Manoneura forcipis Remeikis & Stonis

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 : 58

43. Manoneura forcipis Remeikis & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 9 , 33 , 95 , 96 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, PERU, Dept. Apurimac, 47: 12 km N Abancay, Cerro Turonmocco , elevation 3500 m, 17–18.iii.1987, O. Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA 552♂ ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. The combination of a shiny, coppery brown forewing, highly specific valva, unique pseudotranstilla, and narrow phallus with long carinae in the male genitalia distinguishes M. forcipis from all other Nepticulidae including congeneric species.

Male ( Fig. 33 ). Forewing length about 2.7 mm; wingspan about 5.9 mm. Head: palpi brownish grey; frontal tuft brown; collar and scape coppery brown; antenna slightly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 46 segments, brown, glossy. Thorax, tegula and forewing shiny coppery brown with some purple iridescence; forewing narrow, with narrow subapical fascia of silvery shiny scales; fringe coppery brown; underside of forewing dark brown, without spots or androconia. Hindwing and its cilia pale coppery brown, little glossy on upper side and underside, without spots or androconia. Legs glossy, grey-brown, with some purple iridescence.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 95 , 96 ). Capsule much longer (575 µm) than wide (285 µm). Vinculum very large, widely rounded, without lateral lobes. Uncus and gnathos form a lock (see fig. 96). Valva 175–180 µm long, 55–60 µm wide, with one large apical process, triangular inner lobe and elaborated basal part; basal processes of valvae extremely long, connected with a very large, wrinkled plate (named here as a pseudotranstilla, see fig. 95). Phallus ( Figs 95 , 96 ) 645 µm long, 75–95 µm wide, with four carinae and extraordinary long, tube-like cathrema.

Bionomics. Adults fly in March. Otherwise biology unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 9 ). This species occurs in the Peruvian Andes ( Peru: Apurimac Departamento) at altitudes about 3500 m.

Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin forcipus (tongs) in reference to the tongs-like valva and tweezers-like phallus in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Adults of the central Andean Nepticulidae.

FIGURE 95. Male genitalia of Manoneura forcipis Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype, genitalia slide no. RA 552 (ZMUC).

FIGURE 96. Details of male genitalia of Manoneura forcipis Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype, genitalia slide no. RA 552 (ZMUC).

FIGURES 1 – 8. Distribution of the central Andean Nepticulidae. 1, high-Andean species recorded at altitudes above 3700 m (after Stonis et al. 2016 d); 2, species recorded at altitudes below 3700 m; 3 – 8, some collecting areas in the Peruvian Andes.

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.