from sympatric S. xylophana by its darker forewing costa and brown wings ground colour, and from sympatric S. nekrasovi differs by its slightly paler forewing costa and paler hindwings.Specimens of S. verbasci in poor condition can be distinguished from S.

Shargacucullia
nekrasovi only by studying of the genital structures.In the male genitalia, S. verbasci differs from S. xylophana by its broader uncus, shorter valva with much narrower cucullus, broader harpe, and cornuti shape, and from S. nekrasovi by its shorter uncus, shorter valva with much narrower cucullus, broader harpe, and shorter and narrower cornuti in vesica.The identification of the specimens from the Tarbagatai Ridge was confirmed consulting Ronkay et al. (2011) and by comparison with specimens from the Tien Shan mountain massif.The genitalia of specimens from the Tarbagatai and western Altai Mountains have no differences from those of specimens from Tien Shan mountain massif as well as from illustrations by Ronkay et al. (2011).The species can be distinguished from sympatric S. verbasci by its paler forewing costa and pale greenish brown forewing ground colour.The sympatric S. nekrasovi differs by its slightly paler forewing costa and pale greenish brown forewing ground colour.In the male genitalia, S. xylophana differs from S. verbasci by its narrower uncus, longer valva with much broader cucullus, narrower harpe, and cornuti shape; from Sh. nekrasovi by its slightly shorter uncus, slightly narrower cucullus, slightly smaller harpe, and much shorter and narrower cornuti in vesica.In the female genitalia, S. xylophana differs from S. verbasci by its longer and narrower antevaginal plate, slightly longer and more curved ductus bursae, and slightly smaller appendix bursae, and from S. nekrasovi by its narrower and slightly longer ductus bursae and slightly larger appendix bursae.
Shargacucullia (Shargacucullia) nekrasovi G. Ronkay, L. Ronkay & Gyulai, 2011 Figures 3, 8, 9, 12, 15 Material examined.1 male, 30.IV.2015, E Kazakhstan, The identification of the specimen from the Tarbagatai Ridge was confirmed using the original description by Ronkay et al. (2011).The genitalia of a specimen from the Tarbagatai Ridge correspond well to those of the holotype illustrated by Ronkay et al. (2011).The species can be distinguished from sympatric S. verbasci by its slightly paler forewing costa and darker hindwings, and S. xylophana differs by its darker forewing costa and dark brown wings ground colour.From specimens of S. verbasci in poor condition, Sh. nekrasovi can be distinguished only by studying the genital structures.In the male genitalia, S. nekrasovi differs from S. verbasci by its longer uncus, longer valva with much broader cucullus, narrower harpe, and longer and broader cornuti in vesica, and from S. xylophana by its slightly longer uncus, slightly broader cucullus, slightly larger harpe, and much longer and broader cornuti in vesica.In the female genitalia, S. nekrasovi differs from S. verbasci by its longer antevaginal plate, ductus bursae slightly longer and broader posteriorly, and smaller appendix bursae, and from S. xylophana by its broader and slightly shorter ductus bursae and slightly smaller appendix bursae.

Discussion
Thus, at present 3 species of Shargacucullia are known from the Altai Mountains, and all 3 of these are on their eastern and northeastern limits of their ranges.The Tarbagatai Ridge is located on the southwestern periphery of the Altai Mountains, between the western Altai Mountains and Central Asian Dzhungar Alatau Mountains.All 3 Shargacucullia species from the Tarbagatai Ridge are widely distributed in Central Asia, and this fact confirms the biogeographic position of the Tarbagatai as intermediate between biotas of the mountains of Siberia and Central Asia (Yakovlev and Guskova 2012).Shargucucullia verbasci is represented in the Tarbagatai Mountains by the Central Asian subspecies S. verbasci orientalis G. Ronkay, L. Ronkay & Gyulai, 2011 known from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and southern Kazakhstan (Ronkay et al. 2011).In the foothills of the Tarbagatai Ridge the species inhabits xero-mesophilous slopes with Lonicera, Rosa and Salix shrubs and poplar trees (Fig. 15).This is the northeasternmost locality of the subspecies and easternmost locality of the species, up to 400 km distant from the previously known localities in southeastern Kazakhstan.
Shargucucullia xylophana is known from southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, northwestern China (Xinjiang), eastern Afghanistan, northeastern Pakistan, northwestern India (Ronkay et al. 2011).In the Tarbagatai Ridge this species inhabits mesophilous slopes with Lonicera and Rosa shrubs (Fig. 16).These are the north-easternmost localities of the species, up to 500 km distant from the previously known localities in southeastern Kazakhstan and Chinese part of the Tien Shan mountain massif.
Shargucucullia nekrasovi was recently described from Tajikistan.The type series also included specimens from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and South Kazakhstan (Ronkay et al. 2011).In the Tarbagatai Ridge the single specimen was collected at the foot of the dry rocky mountain slope with Spiraea and Caragana shrubs (Fig. 17).The new find is the northeasternmost locality  of the species, up to 500 km distant from the previously known northeasternmost locality in southern Kazakhstan (northern part of the Tien Shan massif).