Pectinivalva (Menurella) quintiniae Hoare & Van Nieukerken

Hoare, Robert J. B. & Nieukerken, Erik J. van, 2013, Phylogeny and host-plant relationships of the Australian Myrtaceae leafmining moth genus Pectinivalva (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae), with new subgenera and species, ZooKeys 278, pp. 1-64 : 41-42

Pectinivalva (Menurella) quintiniae Hoare & Van Nieukerken sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype. ♂, Tullawalal, Lamington National Park, Qld, [UTM: 56J NP188794], la. 19.viii.2004, 900-940 m, [rainforest], emg. 25.ix.-6.x.2004, Quintinia verdonii , E.J. van Nieukerken, R.J.B. Hoare, RMNH/EvN no. 2004100, genitalia slide 18720 (anic) (= EJvN 3960). Paratypes. 2♂, 6♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slides ♂: EvN 3736, ♀: EvN 3961, 3993 (anic, rmnh); 2♀, 28.28S,153.07E, Bar Mountain, Border Ranges Nat. Pk, N.S.W., emg. 21-23.viii.2000, Quintinia verdonii , C. van den Berg, R.J.B. Hoare (anic, rmnh).

Additional material: leafmines from same localities.

Description.

Male (Fig. 15). Wingspan 4.7-4.8 mm. Head: frontal tuft ferruginous; collar inconspicuous, consisting of shining pale grey scales; eyecaps basally white, exteriorly shining grey with violet reflections; antennae shining dark grey, whitish beneath, ca. 35-38 segments. Thorax, tegulae and forewing uniform shining fuscous with strong blue to violet reflections; cilia greyish fuscous. Hindwing unmodified, grey; cilia grey. Underside: forewing dark greyish fuscous; hindwing grey. Abdomen shining dark greyish fuscous; anal tuft inconspicuous, fuscous.

Female (Figs 16, 128). Wingspan 5.0-5.8 mm. Similar to male, but antenna with ca. 27 segments, and forewing rather broader.

Male genitalia (Figs 55-57, 67-69). Capsule ca. 425-465 μm long, ovoid. Anterior edge of vinculum rounded, without excavation. Tegumen rounded, without ventral extensions. Uncus rectangular, bilobed, lobes strongly produced, with ca. 6 setae on each. Gnathos central element long, reaching just beyond uncus, tapering apically. Valva (Fig. 56) ca. 305-320 μm long, rounded caudally; apically fringed with numerous spine-like setae on dorsal surface; pectinifer absent, but apex of valva thickened and well-sclerotized. Long sublateral processes present. Juxta a subrectangular plate. Aedeagus (Figs 57, 69) ca. 455-480 μm long, a curved spine arising towards apex on left. Vesica basally with many broad, short cornuti, grading into field of much larger longer cornuti towards apex.

Female genitalia (Fig. 78, 79, 95-97). Total length ca. 950 μm. T9 produced on each side into prominent anal papillae, each with a group of 5-6 setae. Apophyses anteriores moderately narrow, curved inwards; apophyses posteriores narrow, straight, distinctly shorter than anteriores. Lateral sclerotizations of vestibulum strongly developed, thick, not forked but with outer tooth-like process at ca. ½ length. Ductus spermathecae with 2½ convolutions. Posterior part of corpus broad, folded, without markings; anterior part rounded, with faint pectinations; signum consisting of broken linear sclerotization surrounded by oval sclerotized ring with blunt dentitions; an elongate band of scobination opposite signum.

Larva. Green. Head as in Fig. 108; length of head ca. 410 μm; width ca. 450 μm. Thorax: prothoracic sternite hourglass-shaped; no additional sclerites. Chaetotaxy and spinosity: T2 with 11 pairs of setae (L3 present); otherwise as described for subgenus Casanovula . Anal rods not forked posteriorly.

Biology.

Host plant: Quintinia verdonii F. Muell. ( Paracryphiaceae ). Egg: on either side of leaf. Mine (Fig. 122): a long, meandering gallery, central line of blackish frass taking up most of mine width except near end where gallery broadens and frass takes up only ½ width; exit-hole on underside, a semicircular to oval hole. Cocoon: reddish brown. Occupied mines have been collected on 13 July and 19 August.

Diagnosis.

Superficially very similar to Pectinivalva (Menurella) acmenae , but lacking the pale tornal forewing spot of that species.

Distribution.

Northern N.S.W. (Border Ranges National Park); Southern Queensland, (Lamington National Park).

DNA barcode.

RMNH.INS.23736, Genbank KC292482, RMNH.INS.23960 (holotype), Genbank KC292481 and RMNH.INS.23961, Genbank KC292480, with one variable nucleotide.

Derivation.

The specific name (a noun in the genitive) is derived from the host-plant genus.

Remarks.

Currently this is the only species of Pectinivalva known from a host-plant that does not belong to Myrtaceae . Quintinia was formerly placed in Escalloniaceae , but is now assigned to the small family Paracryphiaceae (e.g., Winkworth et al. 2008).