Sabulopteryx Triberti, 1985

Pereira, Cristiano M., Arévalo-Maldonado, Helber A., Triberti, Paolo, Brito, Rosângela, Isaias, Rosy M. S., Gonçalves, Gislene L. & Moreira, Gilson R. P., 2019, Vallissiana universitaria (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): a new genus and species of leaf-mining moth associated with Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae) in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Zootaxa 4604 (1), pp. 141-160 : 156-157

Sabulopteryx Triberti, 1985 , stat. nov.

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Aspilapteryx (Sabulopteryx) Triberti, 1985: 4 ; Huemer, 1994.

Our analysis of mitochondrial DNA barcode sequences including members of related genera suggests that V. universitaria is mostly related to Aspilapteryx Spuler , and that this genus, including subgenera Aspilapteryx and Sabulopteryx , is polyphyletic. Thus Sabulopteryx , regarded until today as a subgenus of Aspilapteryx or simply as synonym ( De Prins & De Prins 2019), belongs to a different clade and should be regarded as a valid genus: Sabulopteryx Triberti, 1985 stat. nov.

Type species: Aspilapteryx (Sabulopteryx) limosella (Duponchel, 1843) by original designation.

Diagnosis. According to the original description, as a subgenus (Triberti 1 985), Sabulopteryx shows an affinity with Aspilapteryx in the wing pattern and forewing venation. However, the hindwing venation with M 3 always missing, the presence of coremata on the seventh and eighth abdominal segments and the very different male genitalia, with the phallus straight and short, and the valva small and without ventroapical lobe separate it clearly. Also, a high divergence (from 14 to 16%) in DNA barcode sequences further supports this consideration. The two species originally included in subgenus Sabulopteryx are here confirmed to belong with Sabulopteryx as a genus: S. limosella comb. n. and S. inquinata comb. n. ( Fig. 1 ).

Additions to original description. Head and face smooth; labial palpi long, upturned, smooth, terminal segment about as long as second; maxillary palpi smooth, from 1/3 to 1/4 as long as labial palpi; ocelli present. Antenna ~ 1x forewing length; scape with pecten of a few hairs. Forewing 12-veined, Rs and R 1 faint from base to just beyond the branch of R 1; M 2 and M 3 fused. Hindwing 8-veined, discal cell opened between M 2 and CuA 1.

Male genitalia. Anal tube naked; phallus about as long asvalva or shorter, truncated obliquely at apex.

Female genitalia. Posterior apophysis longer than anterior; ductus seminalis arising from posterior end of ductus bursae.

Immature stages. To be described in a separate paper.

Biology. Only the natural history of S. limosella is known. Its larvae mine leaves of Teucrium chamaedrys L. and T. montanum L. ( Lamiaceae ). Other hosts are also cited in the literature: T. scordium L., Genista tinctoria L. ( Fabaceae ) and Jurinea cyanoides (L.) Rchb ( Asteraceae ) ( De Prins & De Prins 2019). However, these data are dubious, and no confirmation of their veracity has been reported. The mine is on the lower-surface and tentiform. with the leaf curling up very similarly to a Phyllonorycter Hübner mine. From the the upper surface, mine is purplish brown. Frass is deposited in a corner. According to Klimesch (1951), on T. montanum larvae vacate mines and initiate new ones up to four times, depending on the size of the leaf. Pupation occurs usually in a cocoon in the mine the species hibernates as pupae. The larvae are present in May–July and August–September; thus, supposedly there are two generations per year.

Distribution. Central and Southern Europe (excluding Iberian Peninsula), South of European part of Russia, Western Asia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bayesian consensus tree for Vallissiana universitaria based on the analysis the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene (‘DNA barcode’ region). Colored branches indicate Bayesian posterior probability (BPP), as indicated in the legend.