Stigmella sparsella Diškus & Stonis, 2017

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Karsholt, Ole & Torres, Nixon Cumbicus, 2017, Illustrated review of the leaf-mining Nepticulidae of the central Andes (Peru and Bolivia), Zootaxa 4257 (1), pp. 1-70 : 54-55

40. Stigmella sparsella Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 9 , 12 , 34 , 37 , 40–42 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, PERU, Dept. Ayacucho, 25 km W Puquio, Senal Cerro Palmaderas , 3370 m, 10– 12.iii.1987, O. Karsholt, genitalia slide no. Diškus 197♂ ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. This rather large, externally speckled, in male genitalia highly peculiar species differs from other known Stigmella by the combination of a U-shaped gnathos, distictly bilobed uncus and specific apical clusters of spine-like cornuti.

Male ( Fig. 34 ). Forewing length about 3.6 mm; wingspan about 7.6 mm. Head: palpi grey cream; frontal tuft pale orange, fuscous brown on frons; collar cream; scape cream with some brown scales; antenna longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 41 segments, grey to grey-brown on upper side and underside, glossy. Thorax and tegula cream, densely speckled with brown brown scales. Forewing cream to silvery cream, irregularly speckled with pale brown to dark brown scales without purple or blue iridescence; at certain angle of view, forewing looks brown irrorated with greyish white scales; fringe pale brown; underside of forewing grey-brown, with no spots. Hindwing and its fringe pale brown on upper side and underside, with no spots or androconia. Legs fuscous brown on uppr side, silvery cream on underside.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 40–42 ). Capsule longer (305 µm) than wide (220 µm). Uncus bilobed. Gnathos U-shaped ( Fig. 42 ). Valva 205–210 µm long, 40–50 µm wide, with two very short apical processes; transtilla with short sublateral processes. Juxta absent or indistictive. Vinculum with short, slender lateral lobes. Phallus ( Fig. 41 ) 220 µm long, 70–85 µm wide; vesica with two distinctive apical clusters of spine-like cornuti.

Bionomics Adults fly in March. Otherwise biology unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 9 ). This species occurs in the Peruvian Andes ( Peru: Ayacucho Departamento) at altitudes about 3370 m ( Fig. 12 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin sparsus (mottled, speckled) in reference to the distinctly speckled moth (the densely irrorated thorax, tegula and forewing).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Adults of central Andean Nepticulidae.

FIGURE 37. Diagnostics of the central Andean Stigmella.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Distribution of the central Andean Nepticulidae. 9, species recorded at altitudes below 3700 m; 10, 11, some collecting areas in Peru. * — Stigmella epicosma Meyrick is also known from Arica Province, northern Chile (Vargas 2011); ** – S. inca sp. nov. is also discovered in southern Ecuador.

FIGURES 12 – 18. Distribution of some central Andean Nepticulidae. 12 – 14, 17, 18, habitats, Peru; 15, 16, distribution maps.

FIGURES 38 – 42. Male genitalia of new Stigmella species. 38, 39, S. paracosma Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype, genitalia slide no. Diškus 187 (ZMUC); 40, S. sparsella Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype, genitalia slide no. Diškus 197 (ZMUC), capsule with phallus removed; 41, same, phallus; 42, same, uncus and gnathos.