Stigmella robleae Remeikis & Stonis

Remeikis, Andrius & Stonis, Jonas R., 2015, First discovery of Quercus- feeding Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) in South America, with description of new species and designation of the S. nigriverticella complex in the S. saginella group, Zootaxa 4057 (3), pp. 409-429 : 411-412

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4057.3.7
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:03034933-E653-4772-B796-91637B2A8EC1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6093928
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2C6A69ED-F715-468D-B032-6E0384720107
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:2C6A69ED-F715-468D-B032-6E0384720107
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Stigmella robleae Remeikis & Stonis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Stigmella robleae Remeikis & Stonis View in CoL , sp. nov.

( Figs 22–41 View FIGURES 22 – 28 View FIGURES 29 – 32 View FIGURES 33 – 37 View FIGURES 38 – 41 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, COLOMBIA: 1♂, Manizales, 5°02'04"N, 75°28'41"W, mining larvae on Quercus humboldtii , elevation 2000 m, 21–22.ii.2013, leg. A. Remeikis & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slide no. RA 605♂ (PUJ); Paratype: 1♀, same label, genitalia slide no. RA606♀ (PUJ).

Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the Stigmella saginella group (for the characters of the group see Stonis et al. 2013a) and it mostly resembles to the species from S. nigriverticella complex. For diagnostics of S. robleae sp. nov. see figs 55, 56: the new species is distinguishable by the entirely ochre-orange frontal tuft; ochre-yellow colour and specific pattern of forewing (see fig. 56), also rather specific signa (see fig. 55) in the female genitalia; the host-plant ( Quercus humboldtii with a restricted distribution range in South America) also makes this species distinctive. From the other species also feeding on Quercus humboldtii in Colombia but not belonging to the S. nigriverticella complex or S. saginella group ( S. humboldti sp. nov.) it differs by the paler hindwing and specific forewing pattern (see fig. 56), and the long slender lamellar signa (not broadly oval signa formed by individualized spines, fig. 52).

Male ( Fig. 29 View FIGURES 29 – 32 ). Forewing length about 2.3 mm; wingspan about 5.2 mm. Head: palpi yellowish cream; frontal tuft entirely ochre-orange; collar and scape yellowish cream; antenna slightly shorter than half of forewing; flagellum with about 24 segments, fuscous grey on upper side, greyish cream on underside. Thorax and tegulae entirely ochre-yellow, without darkenings. Forewing ochre-yellow, with some sparsely scattered blackish to black scales and with black, ill-defined apical spot near forewing costal margin; basal half of forewing with blackish darkening along narrow costal margin; black scales, forming apical spot, with weak purple iridescence; cilia grey on tornus, ochre-yellow on forewing apex; underside of forewing dark grey to grey, with very weak purple iridescence but no spots or androconia. Hindwing and its cilia grey, with no androconia; hindwing underside grey. Legs glossy, yellowish cream, except forelegs which fuscous on upper side. Abdomen blackish grey on upper side, yellow-cream on underside; anal tufts greyish cream.

Female ( Fig. 30 View FIGURES 29 – 32 ). Forewing length about 2.2 mm; wingspan about 4.8 mm. Flagellum with about 22 segments. Forewing color more intense ochre-yellow; black apical spot very distinctive, large, with some purple iridescence; basal half of forewing without blackish darkening along costal margin; forewing underside dark grey with weak purple iridescence. Otherwise as male.

Male genitalia ( Figs 33–37 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Capsule weakly chitinized, longer (225 µm) than wide (170 µm). Vinculum without lateral lobes, ventral plate short ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Uncus with two short truncate lateral lobes ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Gnathos with two closely juxtaposed caudal processes ( Figs 34, 36 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Valva ( Figs 33, 37 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ) 190–195 µm long, with numerous long chaetae; apical process weakly individualized ( Fig. 33 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ); transtilla with very short sublateral processes ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Juxta X-shaped ( Fig. 33 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ). Phallus ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 33 – 37 ) 155 µm long, 50–55 µm broad; vesica without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Figs 38–41 View FIGURES 38 – 41 , 55 View FIGURES 55 ). Total length about 1025 µm. Apophyses anteriores (about 45–50 m) much shorter than apophyses posteriores (about 100–105 µm) ( Figs 38, 39 View FIGURES 38 – 41 ). Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Accessory sac very small, not individualized. Corpus bursae oval to elongated, 860 µm long, 310–330 µm broad, covered with numerous pectinations and with two connected, strongly thickened signa ( Figs 40, 41 View FIGURES 38 – 41 ); one signum is slightly longer than the other ( Fig. 39 View FIGURES 38 – 41 ).

Bionomics ( Figs 23–28 View FIGURES 22 – 28 ). Mines in leaves. Host-plant: Quercus humboldtii Bonpl , section Lobatae ( Figs 23– 25 View FIGURES 22 – 28 ). Egg on upper side of the leaf. Larvae mine in January and early February (in February most of leaf-mines are already empty). Sinuous gallery of mine filled with blackish frass, with some clear margins left unfilled only in distal half of the gallery ( Figs 26–28 View FIGURES 22 – 28 ). Larva bright green, with pale brown intestine ( Fig. 28 View FIGURES 22 – 28 ). Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon ( Figs 31, 32 View FIGURES 29 – 32 ) beige cream; length 2.2–2.4 mm, maximal width 1 mm. Adults emerged in March.

Distribution ( Fig. 42 View FIGURES 42 – 47 ). Currently known from single locality in Colombia, in montane mixed forest at elevation 2000 m ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 22 – 28 ).

Etymology. The new species is named after the famous local (Spanish) name of its host-plant (roble), so widely used in spoken language and popular or scientific literature in Latin America.