Acalyptris pistaciae Van, 2007, sp. n.
Creators: name: Van, Erik J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Acalyptris
Acalyptris pistaciae

description: Acalyptris pistaciae sp. n.
(Figs. 4, 25–27, 47, 64, 74, 75, 86, 96, 97, 104, 108–110, 124)
Niepeltia near minimella; van Nieukerken 1982: 19 [Greece]
Acalyptris sp. n.; van Nieukerken 1986b: 141 [listed]
Misidentifications:
Trifurcula (Weberina) minimella; Klimesch 1978: 256, figs. 36, 38–39 [partim, Greek records]
Trifurcula (Niepeltia) minimella; Gustafsson 1981: 463 [partim, Cyprus records, larval description]; Arenberger & Wim-
mer 1996: 211 [Cyprus].
Nepticula promissa; Amsel & Hering 1931: 137 [mines, Israel, possibly this species]
Type material. Holotype ɗ: GREECE: Fókis, 3 km E Dhelfoi (UTM: 34S FH3460), 700m, 27.ix.1980, leafmines, Pistacia terebinthus, e.l. 14.iv–11.v.1981, Menken & van Nieukerken, Genitalia slide EvN1269 (RMNH-INS no 21269) (RMNH). — Paratypes: 33 ɗ, 15 Ψ, 5 larvae. CYPRUS: 1ɗ: Agios Theodores (27), P. lentiscus, e.l. 25.iii.1980, genitalia slide EvN1270, B. Gustafsson (NHRS); 2ɗ, 2Ψ: Limassol, 13– 26.v.1984, R. Johansson (RJ); 4ɗ, 3Ψ: Limassol, Yermasoya, 2–3.iv.1980, P. lentiscus, genitalia slide EvN1268, B. Gustafsson (NHRS, RMNH); 1Ψ: Platies, 27.iii.1980, P. lentiscus, B. Gustafsson (NHRS). — GREECE: 1ɗ, Argolis, Porto Kheli, Cap d’Or (Porto Heli, Cape d’Or), 4–9.vi.1980, L. Kohonen, genitalia slide EvN2684 (RMNH); 1ɗ, Arkadia: 10 km S of Leonídhion, 800m, 10.vii.1991, R.T.A. Schouten (RMNH); 1ɗ, Attika: I.[nsel] Aegina, Marathonas, 10m, 09.vi.1995, R. Sutter (RS); 1ɗ: Parnís Oros, 8 km N Dhekélia, 700m, 29.ix.1980, leafmines, P. terebinthus, e.l. 22.iv.1981, genitalia slide EvN0487, Menken & van Nieukerken; 1 larva on slide, Evvoia: 2 km SE Gouvés, 200m, 14.ix.1980, Menken & van Nieukerken; 4ɗ, 3Ψ: Fokis: same data as holotype, genitalia and wing slides EvN0959 & 1266; 3 larvae on slides, same data as holotype, slide numbers RMNH 12395–12397 (RMNH); 1ɗ, Lakonia: 5 km S Monemvasia, 1.viii.1978, G. Christensen; 1Ψ: 5 km S Monemvasia, 30m, 1–8.vii.1982, B. Skule & S. Langemark (ZMUC). — GREECE, CRETE: 2ɗ, Iráklion: 2 km S Khersonisos, road to Kastelion, 200 m, 14.vi.1998, H. W. van der Wolf (RMNH); 6ɗ, 1Ψ, Lasíthi: Makrygialos, 12, 13, 14, 21.vi.1988, R. Johansson, genitalia slide RJ 1733; 2ɗ, 2Ψ: Makrygialos, 22, 24, 30, 31.v.1993, R. Johansson (RJ, RMNH); 2ɗ, Rethímnon: Agia Galini, 20m, 19–20.v.1994, R. Sutter (RS). — GREECE, KOS: 4ɗ, Kos, Asfendiou, 6, 12.x.1988, R. Johansson, genitalia slide RJ 1732 (RMNH, RJ). — GREECE, R Ỏ DHOS: 1Ψ, Ródhos: Jalyssos, 5 km SW Rhódos, 10.viii.1982 (ZMUC); 1ɗ, 1Ψ: Rodini, 22.ix.1972, P. lentiscus, e.l. 27.x–7.xi.1972, J. Klimesch, Genitalia slides KL1311, 1312 (ZSM). — TURKEY: 1 larva on slide, Antalya: Selimiye (ancient Side), near beach, 4.iii.2005, P. lentiscus, E.J. van Nieukerken, slide number RMNH 11892 (RMNH).
Other material. Leafmines on Pistacia lentiscus: CYPRUS: Limassol, 10–25.v.1984, R. Johansson; Limassol, Yermasoyia, 2–3.iv.1980, B. Gustafsson; Plates, 27.iii.1980, B. Gustafsson. GREECE: Evvoia, Néa Artáki, 100m, 11.ix.1980. TURKEY: Antalya: Phaselis ruins, 3km NE Tekirova, 4.iii.2005; Antalya: Selimiye (ancient Side), near beach, 4.iii.2005. — Leafmines on P. terebinthus: GREECE: Argolis: 1.5 km NE Toló: ancient Asine, rocky headland, 50m, 7.ii.1990; Attika: Athínai: ancient Agora, 30.ix.1980; Parnís Oros, 8 km N Dhekélia, 700m, 10+ 29.ix.1980; Evvoia: 2 km SE Gouvés, 200m, 14.ix.1980; Fókis: 3 km E Dhelfoi, 700m, 27.ix.1980; Kerkyra: Pandokraton, 24.x.1987, J.H. Donner; Khios: Anavatos, 3.viii.1999, C. van den Berg; Vrondadhes, Daskalopetra, 7.viii.1999, C. van den Berg; Lakonia: Mistrás, 400m, 21.vi. 984. (collected by E. J. van Nieukerken and coworkers, unless noted differently, all (at least partly) in RMNH).
