Acalyptris loranthella (Klimesch)

Van, Erik J., 2007, Acalyptris Meyrick: revision of the platani and staticis groups in Europe and the Mediterranean (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), Zootaxa 1436, pp. 1-48 : 16-17

Acalyptris loranthella (Klimesch)

( Figs. 5, 6, 8 , 22 , 28 , 48 , 65 , 87 , 91, 111 , 125 )

Nepticula loranthella Klimesch, 1937: 34 . Syntypes: HUNGARY: Pecs, Mitte Juni [vi.]1936, mines on Loranthus europaeus , e.l. 3-6.vii.1936, J. Klimesch (ZSM) [not examined]

Stigmella loranthella ; Klimesch 1948: 78 –80, fig. 61, 62; Hering 1957: 631 [mine keys]; Dräghia 1968: 860 [ Rumania]; Kasy 1969: 2 [ Austria]; Popescu-Gorj et al. 1972: 182 [ Rumania]; Hansson 1985: 92 [parasite reared, Greece, Hungary].

" Stigmella " loranthella ; van Nieukerken 1982: 19 [ Greece].

Weberina loranthella ; Szöcs 1978: 268 [new combination, Hungary]

Niepeltia loranthella ; van Achterberg 1983: 30 [parasite records]

Acalyptris loranthella ; van Nieukerken 1986b: 141 [new combination, listed]; A. & Z. Laštůvka 1990: 187 [ Czechoslovakia]; A. & Z. Laštůvka 1993: 158; van Nieukerken 1996: 24 [catalogued]; A. & Z. Laštůvka 1997: 116 [description; Italy]; Tokár et al. 2002: 1 [ Slovakia]; A. & Z. Laštůvka 2005: 10 [Sicily].

Diagnosis. Male with distinctive black forewing and white basal patch, scape with black distal part and black androconia on hindwing. Female resembles A. minimella and A. pistaciae , but has a dark frontal tuft and darker forewing. In genitalia it differs from the previous three species by valval lobe, which is simply triangular and not as elaborate as in the other species. In the female genitalia A. loranthella is recognised by wider signa than in previous three species, about 7 cells wide.

Description. Male ( Figs. 5, 8 ). Forewing length 1.8–2.4 mm, wingspan 3.7–5.5 mm. Head: frontal tuft fuscous; collar greyish, paler; scape white, distal 1/3 to more than ½ black. Antenna grey, with 30–39 segments. Thorax black, with few scattered greyish white scales; forewing covered with black scales, white elongate patch in costal half near base, not reaching costa and variable amount of pale grey scales around this patch, and in dorsal half forming elongate, almost linear, patch; terminal 1/5 white with grey, cilia silvery white. Underside with black scaling at base and in narrow strips along costa and dorsum, rest of underside devoid of scales, white patch shining though, black scaling appearing grey. Hindwing silvery white, frenulum and costal bristles present; patch of black scales covering basal 1/6–1/5; underside similar, with similar black patch. Abdomen silvery grey, with white inconspicuous anal tufts.

Female ( Fig. 6 ). Forewing length 2.1–2.5 mm, wingspan 4.5–5.5 mm. Antenna with 33–36 segments. Frontal tuft fuscous to brown, collar ditto. Scape yellowish white, no black scaling. Thorax and forewing yellowish brown to ochreous, irrorate with dark brown scales; cilia silvery white; special scales absent; costal bristles present, hindwing silvery white. Abdomen grey ochreous.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 22 , 28 , 65 ). Measurements: see Table 3 . Vinculum anteriorly concave, ventral plate rather long. Tegumen small, more or less triangular; uncus band-shaped, with indistinct central process, in lateral view split distally; gnathos with long narrow central element. Valva triangular because of triangular basal inner process, not clearly separated from valva; apex slightly pointed. Transtilla without transverse bar, sublateral process short. Aedeagus with bifurcate pointed carinae, ventrally tightly fused to ventral process; pair of curved dorsal carinae present; vesica with numerous small cornuti and several larger cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 48 ). T8 narrow, two small lateral groups of scales and setae. Anal papillae conspicuous, with 23-27 setae. Apophyses straight, slender. Total bursa length ca. 730–800 μm. Vestibulum with elaborate sclerotisations. Ductus bursae covered with pectinations. Corpus bursae elongate, without pectinations; with wide (up to 7 cells wide) and long (ca. 305–345 μm) reticulate signa, margins crenate. Ductus spermathecae with ca. 2 inconspicuous convolutions and small vesicle.

Final instar larva ( Fig. 87 ). Head capsule ca. 290–315 μm wide. Mandibular cusps pointed. A9 with 3 pairs of setae. Integument covered with rather long microtrichia (ca. 7–16 μm long) on all segments except A10. Otherwise as group description.

Biology. Hostplant. Loranthus europaeus (Loranthaceae) , an obligate parasite growing on branches of Quercus species and Castanea sativa .

Egg on either side of leaf, mine developing on the side where the egg is deposited. Leafmine ( Fig. 111 ) a gallery throughout, often starting as a spiral mine, the coils amalgamating to form a small blotch, gallery often crossing earlier course, thereby forming a false blotch. Frass brownish, starting as broken linear tract, later slightly coiled or dispersed, filling one third to one half of mine width; exit hole on the same side as the egg and the mine.

