Stigmella epicosma Meyrick 1915
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Karsholt, Ole
name: Torres, Nixon Cumbicus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella epicosma

description: 1. Stigmella epicosma (Meyrick, 1915)
(Figs 2, 9, 33, 37)
Nepticula epicosma Meyrick, 1915: 255.
Stigmella epicosma (Meyrick); Davis 1984: 18.
Stigmella epicosma (Meyrick); Puplesis & Robinson 2000: 28 (and only figs 20, 99–101).
Material examined. PERU: 1 ♂ [designated in Puplesis & Robinson 2000], Lima, 150 m [500 ft], 12°03'41"S, 77°01'41"W, viii.1914, Parish, genitalia slide no. 28849 (BMNH) (see Remarks).
Diagnosis. Belongs to the S. schoorli group. The combination of a brown scaling of forewing’s base, very short lateral lobes of vinculum, and two almost equally large horn-like cornuti (rate: 1:1.2; the longer cornutus twice exceeds the width of phallus) distinguishes S. epicosma from the most resembling members of the group (S. alticosma and S. paracosma sp. nov.). From similar S. schoorli and S. hamata, S. epicosma may be easily distinguished by the the shiny median fascia of forewing and rounded inner lobe of valva.
Male (Fig. 33). Described in Puplesis & Robinson 2000: 28. Wingspan: about 4.1 mm.
Female. Unknown (see Remarks).
Male genitalia. Illustrated in Puplesis & Robinson 2000: figs 99–101 (figs 102, 103 were incorrectly identified and assigned to S. epicosma; they belong to S. paracosma Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov.).
Bionomics. The species was reported by Vargas (2011) on native shrubs of Trixis cacalioides (Kunth) D. Don, Asteraceae, growing in the coastal valleys of northern Chile and Peru. Larvae mine in August and December. Cocoon cream white (Vargas 2011). Adults fly in August and December.
Distribution (Fig. 9) This species occurs in Peru (Lima) at altitudes about 150 m; recently it was also recorded from two coastal valleys in the desert of northern Chile, Arica Province (Vargas 2011).
Remarks. In the S. epicosma material, Puplesis & Robinson (2000) also 1 ♀ paralectotype (from Lima, genitalia slide no. 28850, BMNH) and 7 ♂ and 2 ♀ non-type series specimens (from Arequipa and Oyón, both Peru) were listed. The authors reported that all specimens in a series from 2920 m in Arequipa have a distinct glossy silver basal fascia, one male specimen collected at 4000 m in Oyón has the basal area of the forewing glossy gold, a fuscous-gold shiny collar and greyish white palpi; additionally, the left cornutus in the phallus of this specimen from Oyón is half the length of that in the lectotype from Lima. It was expected that the observed differences in wing coloration and observed differences of genital structures may represent a geographical variation in the mountainous, dissected terrain where the specimens were collected. However, our recent re-examination of these similar specimens has not confirmed the attribution of all listed specimens to S. epicosma and we have reassigned them to different species: from Arequipa (including genitalia slide nos Diškus186, Diškus187 ZMUC, illustrated in Puplesis & Robinson: figs 102, 103) are attributed to S. paracosma Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov.; from Oyón (genitalia slide no. Diškus 188 ZMUC, illustrated in Stonis et al. 2016d: figs 174–179) are attributed to S. alticosma Remeikis & Stonis; the paralectotype ♀ specimen (genitalia slide no. 28850 BMNH, illustrated in Puplesis & Robinson: fig. 211) is identified as an undescribed species, probably of Enteucha Meyrick.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Karsholt, Ole & Torres, Nixon Cumbicus, 2017, Illustrated review of the leaf-mining Nepticulidae of the central Andes (Peru and Bolivia), pp. 1-70 in Zootaxa 4257 (1) on page 11, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.557156