Astrotischeria basilobata Remeikis & Stonis 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Lewis, Owen T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Tischeriidae
Astrotischeria
Astrotischeria basilobata

description: Astrotischeria basilobata Remeikis & Stonis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: CEC5D64C-2122-4B6B-AB16-9A6220CD8430
Figs 12–14, 70–82
Tischeria sp. 7 – Lewis et al. 2002: 872.
Diagnosis
External characters are not sufficient for the identification of this species. In the male genitalia, the new species mostly resembles Astrotischeria selvica Diškus, Carvalco-Filco & Stonis, 2018 and A. maya Diškus & Stonis, 2018; however, the absence of a distinctive second dorsal lobe on the valva distinguishes A. basilobata sp. nov. from these species.
Etymology
The species name is derived from the Latin ʻ basis ʼ (a ʻbaseʼ) and ʻ lobatus ʼ (ʻlobedʼ) in reference to the basally thickened, lobe-like structure of the anellus in the male genitalia.
Type material
Holotype
BELIZE • ♂; Cayo District, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Las Cuevas; 16°43′53″ N, 88°59′11″ W; alt. 550 m; 6 Jun. 1998; O.T. Lewis leg.; mining larva on Lasianthaea fruticosa (L.) K.M.Becker (Asteraceae); field card no. 3303-6/6; genitalia slide no. 010316194♂; NHMUK 010289226.
Paratypes
BELIZE • 7 ♂♂; same locality and host-plant data as for holotype; 17 Sep.–14 Oct. 1997 and 3 Apr.–30 Jun. 1998; O.T. Lewis leg.; field card nos 710-14/10♂, 38-17/9♂, 3537-10/6♂, 4422-30/6♂, 34.019-3/4♂, 289-25/9♂, 3536-10/6♂; genitalia slide nos 010316195♂, 010316196♂, 010316197♂, 010316198♂, 010316224♂; NHMUK 010289227 to 010289233.
Description
Male
EXTERNAL CHARACTERS (Figs 12–14). Forewing length 2.6–3.1 mm; wingspan 5.5–6.6 mm (n = 7). Head: palpus yellowish cream, frons yellow ochre, smoothly scaled; frontal tuft and collar comprised of golden yellow or yellow-ochre to pale grey, slender, lamellar scales; antenna exceeding ½ of forewing; flagellum yellow cream, annulated with pale brown scales. Thorax ochre-yellow, medially covered with pale brown, cream-tipped scales; tegula covered with a mixture of ochre-yellow and pale brown scales or entirely covered with pale brown, cream-tipped scales. Forewing ochre-yellow with irregular markings of dark brown or black-brown scales; fringe pale brown, ochre-yellow apically; fringe line indistinctive or absent; forewing underside grey-brown to pale grey-brown, without spots or androconia. Hindwing pale brown; fringe brownish cream to pale brown with reddish tint, without androconia. Legs ochre cream, densely speckled or entirely covered with pale grey-brown scales on upper side. Abdomen dark brown to brown with some purple and green iridescence on upper side, yellowish ochre, annulated with dark brown scales on underside; genital plates yellowish cream; dorsal anal tuft large, comprised of ochre cream piliform scales.
MALE GENITALIA (Figs 70–82). Capsule 995–1170 µm long, 600–615 µm wide. Uncus with long, undivided dorsal lobes (Figs 75, 78), very short, rounded ventral lobes (Figs 75, 78) and wide medial excavation (Fig. 78). Valva 615–770 µm long, with a large dorsal lobe (Figs 70, 78); second dorsal lobes undeveloped, but anellus laterally thickened and, when broken, some development of second dorsal lobes can be observed (Figs 73–74). Anellus (Figs 71, 82) with four papillae laterally (Figs 80, 82); transtilla absent. Ventral lobe of vinculum large, distally widely rounded (Figs 70–71, 78). Phallus (Fig. 72) 1130–1140 µm long, apically bifid, with two clusters of long, slender spines (Figs 77), basally widened (Figs 70, 72, 78).
Female
Unknown.
Biology
Host plant: Lasianthaea fruticosa (L.) K.M.Becker (Asteraceae). Larvae mine leaves year-round. The leaf mine is a translucent blotch, not usually at the leaf margin, but the biology of this species is otherwise unknown. This species was listed as ‘ Tischeria sp. 7’ by Lewis et al. (2002), a morphospecies name which incorrectly grouped this species with A. papilloma sp. nov., which shares the larval host plant. Retrospectively, records of these two species can now be distinguished based on the appearance of the leaf mines.
Flight period
Based on reared specimens, adults occur throughout the year.
Distribution
So far this species is known from a single locality in Belize, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Las Cuevas, at an elevation of about 550 m.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius & Lewis, Owen T., 2020, Exceptional diversity of Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera) from a single tropical forest site in Belize, Central America, pp. 33-76 in European Journal of Taxonomy 723 on pages 48-51, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.723.1143, http://zenodo.org/record/4250536