Stigmella pandora Remeikis & Stonis

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, Zootaxa 4181 (1), pp. 1-94 : 54

Stigmella pandora Remeikis & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 18 , 27 , 143–151 )

Type material. Holotype: Ƌ, PERU, Dept. Ancash, 35 km SE Huaraz, Cerro Cahuish, Quabrada Pucavado , 9°40'50"S, 77°13'32"W, elevation 4100 m, 15–18.ii.1987, O. Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA565Ƌ ( ZMUC) . Paratypes: 4 Ƌ, 3 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide nos. RA578Ƌ, RA579Ƌ, RA567♀ (ZMUC); 1 Ƌ, Dept. Lima, 45 km NE Chosica, Millo Valley, Quabrada Yanac , 11°36'30"S, 76°24'18"W, elevation 4000 m, 26– 28.i.1987, O. Karsholt, genitalia slide no. RA574Ƌ ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. The combination of: pale speckled forewing, long processes of transtilla, large gnathos with closely juxtaposed processes, and specific set of cornuti distinguishes S. pandora sp. nov. from all other Stigmella species.

Male ( Figs 143, 144 ). Forewing length 4.6–4.7 mm; wingspan about 9.7–10 mm. Head: palpi brownish cream; frontal tuft comprised of ochre cream (sometimes whitish cream) and ochre piliform scales; collar and scape cream to yellowish cream; antenna distinctly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 42 segments, pale ochre to ochre cream on upper side and underside. Thorax and tegula golden cream (sometime tegula fuscous anteriorly). Forewing brownish cream to golden cream, speckled with ochre-brown scales with weak purple iridescence; base of forewing darkened with fuscous along costal margin; fringe greyish ochre; underside of forewing ochre-brown, with no spots or androconia. Hindwing pale grey to ochreous grey on upper side and underside, with no spots or androconia; its fringe pale grey. Legs golden cream to brownish cream, darkened with fuscous brown on upper side. Abdomen grey to fuscous on upper side, grey crean on underside; tufts short, grey cream to cream; genital segments cream.

Female. Forewing length about 4.0 mm; wingspan about 8.6 mm. Abdominal tip with long fuscous to dark grey lateral tufts.

Male genitalia ( Figs 145–150 ). Capsule longer (360 µm) than wide (250 µm). Uncus with four caudal papillae. Gnathos with large central plate and two closely juxtaposed caudal processes. Valva 245–255 µm long, 65–85 µm wide, with two apical processes; transtilla with long triangular processes. Juxta membranous, triangular. Vinculum with small triangular lateral lobes and short ventral plate. Phallus ( Figs 146, 147 ) 270–280 µm long, 70– 95 µm wide; vesica with four large thickened horn-like cornuti, four other but little thickened cornuti, and a group of very small spine-like cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 151 ). Total length 1005–1015 µm. Anterior and posterior apophyses almost equal in length. Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Corpus bursae with long, heavily folded distal part and small round, 295–300 µm long, 210 µm wide basal part with comb-like pectinations; signa absent. Accessory sac small; ductus spermathecae with 3.5–4 convolutions. Abdominal tip narrowed, almost truncated.

Bionomics. Adults fly in January–February. Otherwise biology unknown.

Distribution ( Figs 18 , 27 ). This species occurs in the high Peruvian Andes ( Peru: Ancash Departamento and Lima Departamento) at altitudes 4000–4100 m.

Etymology. The species name is derived from Greek Pandora (Pandora’s box), the artifact in mythology, in reference to the amazing diversity of the Andean Stigmella often represented by externally similar species, which may appear as separate distinct taxa only after dissection (like S. pandora sp. nov.).

Figures

FIGURE 27. Distribution map of the high-Andean Nepticulidae with height records.

FIGURES 18 – 19. Distribution of high altitude Nepticulidae and collecting in the Peruvian Andes. 18, distribution map; 19, collector and co-author Ole Karsholt in Polylepis forest during Polylepis Expedition organized by Prof. Dr. Jon Fjeldså (the leader of the Polylepis Expeditions, ZMUC) in 1987.

FIGURES 143 – 147. Stigmella pandora Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov. 143, 144, holotype, male adult; 145, holotype, male genitalia, slide no. RA 565, capsule without phallus; 146, 147, same, phallus (ZMUC).

FIGURES 148 – 151. Genitalia of Stigmella pandora Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov. 148, holotype, male genitalia, slide no. RA 565, capsule with phallus removed; 149, same, focused from ventral to more dorsal; 150, same, ventral view to apical processes of valva; 151, paratype, female genitalia, slide no. RA 567 (ZMUC).