Astrotischeria yungasi Diškus & Stonis, 2021

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Fernández-Alonso, José L., Baryshnikova, Svetlana V. & Solis, M. Alma, 2021, Documenting trumpet leaf-miner moths (Tischeriidae): new Neotropical Coptotriche and Astrotischeria species, with notes on Sapindaceae as a host-plant family, Zootaxa 5047 (3), pp. 300-320 : 307-308

Astrotischeria yungasi Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5B1F462D-AB48-4D8B-A874-AB6E517825DF

( Figs. 7–9 , 23, 24 , 35–40 , 47, 48 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, BOLIVIA: Nor Yungas Province , Coroico, 16°12’25”S, 67°43’53”W, elevation ca. 1660 m, from feeding larva 15.vi.2018, field card no. 5268, leg. A. Diškus, J. R. Stonis, slide no. AD1070 (from adult in pupal exuvia) ( ZIN) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slides nos. AD1034 ♂ (from adult in pupal exuvia), AD1068 ♀ ( ZIN) ; 1 ♂, same label data, genitalia slide no. AD1069 ♂ (from adult in pupal exuvia) ( NRC) .

Diagnosis. Externally, this new species can be confused with other speckled Astrotischeria species , including A. mystica sp. nov. and A. parapallens sp. nov. (both described herein), but A. yungasi sp. nov. is slightly darker and smaller, 7.2–7.6 mm in wingspan. In the male genitalia, A. yungasi is the most similar to A. dondavisi Stonis & Diškus (see Stonis et al. 2019a) and A. truncata Diškus & Stonis (see Stonis et al. 2018). From the latter, yungasi differs in the absence of a short, truncated basal lobe of the valva, long vinculum, and the wide uncus. From A. dondavisi , A. truncata differs in the long vinculum, large dorsal lobes of the valva, large lobes of the uncus, and slender base of the phallus. In the female genitalia, character validity would be speculative because many Astrotischeria females are unknown and are undiscovered. Also see Remarks.

Male (see Remarks). Genitalia ( Figs. 35–40 ) with capsule 540–580 µm long, 210–225 µm wide. Uncus ( Figs. 35, 36 ) comprised of four lobes: two wide dorsal and two slender and slightly shorter ventro-lateral lobes. Valva ( Figs. 35, 37, 39 ) about 305 µm long (excluding the basal process); two dorsal lobes greatly developed (see Fig. 39 ); basal process of valva long ( Fig. 39 ). Anellus indistinctive, mostly membranous, with 2–3 setae laterally ( Fig. 40 ). Vinculum long, distally rounded. Phallus about 610 µm long, distally with two long and slender lobes ( Fig. 38 ).

Female ( Figs. 23, 24 ). Forewing length 3.3–3.5 mm; wingspan 7.2–7.6 mm (n = 2).

Head. Frons, palpi, and pectens pale yellow-ochre; frontal tuft comprised of distinctly wide, very glossy scales with some purple iridescence; frontal tuft metallic grey medially, dark golden yellow laterally and distally; collar pale ochre, inconspicuous; antenna slightly longer than one half the length of forewing; flagellum grey to blackish grey, sometimes indistinctly annulated with grey-cream.

Thorax. Tegula dark grey with purple iridescence, distally pale ochre; thorax pale ochre to bright ochre, sometimes grey medially. Forewing densely speckled with blackish grey or dark brown scales with some purple iridescence; three large oblique spots comprised of bright, very intense, yellow-ochre scales; fringe blackish grey; fringe line comprised of blackish brown scales; forewing underside dark grey-brown to blackish grey, without spots or androconia. Hindwing dark grey on upper side and underside, without androconia; fringe grey. Legs glossy grey, forelegs black-grey on upper side.

Abdomen. Very glossy, with some purple iridescence, metallic grey on upper side and underside, distally with pale ochre cream gloss on underside; genital segments grey. Genitalia ( Figs. 47, 48 ) about 1250 µm long. Oviposi- tor lobes small, oval, clothed with short, modified setae (‘peg setae’); area between ovipositor lobes relatively wide, with tiny papillae and some short setae. Second pair of lobes, lateral and anterior to the ovipositor lobes, very small, bearing a few very long slender setae, without stout, modified ‘peg setae’. Posterior and anterior apophyses almost equal in length; prela comprised of three pairs of unique, rod-like projections. Corpus bursae long and narrow, distally oval-shaped ( Fig. 47 ), without pectinations or signum. Accessory sac inconspicuous, oval-shaped; ductus spermathecae very slender with 3 or 4 very large coils.

Bionomics ( Figs. 7–9 ). Host plant is Oyedaea DC. (Asteraceae) , most likely the species O. boliviana Britton , which grows in this region of Bolivia ( Fig. 9 ). Larvae mine leaves in June. The blotch mine ( Figs. 7, 8 ) is very long, developed along the leaf margin; at the final stage the mine bends (distorts) the leaf ( Figs. 7, 8 ). Pupation inside the leaf mine. Adults occur in late June–July. Otherwise, biology is unknown.

Distribution. The species is known from the single locality in Bolivia (Nor Yungas Province: Coroico) at an elevation of about 1660 m.

Etymology. The species is named after the Nor Yungas Province where it was discovered.

Remarks. The external species description is based exclusively on female adults since all three available males are known from pupal exuviae (no pinned male adults are preserved).

Our unpublished molecular study shows A. yungasi sp. nov., A. dondavisi Stonis & Diškus and A. truncata Diškus & Stonis as three separate species; a phylogenetic tree will be published separately with a molecular analysis of Tischeriidae (Stonis et al. in prep.).

Figures

FIGURES 7–10. Bionomics of new Astrotischeria species. 7, 8, leaf mines of A. yungasi Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.; 9, Oyedaea DC., possibly O. boliviana (Lam.) King & Rob. (Asteraceae), a host plant of A. yungasi sp. nov., Bolivia, Nor Yungas Province, 1660 m; 10, a leaf mine of A. parapallens Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. on Baccharis sp., possibly B. latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. (Asteraceae), Ayacucho, Peru, 2510 m

FIGURES 19–24. Adults of new Astrotischeria species. 19–22, Astrotischeria mystica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.; 23, 24, Astrotischeria yungasi Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. (ZIN)

FIGURES 35–40. Male genitalia of Astrotischeria yungasi Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. 35, capsule with phallus removed, holotype, genitalia slide no. AD1070; 36, uncus, paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1034; 37, valvae and vinculum, paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1034; 38, phallus, holotype, genitalia slide AD1070; 39, 40, details of capsule, paratype, genitalia slide no. 1034 (ZIN)

FIGURES 47–52. Female genitalia of new Astrotischeria species. 47, 48, A. yungasi Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1068; 49, 50, A. mystica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1051; 51, 52, A. parapallens Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1042 (ZIN)