Stigmella jaguari Remeikis & Stonis, sp.nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Schuster, Jack
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella jaguari

description: Stigmella jaguari Remeikis & Stonis, sp.nov.
(Figs 2, 13–17, 31, 35 –37,55–59)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, 14°47'27"N, 91°32'09"W, mining larvae on Quercus sp., 2500 m, 08.ii.2012, field card no. 5119, LT-GT Scientific Expedition, genitalia slide no. RA491 (ZMUC). Paratype: 1♂, label data as holotype, genitalia slide no. RA489 (ZMUC).
Diagnosis. In male genitalia the new species differs from all other species of the saginella group except Stigmella lauta sp. nov. by the long vinculum and rounded juxta. From related S. lauta sp. nov. it differs by the short cornuti, bulged valva, and tiny sublateral processes of transtilla (S. lauta posseses long cornuti, stright valva, and large sublateral processes of transtilla).
Male (Figs 35–37). Forewing length 2.2–2.5 mm; wingspan 4.8–5.4 mm. Head: palpi cream; frontal tuft black; collar and scape large, yellowish cream; antenna with 27–29 segments, slightly shorter than half of forewing; flagellum pale grey to dark grey upper side, grey to cream-grey on underside. Thorax, tegulae and forewings yellow-cream or grey-cream densely but irregularly speckled (irrorated with black scales, no distinct forewing pattern); cilia grey (including forewing apex); underside of forewing black-grey, with cream spot on apex. Hindwings and cilia grey. Legs fuscous on upper side, cream on underside. Abdomen fuscous on upper side, greycream on underside, anal plates and tufts cream.
Female. Unknown.
Male genitalia (Figs 55–59). Capsule longer (250 m) than wide (175 µm). Vinculum without lateral lobes; ventral plate large. Uncus with short, distally chitinized lateral lobes (Figs 55, 57). Gnathos with slender transverse bar and two caudal processes (Fig. 57). Valva (Figs 55, 57) 120 µm long, bulged medially, with pointed apical process; transtilla with short pointed sublateral processes. Juxta rounded caudally (Fig. 55). Aedeagus (Figs 58, 59)175–195 µm long, 60–70 µm broad; vesica with 7–8 large spine like cornuti and some minute cornuti.
Bionomics. Mines in leaves (Figs 13–15). Host-plants: Quercus crispipilis Trel. (section Lobatae) (Figs 16, 11). Egg on upper side of the leaf. Larvae mine in February. Sinuous gallery of mine filled with blackish frass (Figs 13, 14). Larva deep green, with dark green or brown-green intestine. Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon (Fig. 31) whitish; length 2.3 mm, maximal width 1 mm. Adults emerged in March.
Distribution (Fig. 2). Known only from Guatemala in montane mixed forests at elevation 2500 m) (Figs 3, 17).
Etymology. This species is named after the jaguar, a sacred animal of the Maya people, in reference to the yellow-cream forewing of S. jaguari irregularly speckled with black scales.
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius & Schuster, Jack, 2013, First discovery of Quercus feeding Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) in Central America, pp. 1-23 in Zootaxa 3737 (1) on page 6, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3737.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/285197