Telamoptilia grewiae, Liu, Tengteng, Wang, Shuxia & Li, Houhun, 2015

Liu, Tengteng, Wang, Shuxia & Li, Houhun, 2015, Description of Telamoptiliagrewiae sp. n. and the consequences for the definition of the genera Telamoptilia and Spulerina (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae, Gracillariinae), ZooKeys 479, pp. 121-133 : 123-127

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Gracillariidae

Telamoptilia grewiae sp. n. Figures 1-6, 7−9, 10−13, 14−19, 20−23, 24-32

Description.

Adults (Figs 1-2) with wing span 6.0−8.0 mm. Head silvery white, tinged with gray on face. Labial palpus grayish white, colored blackish gray on outer surface of distal half of second segment and before apex of third segment. Maxillary palpus white, with middle or distal half blackish fuscous. Antenna with scape white on posterior half, blackish gray on anterior half and distal portion, flap blackish gray tinged with white, as wide as scape in frontal view; flagellum silvery grayish fuscous, with each unit blackish distally. Thorax and tegula blackish gray mixed with white. Legs mostly white; foreleg with coxa blackish fuscous basally and distally, femur and tibia blackish fuscous, tarsus blackish gray distally on each except last segment; midleg with coxa blackish fuscous distally, femur blackish fuscous, except white medially and distally on dorsal surface, with ventral scale expansion blackish fuscous, tibia blackish fuscous basally and distally, white medially, tarsus white, each except last segment dotted blackish fuscous distally; hindleg with coxa blackish fuscous distally, femur blackish fuscous distally on outer surface, tibia blackish fuscous basally and distally, tarsus with basal three segments blackish fuscous distally, fourth segment dotted blackish fuscous dorso-distally. Forewing grayish fuscous to blackish fuscous; costal margin with a white spot basally at about 1/10 and one before apex, the former sometimes touching fold posteriorly, with white stria at distal 3/10 and 1/6 obliquely outward, reaching middle of wing and near termen respectively; transverse white fascia from costal 1/3 and 1/2 obliquely outward, reaching dorsal 1/2 and before end of fold respectively, edged with blackish fuscous to black scales, inner fascia wider than outer one, widened on posterior half; small white dot on distal end of M3, two or three small white dots along termen; apex blackish fuscous; cilia mostly blackish fuscous basally, gray distally, white adjacent to white markings, white on basal 1/4, black on median part, gray distally at apex, gray along dorsal margin. Hindwing and cilia uniformly gray.

Variations. The white costal spot at about basal 1/10 is sometimes reduced to a small dot near the costa, the white costal stria at distal 3/10 is occasionally extended to unite the dot on the distal end of M3, the costal stria at distal 1/6 is sometimes wedge-shaped or absent, the white dot at the distal end of M3 sometimes moves to near distal end of cell, and the small white dots along termen sometimes are absent.

Venation (Fig. 7). Forewing with R5 totally untraceable, thus R4 not stalked, otherwise matching the generic characters ( Kumata et al. 1988), with most notably the absence of R1.

Male genitalia (Figs 8a−d). Tegumen with basal half same width, median portion slightly widened, distal half almost triangular, rounded apically; three or four long setae along lateral side. Valva 1.7 times as long as tegumen, with basal 3/4 same width, distal 1/4 apparently narrowed, bluntly pointed apically. Saccus subtriangular, rounded api cally. Aedeagus straight, almost as long as valva; distal half heavily sclerotized, with a triangular distal process about 1/8 length of aedeagus, pointed apically (Fig. 8c); vesica with dense spines becoming stronger towards distal (Fig. 8b). Eighth tergite with apodeme reaching posterior 1/3 of seventh segment, nearly parallel-sided (Fig. 8d).

Female genitalia (Fig. 9). Antrum a ring, disconnected ventrally, embed with a heavily sclerotized belt medially. Ductus bursae membranous, extremely short, not reaching anterior margin of seventh segment, wrinkled basally, without spines. Corpus bursae oval, membranous, without spines; signum slender and long, curved by 150° medially, posterior half slightly S-shaped, anterior half curved at anterior 2/5, sometimes slightly C-shaped.

Last instar larva (Figs 10-23). Length 4.0 mm, pale green to yellowish green. Three stemmata present (Fig. 11). Spiracles on TI and A8 larger; prolegs on A3−5 each with 2−4 crochets (Fig. 18), those on A10 without crochets. (Five larvae and two last instar larval skins examined)

Head. Adfrontal area slightly convex above middle, AF setae placed on convexity (Fig. 12); A3 longest, followed by A1, Aa internal to half way of A2 and A3, near margin of adfrontal area; P1 lateral to AF2, near margin of adfrontal area, P2 dorsal to A3, slightly shorter than P1; three MD setae placed posterior to P2, arranged in line, Pa internal and slightly anterior to MD2; O2 longest, followed by O3; SO1 as long as SO2, SO3 shorter, SOa near SO1; G1 posterior to SO3.

Thorax. TI with XD, D, and SD setae placed on prothoracic shield, XD1 near anterior margin of prothoracic shield (Fig. 16), XDa anterior to D2, SD2 near ventral margin of prothoracic shield; L-group bisetose, L2 dorsal and posterior to L1; SV-group bisetose, sharing pinaculum. TII with D1 near anterior dorsal margin, MD1 near posterior margin of prothoracic shield, anterior to D2; SD2 close to D2, SD1 anterior and ventral to SD2; L-group bisetose, L2 absent, L3 posterior and dorsal to L1; SV-group unisetose, with a micro seta anterior to SV1. TIII similar to TII.

