Astrotischeria casila Diskus & Stonis, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Jonas R. Stonis
name: Arūnas Diškus
name: Fernando Carvalho Filho
name: Owen T. Lewis
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Tischeriidae
Astrotischeria
Astrotischeria casila

description: Astrotischeria casila Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
(Figs. 11, 12, 127–159, 233, 237, 238)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, BELIZE: Cayo District, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Las Cuevas, 16°43'58"S, 88°59'06"W, elevation 580 m, mining larva on Montanoa atriplicifolia (Pers.) Sch. Bip. (Asteraceae), 29.vi.1998, O. T. Lewis, genitalia slide no. AD 939♂ (BMNH). Paratypes: 9 ♂, 6 ♀, same label data as holotype, 2.iv.1998 and 13.vi.–12.viii.1998, O. T. Lewis, genitalia slide nos AD0295♂, AD849 ♂, AD940♀ (BMNH); 1 ♂, Cayo District, San Ignacio, secondary forest, 17°09'15"S, 89°04'04"W, elevation 85 m, 17–18.iv.1998, at light, R. Puplesis & S. Hill, genitalia slide no. AD934♂ (BMNH).
Diagnosis. The combination of a helmet-like anellus, merged median lobes of uncus, rather slender, apically pointed dorsal lobes of valva and weakly divided, wide lobes of phallus in the male genitalia distinguishes A. casila sp. nov. from all other Astrotischeria, including other members of the A. trilobata group.
Male (Figs. 127–129, 132–136). Forewing length: 2.4–2.6 mm; wingspan: 5.4–5.8 mm. Head: face and palpi pale ochre-yellow; frontal tuft comprised of lamellar, pale brown, yellow-tipped scales with ochre-yellow bases; sometimes frontal tuft entirely ochre-yellow (Fig. 132); pecten very prominent (Fig. 134), ochre cream, sometimes with a few pale brown scales; collar comprised of slender lamellar scales, usually ochre cream, sometimes scales pale brown distally; antenna with about 37 segments, distinctly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum cream with some pale brown scales on upper side (mostly in distal half), brownish grey on underside; sensillae very long and fine, therefore, usually indistinct. Thorax ochre-yellow; tegula ochre-yellow distally, densely speckled with brown-black and black scales anteriorly; forewing relatively wide but short, glossy, ochre-yellow, sparsely speckled with brown-black and black scales; usually black scales form irregular, oblique, stripe-like patches; fringe yellowish grey on costal margin, pale grey on tornus, ochre-yellow on termen; fringe-line usually indistinct; forewing underside brown with some purple iridescence, without androconia. Hindwing slender, pale grey to grey, at certain angle of view with some pale green and purple iridescence on both upper and underside, without androconia; fringe pale brownish grey. Legs ochre cream to yellow-ochre, speckled with grey-brown to pale grey-brown scales on upper side. Abdomen relatively short and stout, glossy; on upper side and laterally brown to brownish grey, on underside entirely ochre-yellow or speckled with brown scales; tufts distinct, yellowish cream to brownish cream; genital plates large, yellowish cream.
Female (Figs. 130, 131). Similar to male, only sometimes forewing pattern darker, black stripe-like patches more prominent, and, occasionally, connected into transverse fasciae.
Male genitalia (Figs. 11, 12, 137–150). Capsule about 500 µm long, 210 µm wide. Uncus consisting of two long lateral lobes and short median plate, formed by two merged median lobes (Figs. 146, 147). Valva divided (Figs. 11, 110): ventral lobe, at least at certain angle of view, slightly widened apically (Fig. 145), about 270 µm long, 40–45 µm wide (Figs. 137, 99, 100); dorsal lobes consisting of two elements: wide, distally curved lobe (Figs. 137, 145, 150), and slender, horn-like process (Figs. 12, 14, 150); transtilla absent; basal process of valva long, curved (Figs. 137, 150). Anellus with a chitinized, helmet-like plate dorsally, and with two wide and connected lobes ventrally, each possessing 3–5 setae laterally (Fig. 148). Phallus (Figs. 139, 140, 143) about 300 µm long, distally wide and bifurcated, without spines (Figs. 141, 142).
Female genitalia (Figs. 151–159). Total length about 1250 mm. Ovipositor lobes small (Fig. 153); the area between ovipositor lobes widely rounded, not triangular (Figs. 155, 156), with tiny papillae and some setae. Second pair of lobes, lateral and anterior to the ovipositor lobes, significantly smaller (Fig. 156), bearing very long slender setae. Anterior and posterior apophyses very long and stout (Fig. 153); prela with three pairs of processes; two pairs of processes articulating with anterior apophyses, remaining pair unusually developed, stout and very long (Figs. 154, 158). Vestibulum without antrum but with two unusual, membranous lobes (Figs. 154, 159). Ductus bursae long but slender (Fig. 151), without distinctive pectinations. Corpus bursae very small, elongated (Fig. 157), without spines or signum. Ductus spermathaecae with many large and very large coils (Fig. 152); utriculus absent or broken in Fig. 151.
Bionomics (Figs. 119–126). Host plant: Montanoa atriplicifolia (Pers.) Sch. Bip. (Asteraceae). Mining larvae recorded from June to August. Leaf-mine blotch-like. Adults know from April and July–August.
Distribution (Fig. 233). The species occurs in moist tropical (secondary and primary) forest of Belize (Central America), at elevation of about 80–600 m (Figs. 237, 238).
Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin casila (wearer of a helmet) in reference to the most distinctive character, the helmet-like anellus in the male genitalia.
description: Published as part of Jonas R. Stonis, Arūnas Diškus, Fernando Carvalho Filho & Owen T. Lewis, 2018, American Asteraceae-feeding Astrotischeria species with a highly modified, three-lobed valva in the male genitalia (Lepidoptera, Tischeriidae), pp. 1-69 in Zootaxa 4469 (1) on pages 37-43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4469.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1454525