Stigmella gynoxyphaga Diskus & Stonis, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Stonis, Jonas R.
name: Diškus, Arūnas
name: Remeikis, Andrius
name: Gerulaitis, Virginijus
name: Karsholt, Ole
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nepticulidae
Stigmella
Stigmella gynoxyphaga

description: Stigmella gynoxyphaga Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.
(Figs 1, 17, 27, 67–76)
Type material. Holotype: Ƌ, ECUADOR, Chimborazo Province, 25 km NW Riobamba, 1°31'19"S, 78°50'32"W, elevation 3990 m, mining larvae on Gynoxys buxifolia (Kunth) Cass. 11.xi.2007, field card no. 4918, A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD662Ƌ (ZMUC). Paratypes: 2 Ƌ, 6♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slides nos AD627Ƌ, AD628Ƌ, AD629♀, AD630♀, AD631♀, AD648♀, AD656♀, AD659♀ (all from mature pupae) (ZMUC).
Diagnosis. The combination of an apically wide valva, distally wide vinculum, and strongly thickened uncus with four papillae distinguishes S. gynoxyphaga sp. nov. from all other Stigmella species possessing two apical processes of the valva and many large cornuti on the vesica; the host-plant Gynoxys buxifolia (Asteraceae) also makes this species distinctive.
Male. Forewing length about 2.5 mm; wingspan about 5.6 mm. Head: palpi pale grey to cream grey; frontal tuft beige; scape cream; antenna distinctly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 43–44 segments, pale grey-brown. Thorax, tegula and forewing fuscous Hindwing grey. Legs brownish cream, darkened with dark grey on upper side. Abdomen dark grey.
Female. Similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs 67–71). Capsule longer (450 µm) than wide (medially 270 µm, anteriorly 300 µm). Vinculum with short but very wide ventral plate and wide lateral lobes. Uncus strongly thickened, with four large distal papillae. Gnathos with two caudal processes and slender central plate. Valva 265–270 µm long, 90–95 µm wide, with two distinctive apical processes; inner lobe slightly bulged apically but concave medially; transtilla with very small triangular processes. Juxta membranous, indistinctive. Phallus (Fig. 71) 330–340 µm long, 115–135 µm wide; vesica with five large horn-like cornuti.
Female genitalia (Fig. 76). Total length 995–1050 µm. Posterior apophyses significantly longer than anterior ones. Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Corpus bursae with a very long, heavily folded part and round, 285 µm long, 290 µm wide basal body with numerous comb-like pectinations; signa absent. Accessory sac very large; ductus spermathecae narrow, without distinctive convolutions but with sinuous chitinized part. Abdominal apex narrowed, distally almost pointed.
Bionomics. (Figs 72–75). Larva mines in leaves. Host-plant: Gynoxys buxifolia (Kunth) Cass. (Asteraceae) (Figs 72–74). Larva pale green; mines in November. Leaf-mine starts as a slender sinuous gallery partially filled with dark brown to black-brown frass; later it develops into a blotch (Fig. 75). Cocoon brown.
Distribution (Figs 17, 27). This species occurs high in the equatorial Andes (Ecuador: Chimborazo Province) at altitudes about 3990 m (Fig. 1).
Etymology. The species is derived from the name of the host-plant genus Gynoxys and Latin phaga (an eater).
description: Published as part of Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Gerulaitis, Virginijus & Karsholt, Ole, 2016, Leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from record high altitudes: documenting an entire new fauna in the Andean páramo and puna, pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 4181 (1) on pages 28-33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4181.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/164243