Sparganocosma docsturnerorum Brown

Brown, John W., Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2013, A food plant specialist in Sparganothini: A new genus and species from Costa Rica (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), ZooKeys 303, pp. 53-63 : 56-60

Sparganocosma docsturnerorum Brown sp. n. Figures 1-8

Diagnosis.

Sparganocosma docsturnerorum can be distinguished from all other Sparganothini , and from all other Tortricidae , by the characters discussed in the diagnosis of the genus above. The distinctive forewing pattern easily distinguishes it from all other Sparganothini , and it is further differentiated by unique features of the male genitalia and female.

Description.

Head: Vertex pale buff with variably developed patch of pale maroon medially; frons and labial palpus slightly lighter pale buff. Antenna mostly pale buff, except scape maroon. Thorax: Tegula pale buff, nota maroon, except pale cream along narrow lateral margins. Legs mostly pale brown with narrow pale-yellow banding. Forewing (Figures 3, 4) length 8.8-11.0 mm (mean = 9.9; n = 10) in male, 10.5-13.0 mm (mean 11.6; n = 10) in female; forewing with two large ovoid patches of pale buff in costal region, one from base to approximately 0.5 distance to apex, the other in distal 0.45, basal patch less defined in female, irregularly overscaled with brown; patches infrequently separated by narrow brown remnant of median fascia; patches usually with small flecks of brown; remainder of wing with broad brown longitudinal band along dorsum, narrowest at base, broadest at termen, with faint traces of pale buff along veins in distal part of wing or with tiny spots of pale buff near wing margin; longitudinal band along dorsum infrequently paler or lacking altogether in male. Fringe pale buff. Hindwing rather uniformly dark gray brown, slightly darker in female. Fringe pale cream gray. Abdomen: Pale brownish gray. Male genitalia (Figure 5) as described above for genus. Female genitalia (Figure 6) as described above for genus.

Holotype, ♂, Costa Rica, Alajuela Province, Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Sector Rincón Rain Forest, Río Francia Arriba, 400 m, 10.89666N, 85.29003W, 24 Feb 2002, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez; ec: 29 Mar 2004 (04-SRNP-40557).

