Stigmella baccharicola Diskus & Stonis, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Davis, Donald R.
name: Solis, M. Alma
name: Torres, Nixon Cumbicus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella baccharicola

description: 6. Stigmella baccharicola Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
(Figs. 3, 53, 72–84, 86, 88)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, ECUADOR: Napo Province, Papallacta, 0°22'27"S, 78°08'35"W, elevation 3300 m a.s.l., mining larvae on Baccharis latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. 10.i.2005, field card no. 4805, leg. A. Diškus & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slides no. AD 609♂ (ZMUC). Paratypes: 2 ♂, same locality as holotype, 10–12.i.2005, field card no. 4805, genitalia slides nos AD 606♂, AD 640♂ (ZMUC).
Other examined material. 1 ♀, ECUADOR: Papallacta (Napo Province), 0°22'27"S, 78°08'35"W, elevation 3300 m, mining larvae on Baccharis latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. 10.i.2005, leg. A. Diškus & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slides nos AD641♀ (ZMUC) [Examined, identified as S. baccharicola but excluded from the type series].
Diagnosis. The new species differs from other known Neotropical Stigmella in the male genitalia by the combination of 15 large cornuti, angular uncus and closely juxtaposed caudal processes of gnathos. It differs from S. latifoliae sp. nov., that it most resembles (and is probably closely related to) by the yellow larva (green in S. latifoliae), non-angular lobes of vinculum, and number & size of cornuti (see diagnostics in Figs 84–88).
Male (Fig. 78). Forewing length about 2.0 mm; wingspan about 4.4 mm (n=3). Head: palpi cream; frontal tuft ochre; collar and scape golden cream, glossy; antenna longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum, fuscous on upper side, grey on underside. Thorax and tegula golden brown. Forewing golden brown, with broad, distinctly postmedian fascia and slender, short apical fascia; both fasciae comprising golden shiny lamellar scales; underside of forewing dark brown. Hindwing grey, with weak purple iridescence; its cilia grey. Legs golden cream, with grey-brown scales on upper side. Abdomen fuscous on upper side, grey on underside.
Female. Similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs 79–84, 86, 88). Capsule longer (265–270 µm) than wide (185–190 µm). Vinculum with short lateral (anterior) lobes; ventral plate of vinculum realtively long. Uncus angular, with two broad lobes each bearing numerous setae (Figs 79). Gnathos with two juxtaposed caudal processes (Figs 79). Valva (Figs 80, 81) 135–140 µm long, 65–80 µm broad, acute apically, apical processes not individualized; inner lobe slightly bulged; transtilla without sublateral processes (Fig. 79). Juxta membranous. Phallus (Fig. 82) long and broad, distally with spined margin; vesica with 15 large cornuti (Figs 83, 84, 86); one cornutus is exceptionally long (130–145 µm); no very small spine-like cornuti developed; in average, the size ratio of the largest cornuti with the second largest is about 1:1.7, while the size ratio of the largest cornuti with the smallest is about 1:3 (Fig. 88).
Female genitalia (Fig. 53). Total length about 780 µm (n=1). Abdominal apex broad and rounded. Vestibulum relatively broad, without sclerites. Accessory sac very small and folded. Ductus spermathecae narrow, with 1.5 coils (chitinized convolution) (see Fig. 53). Corpus bursae 310–320 µm wide, rounded, covered with numerous and well visible comb-like pectinations but without signa.
Bionomics. Larvae mines in leaves (Figs 73, 75, 76). Host-plant: Baccharis latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. (Asteraceae) (Fig. 1). Larva yellow to greenish yellow, with brown-green intestine and pale brown head; mine in January. Long sinuous or contorted gallery of leaf-mine with central line of black frass; usually with broad empty areas of the gallery without frass (Figs 73, 75, 76). Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon beige-brown; length 2.5 mm, maximal width 1.2–1.3 mm (Fig. 77). Adults emerged in February.
Distribution (Fig. 3). This species occurs in the equatorial Andes. Although adults of the type series were reared from mining larvae collected on the eastern slopes of the Andes (Ecuador) at altitudes 3300 m (Figs 72, 74), similar leaf-mines with feeding larvae also were observed (but not reared and confirmed) on the western slopes of the Andes (Ecuador) at altitudes of 3200 m.
Etymology. The species is named after the host-plant genus Baccharis.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Davis, Donald R., Solis, M. Alma & Torres, Nixon Cumbicus, 2016, The first record of Baccharis L. (Asteraceae) as a host-plant genus for Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera), with description of new Stigmella species from South America, pp. 101-128 in Zootaxa 4136 (1) on pages 119-120, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4136.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/261786