Scientists from Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom have described a species of moth previously unknown to science, discovered in the Arkaly mountain massif in eastern Kazakhstan.
The species has been named Scythobrya kozybayevi Volynkin & Titov.
The first specimens of the insect were found as early as 2013 in the Bakal Gorge, but they were initially assigned to already known species. The moth's uniqueness was confirmed following a detailed morphological analysis.
The description of the new taxon was published in November in the specialist journal Entomological Studies.
The new species belongs to the owlet moth family (Noctuidae) and the subfamily Bryophilinae. The moth is nocturnal and has inconspicuous colouring: the forewings have a dark brown mottled pattern, the hindwings are noticeably lighter, and the body is grey-brown in colour.
The species name honours the Kazakh researcher Sergey Titov and the British specialist Anton Volynkin, who took part in its discovery, as well as the historian Manash Kozybayev (1931–2002). This year marks the 95th anniversary of the birth of the scholar, who was a Doctor of Historical Sciences and an academician.
