Stigmella latifoliae Remeikis, 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 latifoliae

description: 5. Stigmella latifoliae Remeikis, Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
(Figs. 3, 52, 55–71, 85, 87, 88)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, COLOMBIA: S of Bogotá, San Antonio del Tequendama municipality, Chicaque (el Parque Natural Chicaque), 4°36'21"N, 74°18'24"W, cloud forest, elevation 2200–2550 m, mining larvae on Baccharis latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers., 18.ii.2013, leg. A. Remeikis & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slide no. RA604 (ZMUC). Paratypes: 4 ♂, 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, field card nos 4804, 4805, leg. A. Diškus & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slides nos AD 523♂, AD 605♂, AD 607♂, AD 639♂.
Other examined material. 2 ♀, 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, field card nos 4804, 4805, leg. A. Diškus & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slides nos AD608♀, AD610♀ (ZMUC) [Examined, identified as S. latifoliae but excluded from the type series].
Diagnosis. The new species differs from other known Neotropical Stigmella in the combination of characters in the male genitalia: 13 large cornuti in the phallus, an angular uncus and angular lobes of vinculum, and closely juxtaposed caudal processes of gnathos. The host-plant Baccharis latifolia also make this species distinctive. It differs from S. baccharicola sp. nov. that it most resembles (and is probably closely related to) by its green larva (yellow in S. baccharicola), angular lobes of vinculum, and number & size of cornuti (see diagnostics in Figs. 84– 88).
Male (Fig. 61). Forewing length 2.0 mm; wingspan 4.4 mm (n=5). Head: palpi cream; frontal tuft ochre; collar and scape golden cream, glossy; antenna longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 26–27 segments, dark grey-brown on upper side, pale grey on underside. Thorax and tegula golden brown. Forewing golden brown, with broad, distinctly postmedian fascia and slender, short apical fascia; both fasciae comprising shiny silver lamellar scales; at certain angle of view, apex darker than most of forewing, dark brown; cilia pale grey to greyish brown; underside of forewing dark brown to grey-brown, with no spots or androconia. Hindwing grey to pale grey on upper side and underside, with weak purple iridescence along tornus and apically; no androconia; its cilia pale grey to grey, without purple iridescence. Legs golden cream, with grey-brown darkenings on upper side. Abdomen dark grey or fuscous on upper side and underside; anal tufts short, grey; anal plates cream.
Female. Similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs 62–71, 85, 87, 88). Capsule significantly longer (280–305 µm) than wide (185–190 µm). Vinculum with short, distinctly angular lateral (anterior) lobes; ventral plate of vinculum realtively long (about 80 µm). Uncus angular, with two broad lobes each bearing numerous setae (Figs 63). Gnathos with two juxtaposed caudal processes (Figs 62, 63, 66); central plate of gnathos large (about 80 µm wide). Valva (Figs 62, 63, 67) 140– 150 µm long, 65–70 µm broad, with one pointed apical processes; inner lobe slightly bulged; transtilla without sublateral processes (Figs 63, 66). Juxta membranous, caudally with strongly thickened structure of inverted ‘V’ (Figs 63, 68). Phallus (Figs 64, 65, 69) 195–230 µm long, 80–100 µm broad, distally with spined margin (Fig. 65, 70); vesica with 13 large cornuti; no spinose cornuti developed; largest cornutus 110–130 µm long, smallest 35–50 µm long (Figs 65, 69, 71, 85, 87, 88); in average, the size ratio of the largest cornuti with the second largest is about 1:1.4, while the size ratio of the largest cornuti with the smallest is about 1:2.7 (Fig. 88).
Female genitalia (Fig. 52). Total length about 840 µm. Abdominal apex broad, distinctly truncate. Broad apophyses anteriores longer than very narrow apophyses posteriores. Vestibulum relatively broad, without sclerites. Accessory sac small and folded. Ductus spermathecae narrow, without distictive coils (chitinized convolution) (see Fig. 52). Corpus bursae 335 µm broad, oval shaped, covered with numerous and well visible comb-like pectinations but without signa.
Bionomics. Larvae mine in leaves (Figs 56, 58, 60). Host-plant: Baccharis latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. (Asteraceae) (Fig. 1). Larva green with dark brownish green intestine and pale brown head; mine in January and February. Long sinuous or contorted gallery of leaf-mine with relatively broad central line of black frass (Figs 56, 58, 60), which in initial part of mine can be interrupted; usually with narrow empty areas of the gallery without frass. Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon beige-brown to beige cream; length 2.5 mm, maximal width 1.2–1.3 mm (Fig. 59). Adults emerged in February and March.
Distribution (Fig. 3). This species occurs in the equatorial Andes (from Colombia to eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador) at altitudes between 2200–3300 m, predominantly in cloud forest habitats (Fig. 55, 57). Etymology. The species is named after the host-plant Baccharis latifolia.
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 115-119, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4136.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/261786