Stigmella semilactea , Remeikis & Stonis 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Davis, Donald R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella semilactea

description: 8. Stigmella semilactea Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov.   
(Figs 27, 28, 75–78, 99–101)  
 Diagnosis. Externally adults of this species can be recognized by the sparsely distributed, milky-whitish scales on the dark brown forewing. The combination of the short phallus, short lobes of vinculum, triangular lobes of the uncus and the milky-whitish scales of the forewing, separate the species from all other Stigmella species.   
 Male (Figs 27, 28). Forewing length 2.1–2.8 mm; wingspan 4.5–6.3 mm. Head: palpi greyish cream to grey; frontal tuft dark, greyish brown, sometimes fused with some cream or orangish cream, piliform scales; collar cream to whitish; scape cream or whitish, sometimes with a few greyish scales; antenna about half the length of forewing; flagellum with 29–34 segments, brownish grey to grey on upper side, greyish cream on underside. Thorax and tegulae greyish brown to grey, with some greyish cream scales. Forewing with no fascia, irrorated with dark grey brown and milky-whitish scales (pale or rubbed specimens appear less irrorated, more grey-brown, but with some whitish scales); the whitish scales, especially in darker specimens, most distinctive in apical half of forewing; terminal cilia greyish cream, tornal cilia grey; underside of forewing dark grey brown, sometimes with weak purple or blue iridescence, with no spots or androconia. Hindwings and cilia pale greyish brown on upper side and underside, with no androconia. Legs brownish grey on upper side, greyish cream on underside. Abdomen darkgrey to grey on upper side, grey to cream on underside; anal tufts short, cream to greyish cream; anal plates cream to brownish cream.   
 Female. Forewing length 2.6–3.0 mm; wingspan 5.7–6.5 mm. Frontal tuft greyish brown to pale orange. Flagellum with 28–30 segments. Otherwise as male.   
 Male genitalia (Figs 75–78). Capsule rounded, slightly longer (325–330 µm) than wide (240–245 µm). Vinculum with two short and rounded (sometimes triangular) lateral (anterior) lobes. Uncus with long, distally gradually narrowed (amost triangular) caudal lobes (curved and therefore less visible in figs 75, 76). Gnathos with two very narrow caudal processes and lateral broad central plate (Fig. 76). Valva (Figs 75, 76) 165–170 µm long, 85–90 µm broad, with slender apical process; inner lobe of valva broad, slightly angular distally; transtilla without sublateral processes (fig. 76). Phallus (Figs 77, 78) 245–250 µm long, 130–135 µm broad; chitinization of phallus tube is partially reduced in distal half; vesica with numerous small spine-like or small blunt cornuti (but never dentate ones). Manica absent.   
 Female genitalia (Figs 99–101). Total length about 1100–1275 µm. Anterior apophyses very short (about 20 µm) and blunt; posterior apophyses long (about 135–165 µm) and very slender. Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Corpus bursae with folded distal part and broader, oval-shaped basal part, without signa, densily covered with pectinations over entire length (Figs 99, 100), without spines. Accessory sac broad, but very short but not prominent (barely distinct); ductus spermathecae long, with about 2.5–3 convolutions, not extended into large utriculus (as in the purpurimaculae group). Abdominal tip broad and blunt.   
 Bionomics. Some specimens were collected around Colletia spinosissima and Discaria serratifolia (both Rhamnaceae); however, there is insufficient proof that these plants are the hosts of S. semilactea. Adults fly in late September–December and February. Otherwise unknown.   
 Distribution. This species occurs in the southern Andes (Argentina and Chile) at altitudes ca. 350–1000 m (see Material).   
 Type material. Holotype: ♂, ARGENTINA, Neuquén, S. M. de los Andes, Piedra Trampul, elevation ca. 1000 m, 15.x.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA 512♂ (ZMUC).   
Paratypes: 3 ♂, 1 ♀, ARGENTINA, Río Negro, S. C. de Bariloche, Colonia Suiza, elevation ca. 810 m, 9.xii.–31.xii.1978, Mision Cientifica Danesa, genitalia slide nos. RA 360♂, RA 528♂, RA 571♂ (ZMUC); 4 ♂, 3 ♀, elevation ca. 800 m, 19.x.–22.xii.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide nos. RA 338♂, RA 454♀, RA 509♀ (ZMUC); 8 ♂, 1 ♀, Neuquén, S. M. de los Andes, elevation ca. 640 m, 28.ix.–26.xi.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide nos. RA 341♀, RA 347♂, RA 350♂, RA 369♂, RA 378♂, RA 517♂, RA 570♂ (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Lágo Lacar, Pucar, elevation ca. 650 m, 28–29.xi.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA 521♂ (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Chubut, Esquel, elevation ca. 550 m, 1.i.1982, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA 343♂ (ZMUC).  
 Other material examined (not type-series). 1 ♀, ARGENTINA, Río Negro, S. C. de Bariloche, Colonia Suiza, elevation ca. 810 m, 4.xii.1978, Mision Cientifica Danesa (ZMUC); 1 ♂, elevation ca. 810 m, 9.i.1979, Mision Cientifica Danesa, genitalia slide no. RA 377♂ (ZMUC); 5 ♀, elevation ca. 800 m, 3.ii.–24.xii.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide nos. RA 352♀, RA 532♀ (ZMUC); 1 ♀, Chubut, Esquel, Lago Menéndez, Sagrio Puerto, elevation ca. 550 m, 21.ii.1979, Mision Cientifica Danesa, genitalia slide no. RA 573♀ (ZMUC); 1 ♀, Neuquén, Lágo Lacar, Pucar, elevation ca. 650 m, 27.xii.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA 511♀ (ZMUC); 1 ♂, CHILE, Osorno, Parque Nacional Puyehue, Anticura, elevation ca. 350 m, 18.xi.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt (ZMUC); 1 ♀, Aguas Calientes, elevation ca. 450 m, 12.xii.1981, Nielsen & Karsholt (ZMUC) (See Remarks).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin semi (semi-/half-) and lacteus (milky, milk-white) in reference to the milk-white scales sparsely distributed on the darker forewing.   
 Remarks. The specimens which exibit some variation of genitalia or external characters were excluded from the type-series.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Remeikis, Andrius & Davis, Donald R., 2014, Ten new species from the Patagonian Andes (Argentina and Chile), mostly belonging to a newly designated Stigmella purpurimaculae group (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), pp. 321-353 in Zootaxa 3887 (3) on pages 330-331, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3887.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4952109