Astrotischeria incae Diškus & Stonis, 2023

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Orlovskytė, Svetlana, Solis, Alma, Paulavičiūtė, Brigita, Xu, Jiasheng & Dai, Xiaohua, 2023, Genera of Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera): a review of the global fauna, with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 5333 (1), pp. 1-131 : 97-98

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5333.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CC8CEE25-A7BD-48B3-B315-B67FB455748C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8269262
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4C61DB8E-7E6D-4019-BE53-0CC90FA3E2DC
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:4C61DB8E-7E6D-4019-BE53-0CC90FA3E2DC
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Astrotischeria incae Diškus & Stonis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Astrotischeria incae Diškus & Stonis View in CoL , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4C61DB8E-7E6D-4019-BE53-0CC90FA3E2DC

( Figs 453–481 View FIGURES 453–459 View FIGURES 460–467 View FIGURES 468–475 View FIGURES 476–481 )

Type material. Holotype: Ô, PERU: Urubamba Prov. , near Machu Picchu, 13°9’58”S, 72°32’26”W, elevation 2370 m, feeding larvae 20.x.2008, field card no. 4947, leg. A. Diškus [in collaboration with Quechua counterparts], genitalia slide no. AD1115 ( MfN) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 1 Ô, 1 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide nos AD1107Ô, AD1108 GoogleMaps ♀ ( MfN) .

Diagnosis. Externally, this new species can be confused with other sparsely speckled Astrotischeria species. However, the new species is characterized by the unique feature of females: they possess unusually long antennal sensilla unlike other Tischeriidae . In the male genitalia, A. incae sp. nov. resembles the Andean A. colombiana Stonis & Vargas , A. recta Diškus, Mey & Stonis , and particularly A. bachariphaga Diškus & Stonis. However , the combination of an inwardly strongly bent dorsal lobe of valva ( Fig. 466 View FIGURES 460–467 ), shape of uncus ( Fig. 462 View FIGURES 460–467 ), a triangular vinculum, and a phallus with two simple apical lobes distinguishes A. incae from all known congeneric species. The female genitalia of A. incae are without peg-like setae (distinctly atypical for Tischeriidae ) and, also unlike other Tischeriidae , with weakly divided, almost coalescent ovipositor lobes. The new species is also characterized by unique lobe-like projections of prela ( Fig. 474 View FIGURES 468–475 ), and numerous tiny spines on membrane between inner prela ( Figs 473, 475 View FIGURES 468–475 ).

DNA barcode. Unavailable.

Description. Male ( Figs 453–458 View FIGURES 453–459 ). Forewing length 3.3–3.6 mm; wingspan 7.1–8.0 mm (n = 2). Head: palpi greyish cream to pale brown-grey; frons very glossy, pale brown-grey; pecten small, very slender, predominantly pale grey; frontal tuft comprised of long grey-brown, cream-tipped lamellar scales, therefore, the frontal tuft pale grey-brown proximally, brownish cream distally; collar short, weakly paired, comprised of dark grey-brown, cream tipped lamellar scales; antenna slightly longer than one half the length of forewing; flagellum grey-brown; sensilla relatively short, very fine, almost indistinctive, whitish cream. Tegula dark grey-brown, with some cream-tipped scales distally; thorax grey-brown. Forewing yellow-ochre, densely irrorated with dark brown scales along the margins and on apex, with a tornal spot of dark brown scales (note that most of dark brown scales of forewing are cream-tipped); fringe grey-brown, without a fringe line; forewing underside grey-brown to dark grey-brown, without spots or androconia, except for small cream, irregular, scaleless spot basally. Hindwing grey-brown to dark grey-brown on upper side and underside, without androconia, but with very small scaleless basal spot; fringe pale ochreous brown to grey-brown. Legs densely covered with grey-brown scales, ochreous cream distally. Abdomen grey, golden glossy on upper side and underside; genital plates small, grey-cream, almost inconspicuous; anal tufts grey, relatively short.

Female ( Fig. 459 View FIGURES 453–459 ). Forewing length 3.9 mm; wingspan 8.6 mm (n = 1). Similar to male, but thorax and forewing tend to be paler, i.e., less speckled with dark brown scales. Palpi and frons grey-brown. Sensilla of antenna very fine, as for female, atypically long, i.e., of similar length as those in males.

Male genitalia ( Figs 460–467 View FIGURES 460–467 ) with capsule 425–500 µm long, 230–240 µm wide. Uncus comprised of two relative short, elongated, lateral lobes ( Fig. 462 View FIGURES 460–467 ) and two very short, rounded, median lobes ( Fig. 463 View FIGURES 460–467 ). Socii relatively small, membranous, indistinctive. Valva ca. 335 µm long; ventral lobe (main body of valva) slender; dorsal lobe strongly thickened, strongly bent inwardly ( Figs 461, 466 View FIGURES 460–467 ), basally, with hardened folds ( Fig. 465 View FIGURES 460–467 ). Anellus mostly membranous, thickened only laterally. Vinculum triangular. Phallus ca. 340–410 µm long, rod-like, divided in two simple elongated lobes in apical half ( Fig. 467 View FIGURES 460–467 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 468–475 View FIGURES 468–475 ) about 1710 µm long. Ovipositor lobes uniqually modified, very large, weakly individualized (almost undivided, coalescent), with numerous very slender setae but, in contrast to the general plan of the family Tischeriidae , without peg-like setae ( Fig. 470 View FIGURES 468–475 ); second pair of ovipositor lobes twice or three times smaller, with numerous relatively long setae. Posterior apophyses slightly shorter than anterior apophyses; prela comprised of three pairs of unique, rod-like projections, with lobe-like projections proximally ( Fig. 474 View FIGURES 468–475 ); inner prela long; membrane between the processes of inner prela with numerous tiny, weakly chitinized spines ( Figs 473, 475 View FIGURES 468–475 ). Corpus bursae with very long and extremely slender proximal part and small, oval-shaped main body without pectination ( Fig. 472 View FIGURES 468–475 ). Ductus spermathecae short, sinuous, with 3.5 relatively small but distinctive coils ( Fig. 471 View FIGURES 468–475 ) and large, irregularly shaped vesicle.

Bionomics ( Figs 476–481 View FIGURES 476–481 ). Host plant is unknown (unidentified Asteraceae plant) ( Fig. 477 View FIGURES 476–481 ). Larvae mine leaves in October. The initial part of the leaf mines is linear (gallery-like), almost completely filled with frass; later the leaf mine develops into an irregular blotch-like mine without frass or with very little frass. A nidus is invisible; the larva hides under a stained epidermis. Adults occur in late October—November. Otherwise, biology is unknown.

Distribution. This species is known from a single locality in Peru, Urubamba Province (near Machu Picchu), at an elevation of 2370 m.

Etymology. This species is named after the Inca, ancient Empire of South America, referring to the locality where the species was collected by us and our Quechua counterpart in a river valley near Machu Picchu.