Paratypes (32♂, 41♀). COSTA RICA: Alajuela Province: Área de Conservación Guanacaste: Sector Rincón Rain Forest: Sendero Anonas, 405 m, 10.90528N, 85.27882W, 23 Nov 2001, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 28 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411); ec: 29 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.01); ec: 30 Dec 2001 (1♂) (01-SRNP-23411.02); ec: 29 Dec 2001 (1♂) (01-SRNP-23411.04); ec: 30 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.07); ec: 30 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.09); ec: 30 Dec 2001 (1♂) (01-SRNP-23411.11); ec: 27 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.12); ec: 29 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.19); ec: 20 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.21); ec: 28 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.22); ec: 29 Dec 2001 (1♂) (01-SRNP-23411.26); ec: 29 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.27); ec: 30 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.28); ec: 28 Dec 2001 (1♀) (01-SRNP-23411.31); 7 Nov 2011, A. Córdoba, ec: 9 Dec 2011 (1♂), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-44797). Jacobo, 461 m, 10.94076N, 85.3177W, 19 May 2011, Calixto Moraga, ec: 10 Jun 2011 (3♀), ec: 9 Jun 2011 (3♂), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-80462, 11-SRNP-80464, 11-SRNP-80449, 11-SRNP-80457, 11-SRNP-80459, 11-SRNP-80448). Sendero Rincón, 430 m, 10.8962N, 85.27769W, 18 Aug 2000, r.f. Asplundia utilis , ec: 9 Sep 2000 (1♂) (00-SRNP-14214); ec: 12 Sep 2000 (1♀) (00-SRNP-14216). Sendero Rincón, 430 m, 10.8962N, 85.27769W, 15 Feb 2006, r.f. Asplundia utilis , Minor Carmona, ec: 13 Mar 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-40592), ec: 14 Mar 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-40590), ec: 14 Mar 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-40591). Vado Río Francia, 400 m, 10.90093N, 85.28915W, 20 Feb 2002, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 18 Apr 2002 (1♂) (02-SRNP-6476); ec: 24 Mar 2004 (1♂) (02-SRNP-6474). Río Francia Arriba, 400 m, 10.89666N, 85.29003W, 24 Feb 2002, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez; ec: 29 Mar 2004 (1♂) (04-SRNP-40555); ec: 30 Mar 2002 (1♂) (04-SRNP-40556); ec: 30 Mar 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-40553); 30 Mar 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-40558); 24 May 2004, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 28 Jun 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-41311); 25 Oct 2011, A. Córdoba, ec: 4 Dec 2011 (1♀), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-44698); 18 Mar 2011, A. Córdoba, ec: 12 Apr 2011 (1♂), 13 Apr 2011 (1♀), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-41257, 11-SRNP-41260); 7 Oct 2010, Pablo Calderón, ec: 17 Nov 2010 (1♂), ec: 19 Nov 2010 (1♀), r.f. Asplundis utilis (10-SRNP-43639, 10-SRNP-43637); 18 Mar 2011, A. Córdoba, ec: 12 Apr 2011 (1♂, 1♀), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-41261, 11-SRNP-41259). Montanya Figueres, 460 m, 10.88367N, 85.29081W, 22 Oct 2009, r.f. Asplundia utilis , Pablo Umaña, ec: 29 Nov 2009 (1♂) (09-SRNP-43035). Finca Aurita, 460 m, 10.88409N, 85.25728W, 4 Jan 2007, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 1 Feb 2007 (1♂) (07-SRNP-40058); ec: 3 Feb 2007 (1♀) (07-SRNP-40050), ec: 2 Feb 2007 (1♀) (07-SRNP-40045). Finca Aurita, 460 m, 10.88409N, 85.25728W, 23 Nov 2006, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 2 Jan 2007 (1♀) (06-SRNP-44494). Quebrada Guarumo, 400 m, 10.90445N, 85.28412W, 24 Jul 2006, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 1 Sep 2006 (1♂) (06-SRNP-42634); ec: 1 Sep 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-42629); ec: 2 Sep 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-42628); ec: 31 Aug 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-42631); ec: 1 Sep. 2006 (1♀) (06-SRNP-42632); 3 Mar 2011, A. Córdoba, ec: 11 Apr 2011 (1♂),ec: 10 Apr 2011 (1♀), r.f. Asplundis utilis (11-SRNP-41108, 11-SRNP-41109). Sendero Parcelas, 375 m, 10.90777N, -85.29137, 26 Aug 2004, r.f. Asplundia utilis , José Pérez, ec: 23 Sep 2004 (1♂) (04-SRNP-42252), 25 Sep. 2004 (1♂) (04-SRNP-42253), 25 Sep 2004 (1♂) (04-SRNP-42251), 26 Sep. 2004 (1♂) (04-SRNP-42254), ec: 28 Sep 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-42248), ec: 7 Sep 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-42249), 29 Sep 2004 (1♀) (04-SRNP-42250). Quebrada Escondida, 420 m, 10.89928N, 85.27486W, 4 Mar 2002, r.f. Asplundia utilis , ec: 27 Mar 2002 (1♀) (02-SRNP-6614), ec: 27 Mar 2002 (1♀) (02-SRNP-6613). Camino Porvenir, 383 m, 10.90383N, 85.25964W, 5 Feb 2007, r.f. Asplundia utilis , Minor Carmona, ec: 3 Mar 2007 (1♀) (07-SRNP-40382). Sendero Juntas, 400 m, 10.90661N, 85.28784W, 21 Jan 2007, r.f. Asplundia utilis , Minor Carmona, ec: 1 Mar 2007 (1♀) (07-SRNP-40231). Guanacaste Province: Sector San Cristobal: Río Blanco Abajo, 500 m, 10.90037N, 85.37254W, 12 Dec, 2011, C. Cano, ec: 8 Jan 2012 (2♂), ec: 9 Jan 2012 (1♂), ec: 12 Jan 2012 (1♂), ec: 9 Jan 2012 (1♂), r.f. Asplundia microphylla (11-SRNP-4889, 11-SRNP-4899, 11-SRNP-4891, 11-SRNP-4904, 11-SRNP-4903). Rio Blanco Abajo, 500 m, 10.90037N, 85.37254W, 12 Dec 2011, r.f. Asplundia microphylla , Carolina Cano, ec: 10 Jan 2012 (2♂) (11-SRNP-4882, 11-SRNP-4888); ec: 8 Jan 2012 (1♂) (11-SRNP-4886). Sector Pitilla, Quebradona, 475 m, 10.99102N, 85.39539W, 21 May 2011, Ricardo Calero, ec: 5 Jun 2011 (1♀), r.f., unknown plant (11-SRNP-71121).

