Acalyptris caribbicus Diškus & Stonis, 2013

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Noreika, Remigijus & Schuster, Jack, 2013, Four new leaf-mining Acalyptris species from Guatemala and Belize, with new data on bionomics of Stigmella pruinosa (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), Zootaxa 3737 (2), pp. 101-117 : 106-109

Acalyptris caribbicus Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 21–34 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, BELIZE, Caribbean Archipelago, Ambergris Cay, 17°56'N, 87°57'W, elevation ca. 4 m, coastal bush, mining larvae 11.ii.2012, ex pupae iii.2012, field card no. 5085, LT-GT Scientific Expedition, genitalia slide no. AD500 (ZMUC). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide nos AD 501♂, AD502♀, AD503♀ (ZMUC).

Diagnosis. In male genitalia it differs from all known Neotropical Acalyptris in having a long, undivided pseuduncus, a very slender, basally broadened valva, and three carinae on the aedeagus.

Male ( Fig. 24 ). Forewing length 1.7–1.9 mm, wingspan 3.9–4.3 mm. Head: palpi cream or greyish cream; frontal tuft pale orange-brown; collar whitish cream, comprises broadened piliform scales; eye-caps whitish cream, with a few pale brown scales distally; antenna with ca. 26 segments, slightly shorter than half of forewing; flagellum brown on upper side, brown-cream on underside. Thorax, tegulae and forewings cream or greyish cream, speckled with brown scales; these brown scales more densely scattered in apical half and form oblique postmedian fascia which is weakly defined and rather incomplete (weakly reaches tornal margin of forewing); cilia cream apically, greyish cream on tornus; underside of forewing grey-brown with huge oval patch of cream androconia in two thirds of basal part. Hindwings grey-cream, broadened at basal half and with pale grey-brown elongated androconia covering basal half of hindwind and overlapping over 1/3 of cilia; underside of hindwings with basal patch of cream androconia and brown scales along hindwing margins in apical part; cilia greyish cream. Legs brownish cream, with fuscous darkening on upper side. Abdomen cream with some brownish scales on upper side; anal plates cream, anal tufts short, cream.

Female. Forewing length 1.6–1.7 mm, wingspan 3.7–3.9 mm (n=2). Antenna with ca. 22 segments; flagellum pale brown to dark brown on upper side, cream on underside. Thorax, tegulae and forewings cream, sometimes with some orange tinge; brown scales predominantly only in apical part of forewing; postmedian fascia formed by fuscous scales; underside of forewing grey (darker in apical part), no androconia. Otherwise as in male.

Male genitalia ( Figs 29–33 ). Capsule longer (240 µm) than wide (160 µm). Vinculum without lateral (anterior) lobes. Pseuduncus broad, truncate distally. Uncus with hook-like process and medially broadened lateral (posterior) lobes ( Fig. 30 ). Gnathos with pointed triangular process, very small central element and broad lateral arms ( Fig. 31 ). Valva ( Figs 29, 33 ) 165–170 µm long, basally broad, narrowed apically, without processes. Transtilla with short slender sublateral processes and very narrow, weakly sclerotized transverse bar ( Fig. 29 ). Aedeagus 195 µm long, 60–85 µm broad, with three slender pointed carinae (two lateral, one median) ( Fig. 32 ); vesica with numerous minute cornuti and large, strongly slerotized cathrema.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 34 ). Total length 505 µm. Vestibulum relatively broad, with broad (60 µm) plate-like sclerite. Corpus bursae oval but slender, with two very large reticulate signa (260 and 275 µm long). Ductus spermathecae with 2.5–3 small coils.

Bionomics. Mines in leaves ( Figs 25–27 ). Host-plant: Lantana involucrata L. ( Verbenaceae ) ( Fig. 28 ). Egg on upper side of the leaf. Larvae mine in early February (possibly also in January because some empty leaf-mines found by us in early February). Contorted or sinuous gallery of mine filled with dark brown to blackish frass, usually with clear margins left in distal half of the track ( Figs 26, 27 ). Larva pale green to green. Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon pale ochre-brown; length 1.4 mm, maximal width 0.9 mm ( Fig. 23 ). Adults emerged in March.

Distribution. Coast region of Belize ( Fig. 21 ). Occurs in the coastal tropical brush ( Fig. 22 ). Etymology. This species is named after the Caribbean Archipelago ( Belize), a region where the new species was discovered.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 28. Acalyptris caribbicus Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. 21, currently known distribution; 22, type locality; 23, cocoons. Scale 2 mm. 24, male adult, holotype. Scale 1 mm; 25 – 27, leaf-mines; 28, host-plant (unidentified).

FIGURES 29 – 34. Acalyptris caribbicus Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. 29, male genitalia, capsule, holotype, genitalia slide no. AD 500. Scale 100 µm; 30, same, uncus. Scale 50 µm;. 31, same, gnathos. Scale 50 m; 32, same, aedeagus. Scale 75 µm; 33, same, valva. Scale 75 µm; 34, female genitalia, paratype. Scale 200 µm.