Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis, 2021: photographic documentation and a new elevation record

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/3ae6711c-34c4-404d-befd-f29c9c048b02

(Figs 1, 11–15, 47)

Material examined. 1 ♂, PERU, Huamanga Province, 37 km NE of Ayacucho, Quinua, 13°2'50"S, 74°8'8"W, elevation ca. 3,320 m, mining larvae on Baccharis sp., 28.x.2008, ex pupa xi.2008, field card no. 4955, leg. A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD1140 (MfN) .

Diagnosis. Externally, this species can be confused with other densely speckled Astrotischeria species. In the male genitalia, A. parapallens is distinguished by a slender and straight valva, a relatively short and distally widelobed phallus, an anteriorly thickened vinculum, and distally wide, dentate dorsal lobes.

Description. The species was described by Stonis et al. (2021b). The newly examined specimen from an altitude of 3,320 m, with a forewing length of 4.5 mm and a wingspan of 9.8 mm (n = 1) (Fig. 1), is larger than previously known specimens (3.9–4.0 mm in forewing length, 8.4–8.6 mm in wingspan). In the male genitalia (Figs 11–15), the capsule of the examined new specimen is 580 µm long and 280 µm wide; the phallus (Fig. 14) is 390 µm long. For a full description, see Stonis et al. (2021b).

Bionomics. The host plant is Baccharis L., possibly B. latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers., Asteraceae . Larvae mine leaves in late October. The blotch mine is irregular, elongated, usually pale brownish, with little or no frass (Stonis et al. 2021b). Adults occur in November.

Distribution. Previously, this species was known from a single locality in Peru (Muyurina, 9 km East of Ayacucho), at an elevation of about 2,500 m (Stonis et al. 2021b). Now, this species has been recorded in Quinua, 37 km NE of Ayacucho, Huamanga Province of Peru, at an elevation of 3,320 m (a new elevation record) (Fig. 47).