Abdomen. A1−8 with D1 and D2 closely approximated to each other, MD1 seta anterior and slightly dorsal to D1, SD1 posterior and dorsal to spiracle, SD2 shorter than SD1, anterior and dorsal to spiracle, closer to spiracle than SD1, L-group bisetose, L2 seta absent; A1 and A7−9 with SV-group unisetose, A2 and A6 bisetose, A3−5 trisetose; A9 with D1 short, MD1 seta anterior to D1, SD1 anterior and ventral to D2, as long as D2, SD1, L1, SV1 and V1 almost forming a line; A10 as shown in Fig. 19.

Pupa (Figs 24-32). Vertex with frontal process (cocoon cutter) triangular, densely covered with denticles dorsally, with 8−10 longitudinal grooves ventrally (Figs 25-25a); a pair of sensilla near base of each labial palpus, with inner sensillum three times longer than outer one (Figs 26-27); labial palpus 3.4 times longer than maxillary palpus. TII and TIII each bearing a pair of seta dorsally. A1−9 each carrying a pair of seta dorsally; A2−6 each bearing a pair of seta laterally, with one postero-ventral to spiracle, one internal to spiracle, shorter (Fig. 28); A2−10 densely covered with minute spines dorsally, which become stronger towards anterior margin on A2−7; cremaster with 9−11 denticles (Figs 29, 31-32). (Two preparations of exuviae and two pupae examined).

Diagnosis.

The new species mostly resembles Telamoptilia prosacta , especially in the male genitalia. However, it can be recognized by the male genitalia with the tegumen having 3−4 long setae on each lateral side, and the valva width does not change in the basal 3/4; in Telamoptilia prosacta , the tegumen has 9−12 long setae on each lateral side and the valva is slightly wider at middle. In the female genitalia, Telamoptilia grewiae sp. n. can easily be separated from all other Telamoptilia by the extremely short ductus bursae, not reaching the anterior margin of the seventh abdominal segment. The signum lacks a median process and is thereby more similar to signa in Spulerina , especially to that of Spulerina parthenocissi Kumata & Kuroko, 1988, than to those in Telamoptilia .

Type materials.

Holotype, ♂, China: Mt. Baxian National Nature Reserves (117°33'N, 40°11'E), 300−600 m, Ji county, Tianjin, larva coll. 6-ix-2013, ex. Grewia biloba , emerged 9-iii-2014 (indoors), leg. Tengteng Liu. Paratypes: 2♂, 1♀, larvae coll. 24-vi-2013, emerged 6−7-vii-2013, 1♂, 1♀, larva coll. 29-vi-2013, emerged 5-vii-2013, 4♂, 3♀, larva coll. 8-viii-2013, emerged 19−20, 22-viii-2013, 1♂, 1♀, emerged 13, 22-ix-2013, 1♂, larva coll. 12-ix-2013, emerged iv-2014 (indoors), 2♀, larva coll. 30-vi-2014, other data as holotype, genitalia slide Nos. LTT12255♀, LTT12256−7♂, LTT12261♂, LTT12555♀, LTT12556−7♂; 1♂, 300 m, 29-vi-2014, by light, leg. Kaijian Teng & Tengteng Liu, other data as holotype, genitalia slide No. LTT12561.

Non-type materials.

5 larvae, 25-vi-2013, 6-ix-2013, stored in ethanol, other data as holotype, BXS130628, BXS130942; 1 last instar larval skin, larva coll. 6-ix-2013, emerged 13-iii-2014, other data as holotype, mounted in Canada balsam, slide no. LTT1403L; 1 last instar larval skin, 24-vi-2013, stored in glycerine, other data as holotype, BXS130632; 2 pupal exuviae, 29-vi-2014, other data as holotype, mounted in Canada balsam, slide Nos. LTT1401−2L.

Host plants.

Grewia biloba G. Don and its variety parviflora Hand. -Mazz. ( Malvaceae ). Telamoptilia grewiae sp. n. is thus far the only species in Gracillariinae that is known to feed on Grewia . The plant family Malvaceae appears to be the main host for Telamoptilia with now four out of six species feeding on this family ( Telamoptilia tiliae on Tilia , Telamoptilia cathedraea on Urena , Telamoptilia geyeri on Pavonia ).

Distribution.

China (Tianjin).

Biology.

The larva mines on the upper surface of the host plant leaf. The mine begins as an epidermal silvery curved white line which soon enlarges to a whitish blotch. Yellowish-fuscous or fuscous lines can be found on the surface of the blotch. As the larva develops, the blotch usually incorporates the earlier linear mine. The last instar larva vacates the mine for pupation by chewing a semicircular opening near the margin of the blotch. No body colour transfer occurs in the full-grown larva of this species, compared to other Telamoptilia larvae which turn red when fully grown ( Kumata et al. 1988). Some host plants can be seriously damaged by the mines in early September. Cocoons are usually found inlaid the leaf wrinkles, or occasionally in the corner of the rearing container. The cocoon is brown, with 2−3 brown minute bubbles on the surface. This species overwinters in pupa.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the host plant genus Grewia , indicating the host of the new species.