Stigmella tomentosella Diskus & Stonis 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Fernández-Alonso, José L.
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Solis, M. Alma
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella tomentosella

description: Stigmella tomentosella Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
(Figs 12–17, 27, 54–59, 69)
lsid:zoobank.org:act: D19FFC7B-9E35-4997-88CA-65AD65907308
Type material. Holotype: ♁, ECUADOR: SE of Ambato, Baños de Agua Santa, on the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano, 1°24ꞌ5ꞌꞌS, 78°25ꞌ45ꞌꞌW, elevation 1980 m, mining larva on Clinopodium tomentosum (Kunth) Govaerts (Lamiaceae), 9.ii.2000, leg. R. Puplesis, genitalia slide no. AD796 (adult documented but lost) (USNM).
Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the Stigmella singularia species group, designated and characterized by Stonis et al. (2017a). In the male genitalia, S. tomentosella sp. nov. differs from the similar S. odora sp. nov. and other species of the group by the unique, long and very slender cornutus, as well as the combination of a slender valva, large median element of the gnathos, and a transtilla with short sublateral processes. The host plant Clinopodium tomentosum makes this species distinctive among Stigmella species, except for the Bolivian S. clinopodiella Diškus & Stonis, 2016 that feeds on the related host plant, Clinopodium axillare (Rusby) Harley (Fig. 18) (See Remarks below). However, S. tomentosella differs in the morphology of the leaf mine: the leaf mine of the new species is slender, almost entirely filled with brown-black frass (Fig. 15); the leaf mine of S. clinopodiella is a combination of a long, very slender gallery and an elongated blotch with wide margin unfilled with frass (Figs 19–21).
Male (Fig. 27). Forewing length 2.1 mm; wingspan 4.6 mm (n = 1). Head: palpi brownish cream; frontal tuft dark orange; scape and collar brownish cream; antenna (flagellum) brownish grey. Thorax and tegula concolorous with the forewing base. Forewing densely speckled with brown and dark brown scales; fascia ill-defined, subapical, comprised of brownish white scales; fringe pale brown; underside of forewing brown, without spots or androconia. Hindwing brownish grey, without androconia; fringe grey. Legs brownish cream; on upper side, covered with blackgrey scales. Abdomen blackish grey on upper side, brownish cream on underside; genital segments cream; anal tufts distinctive, cream, half the width of terminal segment of the abdomen.
Female. Unknown.
Male genitalia (Figs 54–59). Capsule longer (290 μm) than wide (170 μm). Vinculum with distinctive, thickened, slightly angular lateral lobes (Fig. 57). Uncus gradually narrowing towards apex, with characteristic caudal lobes (Fig. 55). Gnathos with a moderately large median plate and two slender caudal processes (Fig. 54). Valva (Fig. 56) 180 μm long, slender, gradually narrowing to an apical process (Fig. 56); transtilla with short sublateral processes (Fig. 57). Juxta membranous, indistinctive. Phallus (Figs 58, 59) about 295 μm long, 55 μm wide in the middle and 90 μm wide at apical part; vesica with a set of about ten large spine-like cornuti; one of them is very slender and long (Fig. 59).
Bionomics (Figs 12–17, 69). Host plant is Clinopodium tomentosum (Kunth) Govaerts, Lamiaceae: Mentheae (Figs 12, 13). Larva pale, brownish yellow with an indistinctive intestine and pale brown head; feeds in February and in January (note that in early February most of leaf mines are already vacant). Leaf mine (Figs 14–17) is a gradually widening gallery, almost entirely filled with black-brown frass (Fig. 15). Cocoon beige to ochre-beige, 1.9–2.2 mm long, 1.1–1.4 mm wide (n = 4). Adults fly in February and probably in early March.
Distribution (Fig. 69). This species is known from a single locality in equatorial Andes, on the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano (Ecuador: Baños) at elevation of ca. 2000 m, but the host plant has a wider distribution in the equatorial Andes (see Discussion).
Etymology. The species is named after the host plant, Clinopodium tomentosum.
Remarks. Stigmella clinopodiella Diškus & Stonis, discovered feeding on a congeneric host plant to this species, was described from Bolivia (Fig. 70), and illustrated by Stonis et al. 2016: 79–82. The species also belongs to the Stigmella singularia species group. In the male genitalia (Figs 60–62), S. clinopodiella differs from all other species of the group in the combination of a large gnathos with two very close-set caudal processes, truncate uncus, large apical process of the valva, triangular juxta and long cornuti of the phallus. In the female genitalia, S. clinopodiella is characterized by the angular anterior apophyses (Fig. 67) and the rounded basal part of the bursa copulatrix.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Fernández-Alonso, José L., Remeikis, Andrius & Solis, M. Alma, 2021, New leaf-miningNepticulidae (Lepidoptera): potential pests of aromatic Lamiaceae plants from equatorial Andes, pp. 363-383 in Zootaxa 4926 (3) on pages 378-379, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4926.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4529319