Chlamydastis Meyrick 1916: 481

Phillips-Rodríguez, Eugenie, Brown, John W., Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2021, Chlamydastis Meyrick of Costa Rica: barcodes, biology, and descriptions of 36 new species (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae), Insecta Mundi 2021 (868), pp. 1-96 : 4-5

Chlamydastis Meyrick 1916: 481

Type species: Stenoma lactis Busck, 1911 , by original designation.

Meyrick (1916) defined Chlamydastis based primarily on wing venation, but he also mentioned the following features: absence of ocelli; presence of upraised scales in the discal cell of the forewing; short, densely scaled tibia of the foreleg; and tarsi longer than the tibia. Blanchard and Knudson (1986) mentioned the long, specialized setae (scales) from the inner margin of valva in the male genitalia as “conspicuously dilated at their apices forming an arrowhead shape.” However, they dismissed this as a generic character for Chlamydastis because of its presumed presence in other genera of Stenomatinae . Hodges (1998) and Powell and Opler (2009) likewise mentioned the highly modified setae as a Stenomatinae feature. In contrast, Duckworth (1971) concluded that the presence of “multilobed setae” (i.e., an arrowhead-shaped or umbrella-shaped tip) from the valvae in the male genitalia of Chlamydastis and Setiostoma Zeller, [1876] [now Rectiostoma ] appears to define a major division within the Stenomatinae . Hence, although specialized male setae from the valva may represent a synapomorphy for Stenomatinae , the unique arrowhead tipped setae likely represent a synapomorphy for Chlamydastis + Rectiostoma . The two genera are extremely dissimilar in size and facies, and therefore, are easily distinguished superficially. Until a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genera of Stenomatinae is conducted, we assume that Duckworth’s (1971) hypothesis is correct – Chlamydastis + Rectiostoma represents a monophyletic group. Rectiostoma is easily distinguished from Chlamydastis by its diminutive size and two-toned forewing pattern. This circumscription of these two genera follows the concepts of Becker (1984) in his contribution to the Checklist of Neotropical Lepidoptera .

The species of Chlamydastis treated herein are organized into 11 informal species groups listed below. Each group is an assemblage of species with morphological similarities that likely represent synapomorphies, but as of yet, are untested in a phylogenetic context. Two additional species that do not fit convincingly into any of the species groups are placed under “Unassigned.”

In Costa Rica, information on the biology of Chlamydastis comes nearly exclusively from the caterpillar inventory of Janzen and Hallwachs (2016, 2019), with 15 species of Chlamydastis feeding exclusively on Sapotaceae and one species each exclusively on Clethraceae , Vochysiaceae , Combretaceae , and Melastomataceae ( Janzen and Hallwachs 2019) . In a study on parasitoids reared from caterpillars in ACG, Sharkey et al. (2011) found that Chlamydastis caterpillars are mostly leaf tiers, constructing shelters with silk and fecal pellets between two leaves. The larvae typically skeletonize the leaf, but also feed at the leaf edges. Other studies from Brazil ( Morais et al. 2005) report C. smodicopa (Meyrick, 1915) feeding on the leaves of Styrax ferrugineus Nees and Mart. (Styracaceae) and building an oval shelter joining two leaves with silk from which the concealed caterpillar feeds on adjacent leaves. Monteiro et al. (2007) reported C. fragmentella (Dognin, 1914) feeding on Manilkara subsericea (Mart.) Dubard (Sapotaceae) , skeletonizing the leaf and building a shelter by joining two leaves with silk and pupating in that shelter. Bendicho-Lopez et al. (2003) reported that 75% of the larvae of C. platyspora (Meyrick, 1932) that they collected fed on old and mature leaves of Roupala montana Aubl. (Proteaceae) .

Vividella Species Group

Chlamydastis vividella ( Busck, 1914)

Chlamydastis abelulatei Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis carolinagodoyae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis angelsolisi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis lindapitkinae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis iangauldi Phillips and Brown , new species

Curviliniella Species Group

Chlamydastis anniapicadoae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis antonioazofeifai Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis mignondavisae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis marianofigueresi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis colleenhitchcockae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis bernardoespinozai Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis bobandersoni Phillips and Brown , new species

Mendoron Species Group

Chlamydastis carlosviquezi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis christerhanssoni Phillips and Brown , new species

Phytoptera Species Group

Chlamydastis phytoptera ( Busck, 1914)

Chl a mydastis christhompsoni Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis paulhansoni Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis elenaulateae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis gladysrojasae Phillips and Brown , new species

Tryphon Species Group

Chlamydastis powelli Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis gracewoodae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis juanmatai Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis isidrochaconi Phillips and Brown , new species

Molinella Species Group

Chlamydastis jimlewisi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis jimmilleri Phillips and Brown , new species

Orion Species Group

Chlamydastis orion ( Busck, 1920)

Chlamydastis montywoodi Phillips and Brown , new species

Deflexa Species Group

Chlamydastis johnnoyesi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis luisdiegogomezi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis paulthiaucourti Phillips and Brown , new species

Disticha Species Group

Chlamydastis dondavisi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis irenecanasae Phillips and Brown , new species

Cystiodes Species Group

Chlamydastis manuelzumbadoi Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis noramartinae Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis vitorbeckeri Phillips and Brown , new species

Ronaldzunigai Species Group

Chlamydastis ronaldzunigai Phillips and Brown , new species

Chlamydastis munifigueresae Phillips and Brown , new species

Unassigned to Species Group

Chlamydastis ungulifera ( Meyrick, 1929)

Chlamydastis willsflowersi Phillips and Brown , new species