Stigmella marmorea Puplesis & Robinson 2000
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Gerulaitis, Virginijus
name: Karsholt, Ole
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella marmorea

description: Stigmella marmorea Puplesis & Robinson, 2000
(Figs 18, 27, 123–127)
Stigmella marmorea Puplesis & Robinson, 2000: 26 –27, Figs 18, 97, 98, 210.
Material examined. 1 Ƌ (holotype), PERU, Dept. Ancash, 23 km SE of Huaraz, Cerro Cahuish (Quabrada Pucavado), 4100 m, 15–18.iii.1987, O. Karsholt, genitalia slide no. Diškus 182 (ZMUC); 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ (paratypes), label data as holotype, genitalia slide no. Diškus181 (ZMUC).
Diagnosis. This relatively large species differs from other Stigmella species, including other Andean species, in having two white or cream fasciae on the forewing, and serrated apical margin on the phallus with one huge cornutus among numerous other large cornuti.
Male (Figs 123, 124). Forewing length: 4.0– 4.6 mm; wingspan: 9.0– 10.1 mm. Head: palpi pale brown; frontal tuft comprised of whitish cream and dark brown piliform scales; collar forming two clearly separated tufts of whitish or cream lamellar scales; scape white or cream; antenna slightly longer than half length of forewing; flagellum with 43–44 segments, grey-brown. Thorax and tegula dark grey-brown except for greyish margins. Forewing brown with distinctive marbled pattern comprising white cream antemedian and postmedian fasciae; some white scales between fasciae, and many just before the fringe that are so numerous that they form a narrow terminal fascia; fringe grey-brown to pale grey at tornus; Forewing underside grey-brown, without spots. Hindwing lanceolate, relatively wide, grey; its fringe grey; no spots or androconia. Legs intensely shaded with grey-black or grey-brown, tarsi black on one side. Abdomen dark grey on upper side, cream on underside; genital segments cream, not contrasting with underside of abdomen but clearly distinguishable because of large valval lobes.
Female. Externally similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs 125–127). Capsule longer (400–480 µm) than wide (245 µm). Uncus large, wellsclerotized, with four slender caudal papillae and deep, oval caudal emargination. Tegumen with bulged but rounded lateral angles. Gnathos with moderately narrow central plate and two very long parallel caudal (posterior) processes; a pair of anterior extensions of the gnathos are very tiny, not always distinct; lateral arms narrow, relatively short. Valva 265–310 µm long, 70–95 µm wide, with two close-set apical processes; transtilla with slender transverse bar forming short triangular lobe-like sublateral processes. Juxta distinct, triangular, narrowing anteriorly. Vinculum with small triangular lateral lobes; ventral plate half or less valval length, with wide anterior emargination. Phallus (Figs 126, 127) 290–360 µm long, with serrated oblique apical margin; vesica with about 9– 11 large or very large horn-like cornuti and with a group of a few smaller spine-like cornuti at apex; one cornutus is huge, one-half length of phallus.
Female genitalia (illustrated in Puplesis & Robinson 2000: Fig. 210). Total length ca. 895–910 µm. Abdominal tip widely rounded. Apophyses posteriores just a little shorter than apophyses anteriores which are long (about 235–240 µm) and very slender. Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Corpus bursa with wide and folded distal part and irregularly shaped basal part covered with sparse pectinations. Accessory sac well-developed, folded; ductus spermathecae slender, weakly sclerotized and without convolutions.
Bionomics. Adults fly in March. Otherwise biology unknown.
Distribution (Figs 18, 27). This species occurs in the high Peruvian Andes (Peru: Ancash Departamento) at altitudes about 4100 m.
Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin marmore (marble) in reference to the variegated pattern of the forewing.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Gerulaitis, Virginijus & Karsholt, Ole, 2016, Leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from record high altitudes: documenting an entire new fauna in the Andean páramo and puna, pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 4181 (1) on pages 46-49, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4181.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/164243