Manitischeria symbolica Diskus & Stonis 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Solis, M. Alma
name: Monro, Alexandre K.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Tischeriidae
Manitischeria
Manitischeria symbolica

description: 16. Manitischeria symbolica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A2C29D53-3192-49A4-807A-B262B010DABA
(Figs. 10–12, 36, 85–95)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, VIETNAM: Lao Cai Province, Sapa, 22°19’19”N, 103°49’31”E, elevation 1260 m, feeding larvae 19.ii.2015, ex pupa iii.2015, field card no. 5190, A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD 885♂ (ZIN).
Diagnosis. Externally, M. symbolica sp. nov. can be confused with other sparsely speckled Tischeriidae species, including the most similar M. baryshnikovae sp. nov., described below. In the male genitalia, the unique, elaborate juxta (Figs. 91–94) distinguishes the new species from all known congeneric species.
Male (Fig. 36). Forewing length 3.8 mm; wingspan 8.3 mm (n = 1). Palpi and pecten bright yellowish ochre; frons ochre cream; frontal tuft ochre cream, glossy, comprised of slender lamellar scales; collar yellowish ochre; antenna longer than one half the length of forewing; flagellum pale ochre cream, irregularly annulated with brown scales; basally flagellum bright yellow-ochre; sensillae very fine, short, inconspicuous. Tegula and thorax concolourous with forewing. Forewing pale yellowish ochre, sparsely irrorated with dark brown scales, with most of brown scales along costa in apical half of the wing; fringe yellow-ochre; fringe line indistinctive; forewing underside dark ochre-brown, without spots or androconia. Hindwing brownish cream to grey depending on angle of view; on underside, hindwing grey-brown; fringe pale yellowish brown. Legs ochre cream, on upper side and laterally densely speckled with blackish brown scales. Abdomen grey, with some blue and purple iridescence on upper side, densely speckled with dark brown scales on underside; genital plates yellowish cream; anal tufts long, cream to brown.
Female. Unknown.
Male genitalia (Figs. 85–95) with capsule 720 µm long, 300 µm wide. Uncus comprised of two long lobes (Figs. 86, 89, 95). Valva slender at the basal half (Figs. 89, 90), with inner, spine-like process (Fig. 95); lateral arm prominent (Fig. 90). Juxta with straight median and sinuous, elaborate lateral branches (Figs. 89, 91–94). Vinculum with a long, median, distally truncated ventral lobe (Figs. 87–89). Phallus (Figs. 85, 87–89) without lateral arms apically (Fig. 91).
Bionomics (Figs. 10–12). Host plant is unknown (probably Malvaceae, unidentified) (Fig. 12). Larvae mine leaves in February. Larva yellowish grey, with a dark brown head. The mine (Figs. 10, 11) is an irregular blotch, usually near leaf margin; upon development, larva bends the leaf margin (Fig. 10). Exit hole on the leaf underside. Adults occur in late March.
Distribution. This species is known from the single locality in northern Vietnam, Lao Cai Province (Sapa), at elevation of 1260 m.
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek symbolus (a symbol, seal, logo), based on the elaborate juxta in the male genitalia, which resembles a logo in European folk traditions with two crisscrossed horse heads attached to a house gable (as in the Raiffeisen Bank).
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Solis, M. Alma & Monro, Alexandre K., 2021, Diagnostics of Manitisheria gen. nov., an Old-World genus of leaf-mining Tischeriidae, composed of new species and species formerly in Tischeria Zeller, pp. 251-287 in Zootaxa 4964 (2) on page 262, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4964.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4709284