Additional records. GREECE: 14ɗ, 8Ψ, Lakonia, Apidia, 15.vi.1997; 7ɗ, 5Ψ, Messinia, Pirgos, 13.vi.1998; 8ɗ, 7Ψ, Préveza, Thesprotiko, 11.vi.1997, A. & Z. Laštůvka (AL).
Diagnosis. A. pistaciae is very similar to A. minimella, male differs by the absence of a central yellow spot on the forewing underside and absence of costal bristles; also the hairpencil is more distinct in pistaciae. Male genitalia characterized by medial toothed lobe of valva in contrast to the basal lobe in minimella, and by the U-shaped ventral process; the female genitalia are distinguished by the elaborate vaginal sclerotisation with three processes and the 2½ convolutions in the ductus spermathecae (3 in minimella).
Description. Male (Fig. 4). Forewing length 1.8–2.4 mm, wingspan 4.0–5.3 mm. Frontal tuft ochreous white to yellowish white, occasionally with few fuscous scales. Scape white, antenna with 27–33 segments. Thorax and forewing ochreous, irrorate with few light brown scales, cilia white, cilia line indistinct; underside without yellow spot; basalmost dorsal cilia forming long hairpencil. Hindwing grey, costal bristles absent; distinct, yellowish brown hairpencil arising near frenulum (Figs. 96, 97); mixing with forewing hairpencil; underside yellow basally. Abdomen yellow with darker middorsal line; anal tufts grey.
Female. Forewing length 1.6–2.2 mm, wingspan 3.7–4.9 mm. Antenna with 20–30 segments. Hairpencils absent. Abdomen dorsally brown, abdominal tip broadly rounded.
Male genitalia (Figs. 25–27, 64, 74, 75). Measurements: see Table 3. Vinculum anteriorly concave, ventral plate not large. Tegumen small, triangular; uncus band-shaped, with indistinct central process, in lateral view split distally; gnathos with long narrow central element. Valva narrow, with medial inner lobe, with variably toothed margin and a smaller lobe dorsally, hidden by ventral lobe. Transtilla without transverse bar, sublateral process distinct. Aedeagus with bifurcate ventral carina or with 4–5 lobes, ventrally tightly fused to Ushaped ventral process; a pair of curved dorsal carinae present; vesica with large curved cornutus and basal sclerotisation associated with cathrema; many smaller cornuti.
Female genitalia (Fig. 47). T8 narrow, with produced lateral corners, two small groups of scales and some setae. Anal papillae conspicuous, with 15–20 setae; apophyses straight, of approximately same length. Total length of bursa ca. 530–760 μm. Vestibulum with elaborate sclerotisations, more or less forming ring and three apophyses, partly serrate. Ductus bursae with many pectinations; corpus bursae without pectinations; with reticulate signa, shortest ca. 285–325 μm, longest 310–420 μm long, margin crenate and narrow, 2–3 cells wide. Ductus spermathecae with 2½ convolutions.
Final instar larva (Fig. 86). Head capsule ca. 315–380 μm wide. Mandibular cusps blunt. A9 with 3 pairs of setae. Integument covered with extremely short microtrichia (ca 1μm long) on all segments. No obvious differences with A. minimella.
Biology. Host plants: Pistacia terebinthus and P. lentiscus (Anacardiaceae), frequently found on both hosts.
Egg on leaf upperside, usually close to a vein. Leafmine (Figs. 104, 108–110) on P. lentiscus indistinguishable from that of minimella, starting as an extremely narrow gallery filled with frass; the thin part is more than half the total length of the mine; later, mine widening gradually and becoming more contorted, less often in a zigzag course than minimella, with blackish or brownish frass coiled or in loose pellets filling about two thirds of mine width; exit hole on leaf upperside. Mines in the thinner leaves of P. terebinthus a narrow gallery throughout, gradually widening, frass leaving clear margins, occasionally frass line becoming wider. The mine on both hosts may be confused with that of Simplimorpha promissa; see under A. minimella.
Distribution (Fig. 124). Eastern Mediterranean region: Widespread in Greece, including its islands, and in Cyprus and Turkey. To be expected in Syria and Lebanon. Mines collected in Israel by Amsel & Hering (1931) and identified as Simplimorpha promissa (Staudinger) are tentatively regarded to be this species, although no adults were seen. The distribution of A. pistaciae is apparently completely vicariant with that of A. minimella, the contact zone (if any) may be found between Montenegro and northern Greece.
Etymology. A noun in genitive case, named after the host genus Pistacia.
Remarks. When treating the Pistacia -feeding A. minimella (Rebel), Klimesch (1978) recognized two forms, but considered this as intraspecific variation. It has now become clear that they are two different allopatric species, as was assumed before (Scoble 1980; van Nieukerken 1986b).
In Iran nepticulid mines have been commonly found on Pistacia khinjuk and the cultivated Pistachio nut P. vera (Reza Mehrnejad, pers. comm.), and a cocoon with a dried pupa has been examined by me. The material was insufficient for further identification, but it almost certainly represents an Acalyptris species; also photographs of leafmines studied by me resemble those of A. pistaciae. It is thus possible that A. pistaciae occurs in Iran as well, or another species. The previous records for Simplimorpha promissa from Iran (Davatchi 1958, Mehrnejad 2001) also are likely to belong to this Acalyptris.
description: Published as part of Van, Erik J., 2007, Acalyptris Meyrick: revision of the platani and staticis groups in Europe and the Mediterranean (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), pp. 1-48 in Zootaxa 1436 on pages 14-15, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.273702