Micrurapteryx caraganella (Hering, 1957)

Kirichenko, N. I., Akulov, E. N., Triberti, P. & Ponomarenko, M. G., 2017, New records of the leaf mining Gracillariid moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) from Asian part of Russia, Far Eastern Entomologist 346, pp. 1-12 : 3-4

Micrurapteryx caraganella (Hering, 1957)

Fig. 1

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Russia: Amur oblast, Skovodorino, bushes of

Caragana arborescens near by train station, 26.VI 2016, 15 leaf mines (herbarium,

vol. XIV, 2016), 3 larvae, 4 pupae, 1♂, 1♀, adults reared from mine (em. 3. VII

2016), gen. slide nos. NK 38♂, NK 39♀, N. Kirichenko; Tuva Republic, Kyzyl,

bushes of Caragana arborescens along Kalinina str., 12.VII 2016, 5 leaf mines

(herbarium, vol. XV, 2016), 1 larva, 1 pupa, N. Kirichenko.

DIAGNOSIS. The forewing pattern of M. caraganella is very similar to M.

gradatella and only genitalia allow distinguishing these two species. In male genitalia, M. caraganella has a prominent tooth on the middle of the ventral margin of the valva which is absent in M. gradatella . In female genitalia, the antrum is ampulla-shaped with lateral broadenings, whereas it is almost cylindrical in M.

gradatella. In pupa of M. caraganella cremaster has five pairs of little spines versus three pairs in M. gradatella .

NOTES. The species has been recently found in Siberia where it was previously confused with Micrurapteryx gradatella which exists in sympatry in some Siberian regions but develops on other Fabaceae species ( Lathyrus , Vicia ) (Kirichenko et al.,

2016). Drawing of male genitalia in Kuznetzov (1981, fig. 173, 3) is to be attributed to M. caraganella , not to M. gradatella .

DISTRIBUTION. Russia: Central Siberia (Hering, 1957), Tyumen, Omsk ,

Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and Irkutsk oblast, Altai and Krasnoyarsk krai (Kirichenko et al., 2016), * Tuva Republic, Transbaikal krai (Kirichenko et al., 2016), * Amur oblast.

HOST PLANTS. Oligophagous species on Fabaceae . In Siberia: Caragana arborescens , C. boisii , Medicago sativa (Kirichenko et al., 2016) . In Tuva Republic and Amur oblast we found mines only on Caragana arborescens .

aedeagus, lateral view), gen. slide no. NK 38♂; 2 – Phyllonorycter comparella , gen. slide no.

NK 33♂. Scale bars = 200μm (1), 150μm (2).

Figures

Figs 1, 2. Male genitalia (ventral view). 1 – Micrurapteryx caraganella (with dissected