Phyllocnistis maxberryi Kawahara, Nishida & Davis, 2009

Brito, Rosângela, Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos, Gonçalves, Gislene L., Becker, Vitor O., Mielke, Olaf H. H. & Moreira, Gilson R. P., 2017, Taxonomic revision of Neotropical Phyllocnistis Zeller, 1848 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), with descriptions of seven new species and host plant associations, Zootaxa 4341 (3), pp. 301-352 : 314-315

Phyllocnistis maxberryi Kawahara, Nishida & Davis, 2009

Figs. 3K , 4K , 5 , S1; Tab. 2

Phyllocnistis maxberryi ; Kawahara et al. 2009: 17–20, figs. 2B, 5A–F, 8A–L, 11A–L. De Prins et al. 2016: 36.

Type material. The description of Phyllocnistis maxberryi Kawahara, Nishida & Davis, 2009 was based on seven males, three females, nine larvae and nine pupae, from Villa Mills and 6 km ENE Vara Blanca, Costa Rica. The female holotype ( Fig. 3K ) is figured, illustrated and is deposited at USNM; it has the following labels (separated by forward slash symbols, Fig. 4K ): / HOLOTYPE Phyllocnistis maxberryi Kawahara, Nishida, Davis 2009 / #f genitalia on slide 4474 D. R. Davis / Costa Rica: Prov. San José Cerro de la Muerte, Villa Mills 3100m, 13-III-2003 (emergence) col./rear: Kenji NISHIDA / host plant: Gaiadendron punctatum (Loranthaceae) , upper surface leaf miner phyllocnistine / Digital Image Captured /. According to the original description, the paratypes (seven males, two females, nine larvae, nine pupae and three additional slides, one of these containing the genitalia of a male ( USNM 33279) and two containing female genitalia ( USNM 33280, 33286)) are currently deposited with the holotype at the USNM. One paratype with no sex identification is deposited in the UCR collection.

Forewing length. 2.85 mm (n=1).

Diagnosis ( Figs. 3K, S 1; Tab. 2). Dorsal forewing: ground color light gray. lf faded, light brown, with thin dark brown borders, emerging from the costal base of the wing and following diagonally towards the center region (II); costal border of lf touching the central region of tf1 and inner border reaching the tf2. tf1 wide and oval, with same coloration as lf, but with the proximal border thicker, and with distal portion overlapping the distal portion of lf. tf2 c-shaped, crossing the wing entirely and preceding a light brown blotch located on the distal region (III), formed by tf3 + tf4. Distal border of tf4 thin, preceding the as. The costal strigulae typical, and as greatly reduced. This species differs from all Neotropical Phyllocnistis by the tf l wide and oval, with proximal border enlarged, and by the sizereduced as.

Geographical distribution ( Fig. 5 ). Specimens were collected at elevations from 1950 to 3000 m in the Talamanca Cordillera, at the locality Cerro de la Muerte, Villa Mills, Cartago province and in the Central Volcanic Cordillera , 6 km ENE from Vara Blanca, Heredia province, Costa Rica .

Natural history. According to the authors, the mines are found on young leaves, located on apical branches of young host plants located in open areas, as along trails and roads. Most of the mines were found on the adaxial leaf surface, up to three larvae being found feeding on the same leaf. The mines constructed by the larvae are serpentine in shape and followed by a trail of frass that darkens through larval development. The egg of P. maxberryi is usually deposited near the central vein, in the middle of the leaf. After hatching, the larva penetrates the tissues where it initiates the mine construction. The larva follows the central vein towards the petiole, later returning towards the apex, moving closer to the border. At the leaf apex, the larva crosses the central vein migrating to the other half of the leaf, tracking again towards the petiole, and next to this region the spinning instar constructs the endophyllous cocoon, which causes the leaf to fold next to the border.

Host plant(s). Gaiadendron punctatum (Ruiz & Pav.) G. Don (Loranthaceae) .

Examined material. Holotype.

Remarks. The immature stages and adults including their genitalia were figured and described in the original description. In addition to forewing color pattern, they cite other diagnostic characters such as on pupal cocooncutter, long, curved and spine shaped; and, on female genitalia the presence of a broad signa that occupies almost all of the corpus bursae.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Forewings of Neotropical Phyllocnistis. (A) P. abatiae holotype (left forewing reversed); (B) P. aurilinea lectotype (left, reversed); (C) P. baccharidis holotype (left, reversed); (D) P. bourquini holotype (right); (E) P. citrella lectotype (left, reversed); (F) P. dorcas holotype (right); (G) P. drimiphaga holotype (right); (H) P. helios holotype (right); (I) P. jupiter paratype (left, reversed); (J) P. kawakitai holotype (left, reversed); (K) P. maxberryi holotype (right); (L) P. meliacella holotype (right); (M) P. norak holotype (right); (N) P. ohshimai holotype (right); (O) P. ourea paratype (right); (P) P. perseafolia holotype (left, reversed); (Q) P. petronellii paratype (right); (R) P. phoebus paratype (left, reversed); (S) P. puyehuensis holotype (right); (T) P. rotans lectotype (right); (U) P. sciophanta holotype (left, reversed); (V) P. selene specimen (left, reversed); (W) P. sexangula lectotype (left, reversed); (X) P. tethys specimen (right); (Y) P. tropaeolicola holotype (right); (Z) P. wygodzinskyi holotype (left, reversed); (AA) P. xylopiella holotype (right). Scale bars: 1 (A – H, K, L, O, P, R – Z), 0.5 mm (I, J, M, N, Q, AA).

FIGURE 4. Labels of Neotropical Phyllocnistis types found in museums. (A) P. abatiae; (B) P. aurilinea; (C) P. baccharidis; (D) P. bourquini; (E) P. citrella; (F) P. dorcas; (G) P. drimiphaga; (H) P. helios; (I) P. jupiter; (J) P. kawakitai; (K) P. maxberryi; (L) P. meliacella; (M) P. norak; (N) P. ohshimai; (O) P. ourea; (P) P. perseafolia; (Q) P. petronellii; (R) P. phoebus; (S) P. puyehuensis; (T) P. rotans; (U) P. sciophanta; (V) P. selene; (W) P. sexangula; (X) P. tethys; (Y) P. tropaeolicola; (Z) P. wygodzinskyi; (AA) P. xylopiella.

FIGURE 5. Geographical distribution of Phyllocnistis species endemic to the Neotropical region.