Aspilanta hydrangaeella (Chambers, 1874) Nieukerken & Eiseman, 2020

Nieukerken, Erik J. van & Eiseman, Charles S., 2020, Splitting the leafmining shield-bearer moth genus Antispila Huebner (Lepidoptera, Heliozelidae): North American species with reduced venation placed in Aspilanta new genus, with a review of heliozelid morphology, ZooKeys 957, pp. 105-161 : 105

Aspilanta hydrangaeella (Chambers, 1874) comb. n. Figs 2 , 10 , 27 , 28 , 46 , 59-68

Antispila hydrangaeella Chambers, 1874a: 170. Syntypes leafmines and larvae: [USA: Kentucky, Covington] on Hydrangea nivea [probably lost].

Antispila hydrangiaeella Chambers, 1878: 113. Subsequent incorrect spelling.

Antispila hydrangaeella ; Chambers 1877: 195; Chambers 1879: 126; Edwards 1889: 126; Davis 1983b: 4; van Nieukerken et al. 2012: 56; Eiseman 2019: 190, 1333.

Antispila hydrangiaeella ; Dyar et al. 1903: 539; Forbes 1923: 226; Needham et al. 1928: 290; McDunnough 1939: 91.

Differential diagnosis.

Wingspan ca. 5.0-5.8 mm, forewing length 2.2-2.8 mm. Externally easily separable from other Aspilanta species with terminal spot by the white terminal antennal segments (3 flagellomeres with 6 scale rings). Male genitalia characterised by the two long curved terminal spines at phallotrema, the bearded setae on the juxta, the larger number of sensilla (ca 17-21) of the valval pecten and the bilobed tegumen. Female genitalia not examined.

Host plant.

Hydrangeaceae : Hydrangea arborescens . Chambers (1874a) recorded it from "wild Hydrangea ( H. nivea )", and later as H. radiata ( Chambers 1878), the correct name for that species. However, according to current knowledge, H. radiata occurs only in the southern Appalachians ( Kartesz and Biota of North America Program (BONAP) 2015; Freeman 2016), and not in Kentucky, so we assume that Chambers also found the mines on H. arborescens . To be searched for on H. cinerea and H. radiata .

Leafmines.

(Figs 59-68 ) Egg inserted anywhere on the leaf, but frequently near a vein. Mine starts with a rather long linear portion, which may be partly or completely contorted, or often follows veins for some length; later the mine turns into an elongate blotch or a wide gallery. Frass starts usually as a rather narrow line, often broken and irregular, not always in the middle, later becoming more dispersed, in grains or sometimes smeared out, green to brown; in the blotch the frass remains in the middle, smeared out, dark green to black. Often many mines occur in the same leaf; mines can be rather extensive in the thin leaves of Hydrangea . The larva cuts out an elliptic case ca. 3.5-4.5 mm long.

Larva.

Colourless or whitish except for green gut contents; head and prothorax dark brown, some darker dots on most segments visible (Fig. 68 ).

Life history.

Poorly known; larvae found in June, August, September and October; adults emerged the following spring from larvae collected in October, but dates are too early due to forced emergence. Chambers provides no information whatsoever; Forbes (1923) reports moths in August. This, together with an early mine photographed in Kentucky on 30 June, suggests the species may be bivoltine.

Distribution.

USA: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland*, North Carolina, Ohio*, Tennessee*.

Barcode.

Georgia and Ohio population: BIN: BOLD:AAV5059 (n = 2, average distance = 2.15%), Tennessee population: BOLD:AAV5060 (n = 1), distance between these nearest neighbours 5.25%.

Parasitoids.

Eulophidae : Pediobius albipes (Provancher, 1887) (GA) (BOLD:ACZ8030), P. ocellatus Peck, 1985 (GA, NC) (BOLD:ACZ8031); Braconidae : Microgastrinae sp. (GA) (BOLD:ADA0313).

Remarks.

In our barcode analysis we found two clusters with a distance of 5.25%, even the distance of two specimens of the Georgia population is rather large with 2.15%. By analysing the characters of adults of the two barcoded populations, we did not find any supporting argument for the earlier suggestion that two species might be involved (van Nieukerken et al. 2012). Mines of the Georgia and Ohio populations seem to have more contorted mines than the population from North Carolina, but there is also variation in this character within these populations. A further analysis of material is needed to assess this situation, and designation of a Neotype from Kentucky might be necessary to avoid confusion if the species appears to be part of a complex.

Material: Adults examined.