Distribution and biology.

Sparganocosma docsturnerorum is known only from this one small area of Costa Rica, despite intensive moth collecting throughout Costa Rica by Janzen, Hallwachs, the INBio parataxonomists, and visiting scientists for over 30 years. The entire type series (n = 53) was reared from larvae collected while they were feeding on Asplundia utilis (Oerst.) Harling and Asplundia microphylla (Oerst.) Harling ( Cyclanthaceae ) growing in the heavily shaded rain forest understory at intermediate elevations (375-500 m) in ACG. Although some rearing records previously reported the food plant as Carlodovica costaricensis ( Cyclanthaceae ), this name is currently considered a synonym of Asplundia utilis (Williams 1961), and the project databases have been updated accordingly. With exceedingly few documented exceptions, species of Sparganothini are moderately to highly polyphagous (Powell and Brown 2012), typically feeding on two or more plant families. Hence, it is interesting that Sparganocosma docsturnerorum has been reared from a single plant genus in ACG, suggesting a high degree of host plant specialization. Of course, this does not preclude the possibility that it feeds on other plants in other parts of its range, wherever that may be. The range of this moth will be difficult to determine given its apparent lack of attraction to lights.

Superficially, the penultimate instar of Sparganocosma docsturnerorum is pale translucent yellow-gold, with fine, long, pale setae from unmarked pinacula (Figure 7). The head is nearly uniformly amber with a small black spot in the stemmatal area. The pupa is typically tortricoid (Figure 8), with two rows of spines on the dorsum of abdominal segments 3-9, and lacks dorsal pits. Development time from prepupa to eclosion required 21-25 days. In the course of the ACG caterpillar inventory through 2011, 223 larvae of Sparganocosma docsturnerorum have been collected and reared. From these rearings have emerged 13 solitary parasitoid wasps, Sphelodon wardae Godoy & Gauld ( Ichneumonidae ; Banchinae ), the host of which was formerly unknown ( Godoy & Gauld 2002). This wasp oviposits in the larva and exits from the prepupal larva inside the moth’s cocoon, where it spins its own flimsy cocoon. In the entire ACG caterpillar inventory, about 510,000 wild-caught caterpillars have yielded about 52,000 parasitoid records, of which the 13 records of Sphelodon wardae have come only from Sparganocosma docsturnerorum , along with four records of an undescribed parasitoid fly ( Actia , Tachinidae ) from the same sample of moth larvae. If Sphelodon wardae is a specialist on Sparganocosma docsturnerorum as the data suggest, then the geographic distribution of the moth likely includes the localities from which the parasitoid has been recorded - the provinces of Limón, Cartago, Guanacaste, and Heredia, at elevations between 400 and 1000 m.

The near absence of field-collected adults (we examined one genitalia slide of a presumably light-collected specimen from the OET Estación Biologica La Selva, Heredia, Costa Rica, but could not locate the associated adult) suggests that this species is not attracted to light, especially since light-trapping has been conducted on many nights during the Lepidoptera inventory of this ACG rain forest ecosystem ( Janzen et al. 2009). A similar phenomenon is observed in Aesiocopa where the vast majority of specimens has been either reared or collected from malaise traps ( Brown in press). In contrast, virtually all species of Amorbia , Sparganothoides , Coelostathma , Platynota , and other ACG sparganothines are frequently encountered at lights and/or collected in light traps.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a patronym for Drs. John Turner and Nancy Turner of Ardmore, Tennessee, USA, whose intense curiosity about tropical Lepidoptera in general, and Riodinidae specifically, has psychologically and financially strongly supported the Lepidoptera inventory of ACG.