The genus Alloclita was once assigned to Oecophoridae (Fletcher, 1929), but later transferred to Cosmopterigidae by Kasy (1969). Sinev (1985) agreed the latter opinion and further assigned it to the subfamily Antequerinae, based on its close affinity with Pancalia. Adults of Alloclita are small to medium in size and can be recognized by the presence of a broad, contrasting antemedian fascia on the rather broad forewings in comparison with most other Cosmopterigidae, and only slightly asymmetrical male genitalia. The published information on life history is limited to only one congener, A. francoeuriaeWalsingham, 1905, whose larvae feed on Asteraceae (Walsingham, 1905;Koster and Sinev, 2003).

The Alloclita comprises 17 species exclusively from the Old World (Sinev, 2002;Koster et al., 2020). Many of these occur in drylands or deserts in the Mediterranean areas (Koster et al., 2020), hinting their preference on arid environments. Only the nine congeners are distributed in the Palearctic region. Of them, A. mongolicaSinev, 1993 is the only species of Alloclita still known in the East Asia. It was originally described from eastern Mongolia (Sinev, 1993) and then was found in the southern part of the Primorsky Territory in Russia (Sinev, 2008). In the present study, we report this species from the coastal sand-dunes along the western coastline of South Korea.

Material and methods

The specimens examined were collected in the first author’s field trips to explore the Lepidopteran fauna of the coastal sand-dunes in South Korea. All of them have been deposited in two institutional collections in Korea: the Gongju National University of Education, Gongju (GJUE) and the National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon (NIBR). The Korean specimens were compared to the type series of Alloclita mongolica Sinev by the second author. Genitalia were dissected following Clarke (1941) except chlorazol black and Euparal resin used for staining and slide mounting, respectively. Terms for genitalia follow Koster and Sinev (2003).

Taxonomic Accounts

Alloclita Staudinger, 1859

AlloclitaStaudinger, 1859: 247. Type species: Alloclita recisellaStaudinger, 1859.

ProceleustisMeyrick, 1914: 267. Type species: Proceleustis paraphractaMeyrick, 1914.

Dhahrania A msel, 1 958: 7 8. Ty pe s pecies: Dhahrania fasciellaAmsel, 1958.

Alloclita mongolicaSinev, 1993 모래창날개뿔나방 (Figs. 1A-C)

Alloclita mongolicaSinev, 1993: 135. Type locality: Mongolia, Dornod Province, Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake.

Description (Fig. 1A). Head - Vertex and frons pale yellowish gray. Antenna 2/3 as long as forewing; scape pale yellowish brown; flagellomere pale grayish brown in basal half, dark grayish brown in distal half. Labial palpus slightly upcurved; 1^st segment dark grayish brown; 2^nd segment white, tinged with dark grayish brown on basal 1/3 and subapical area of ventral side; 3^rd segment white, tinged with dark grayish brown ventrally. Thorax - Patagium pale yellowish gray; tegula dark yellowish gray, tinged with pale yellow in posterior 1/3; mesonotum grayish brown, tinged with pale yellowish gray laterally. Forewing length 5-5.5 mm, gray or dark gray, acuminate apically; antemedian line broad, pale orange, intermixed with pale-gray and reddish-brown scales in some individuals, accompanied with dark brown, angulate line along anterior and posterior margins; postmedian line zigzagged, pale orange, intermixed with reddish-brown scales in some individuals; discal spot small, black; apical patch pale orange; cilia brownish gray. Hindwing pale fuscous; fringe pale grayish orange. Abdomen pale grayish orange dorsally, pale yellow ventrally. Male genitalia (Figs. 1B, 1C) - Brachia elongate, as long as tegumen, falcate, enlarged in distal 2/3; right brachium broader than left one in distal 2/3. Tegumen broadly round laterally. Valva elongate, slightly curved dorsad, slightly emarginated at basal 1/7 of ventral margin, densely setose in distal 3/4, round apically; sacculus triangular, accompanied with elliptical basal cavity; costal process dilated apically, sparsely setose in distal half. Anellus as long as brachium, tapered to apex, sclerotized. Vinculum narrowly round distally. Phallus (Fig. 1C) stout, oblique apically, with horn-like sclerotized zone inside.

Material examined. 2♂, Chungnam Prov., Seocheon-gun, Seo-myeon, Sinhap-ri sand-dunes (36°08′47.6″N 126°32′33. 6″E), 20 June 2020 (JC Sohn), genitalia slide number: SJC- 1213, GJUE & NIBR. 1♀, Jeonnam Prov., Sinan-gun, Is. Jaeundo, Jaeun-myeon, Gojang-ri, Oegi sand-dunes (34°53′ 44.5″N, 126°00′27.4″E), 16 July 2017 (JC Sohn), GJUE.

Distribution. Korea (new record), Russia (Primorsky Territory), Mongolia (Dornod Province).

Biology. All known localities of A. mongolica represent sandy places (dunes) in the littoral zone: of the Terkhiin Tsagaan and Buir lakes in Mongolia, the Lake Khanka in Russia, and the Yellow Sea in Korea. The larval life style and host plants remain unknown; in other species of the genus Alloclita, the larvae make silky galleries covered with sand at the crown of roots of the xerophilous Asteraceae and Fabaceae.

Remarks. The Korean populations of A. mongolica exhibited no significant differences from the Mongolian and Russian ones. It is recognized as one of the littoral lepidopterans in Korea. The species is closely related to A. delozonaMeyrick, 1919, the latter known from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and India.