USA - Tennessee • 1; Blount Co., NP Great Smoky Mts, Lead Cove Trail; 35.59976N, 83.73998W; alt. 690 m; 03 Oct. 2010; E.J. van Nieukerken & C. Doorenweerd leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; emerged 04 Apr. 2011; EventId: EvN no 2010141-K; RMNH.

Larvae and leafmines examined.

USA - Ohio • 2 larvae, Hocking Co., South Bloomingville, Deep Woods Farm; 39.406165N, 82.574946W; alt. 229 m; 13 Sep. 2012; C. Eiseman leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; EventId: CSE-OH; RMNH.INS.29601.P, RMNH.INS.29602.P. - Tennessee • leafmines; Blount Co., NP Great Smoky Mts, Lead Cove Trail; 35.59976N, 83.73998W; alt. 690 m; 03 Oct. 2010; E.J. van Nieukerken & C. Doorenweerd leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; EventId: EvN no 2010141-K; RMNH.INS.43100.

Observations.

USA - Georgia • Gilmer Co., Ellijay; 34.651N, 84.608W; 23 Sep. 2019; Lisa Kimmerling leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33268524. - Kentucky • Bullitt Co., Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest; 37.913N, 85.648W; 30 June 2019; Mike Plagens leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/29522629. - Maryland • Harford Co., Susquehanna State Park; 39.605N, 76.152W; 11 Aug. 2018; Josh Emm leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; https://bugguide.net/node/view/1573751/bgimage. - North Carolina • Madison Co., Along Appalachian Trail southbound from Devil’s Fork Gap; 36.0082N, 82.6098W; 05 Oct. 2019; Jim Petranka leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; https://bugguide.net/node/view/1736188/bgimage. - Ohio • Hocking Co., Rockbridge, Crane Hollow Preserve; 39.48N, 82.584W; 05 Aug. 2016; Charley Eiseman & Julia Blyth leg.; Hydrangea arborescens ; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44820974.

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. Aspilanta species, mounted adult moths. 1 A. oinophylla, male, USA, VT, RMNH. INS. 24378 2 A. hydrangaeella, female, USA, NC, RMNH. INS. 25191 3 A. ampelopsifoliella, male, USA, CT, RMNH. INS. 24377 4 A argentifera, female, USA, MA, RMNH. INS. 25019 5 A. voraginella, male, USA, AZ, RMNH. INS. 23918 6 A. argentifera, female holotype 7 Undescribed species in unnamed genus 14 (" Neospila "), male, Chile, Osorno, 20 km W of Entre Lagos, 17. x. 1981, leg. Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide EJvN 4632, ZMUC 8 A. viticordifoliella, female, Canada, Ottawa, from Parthenocissus, CNCLEP 00122404. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figures 9 - 11. Aspilanta species, denuded wings, showing venation. 9 A. oinophylla, male, veins labelled, RMNH. INS. 24257 10 A. hydrangaeella, female, RMNH. INS. 25191 11 A. ampelopsifoliella, male, RMNH. INS. 24376. Scale bars: 500 μm.

Figures 21 - 28. Aspilanta species, male genitalia. 21 A. oinophylla, phallus separate, RMNH. INS. 23920 22 A. ampelopsifoliella, phallus in situ, RMNH. INS. 24376 23 A. hydrangaeella, phallus in situ, RMNH. INS. 25192 24 A. voraginella, phallus separate, holotype, slide EJvN 3916 25 ditto, detail of transtilla 26 A. oinophylla, detail valva (flattened), RMNH. INS. 15247 27, 28 A. hydrangaeella, RMNH. INS. 25190, details of resp. tegumen and valvae. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Figures 45 - 50. Aspilanta species, live adult moths. 45 A. oinophylla, male, Italy, Suedtirol, Eisacktal, Klausen, 650 m, e. l. 1. viii. 2019, photograph Dieter Robrecht 46 A. hydrangaeella, female, dorsal view, NC, photograph EJvN 47 A. ampelopsifoliella, female, Pelham MA, photograph CSE 48 A. ampelopsifoliella, male, dorsal view, VT, photograph EJvN 49 A. argentifera, female, Stockbridge MA, photograph CSE 50 A. viticordifoliella, female, Pelham MA, photograph CSE.

Figures 59 - 68. Aspilanta hydrangaeella, leafmines, larvae and shields, on Hydrangea arborescens. 59, 60, 64 GA, Chattahoochee NF, 14. x. 2010, EvN 2010279 61, 63, 68 OH, South Bloomingville, 13. ix. 2012, CSE, (61 = RMNH. INS. 29601) 62 OH, Crane Hollow, 5. viii. 2016, CSE 65 - 67 NC, Great Smoky Mts NP, 28. ix. 2010, EvN 2010073.