Distribution ( Fig. 125 ). Occurs with host in South eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Slovakia, eastern Austria, Hungary, Italy, Sicily, Rumania and Greece. To be expected throughout Balkan peninsula and in Turkey.

Material examined. 25 ɗ, 23 Ψ, 5 larvae. CZECH REPUBLIC: 1ɗ, 1Ψ, Moravia, 3 km NE Mikulov, Milovicsky Les, 3.x.1992, leafmines, Loranthus europaeus , e.l. 31.iii.1993, E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH); 1Ψ: Lednice, castle gardens, 3.x.1992, leafmines, L. europaeus , e.l. 31.iii.1993, E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH); 2ɗ, Moravia: Milovice, 10.ix.1989, L. europaeus , e.l. 1–28.ii.1990, A. Laštůvka ( RMNH); 4ɗ, 11Ψ, Milovice, 9.ix.1994, L. europaeus , e.l. iii.1995, R. Johansson ( RJ); 5ɗ, 1Ψ, Moravia S: Milovice, Kralici Vrch, W. slope, 6 km NE Mikulov, 200m, 9.ix.1994, open Quercus pubescens stands; leafmines, L. europaeus , e.l. 26.iv –8.v.1995, E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH). — GREECE: 3ɗ, 2Ψ, 1 larva on slide, 1 pupal skin on slide, Evvoia: Dhírfis Oros 2 km NE Steni, 500m, 11.ix.1980, leafmines, L. europaeus , e.l. 18.iii–10.iv.1981, S.B.J. Menken & E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH); 6ɗ, 5Ψ, 1 pupal skin on slide, Dhírfis Oros, S. slopes, 800m, 12.ix.1980, leafmines, L. europaeus , e.l. 13.iii–13.iv.1981, S.B.J. Menken & E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH); 4 larvae on slide, Fthiotis: 1–2 km W Timfristós village, 1000m, 20.ix.1980, S.B.J. Menken & E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH). — SLOVAKIA: 1ɗ: Vinianska Stran, 25.vi.1994, Z. Tokár ( RJ); 3ɗ, 2Ψ, Slov. Kras.: ca 2.5 km N Plesivec: Hôrka, 300m, 8.x.1992, leaf-mines, L. europaeus , e.l. 23.v.1993, E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH).

Leafmines. On Loranthus europaeus : AUSTRIA: Niederösterreich: Gumpoldskirchen: Glaslauterriegel, 300–340m, 1.x.1983. — CZECH REPUBLIC: Moravia, 3 km NE Mikulov, Milovicsky Les, 3.x.1992; Milovice, Kralici Vrch, W. slope, 6 km NE Mikulov, 200m, 9.ix.1994. — GREECE: Evritanía: 3 km NE Frangísta, 1000m, 20.ix.1980; Evvoia: Dhírfis Oros 2 km NE Steni, 500m, 11.ix.1980; Dhírfis Oros, S. slopes, 800m, 12.ix.1980; Fthiotis: 1–2 km W Timfristós village, 1000m, 20.ix.1980. — SLOVAKIA: Slov. Kras.: ca 2.5 km N Plesivec: Hôrka, 300m, 8.x.1992 (mines all collected by E. J. van Nieukerken and coworkers, in RMNH).

Additional records. CZECH REPUBLIC: 3ɗ, Moravia, Konice u Znojma, 23.viii.1990; 6ɗ, 5Ψ, Moravia, Mikulov, e.l. iii.1991; 16ɗ, 13Ψ, Moravia, Sedlec u Mikulova, e.l. iv.2002; 3ɗ, 2Ψ, Moravia, Vranovice, 5.vii.1999. — GREECE: 1Ψ, Akhaia, Kalavrita, 20.vi.1997. — ITALY: Potenza, Albáno di Lucania 22.vi.1995; all A. & Z. Laštůvka ( AL).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Acalyptris platani group, adults. 1, A. platani, ♂, Turkey, Alanya; 2, A. platani, Ψ, Italy, Trieste; 3, A. minimella, ♂, Corsica, Porticcio; 4, A. pistaciae, ♂, Greece, Dhelfoi, paratype; 5, A. loranthella, ♂, Czech Republic, Milovice; 6, A. loranthella, Ψ, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 7, A. platani, ♂, as 1, details of hindwing with special scales; 8, A. loranthella, ♂, underside of wings, Czech Republic, Milovice; [material in RMNH, except Fig. 1, in ZMHB].

FIGURES 20 – 25. Acalyptris platani group: male genitalia in ventral view. 20 – 21, A. platani, slides 0 828 and 1257, Italy, Trento; 22, A. loranthella, slide 1261, Greece, Evvoia; 23 – 24, A. minimella, slide 1433, France, Corsica, Porticcio, 25, A. pistaciae, slide 1269, Holotype.

FIGURES 26 – 35. 26 – 28. Acalyptris platani group: male genitalia in ventral view, details. 26, 27, A. pistaciae, slide 1269, Holotype; 28, A. loranthella, slide 1261, Greece, Evvoia. 29 – 35. Acalyptris staticis group: male genitalia in ventral view. 29 – 32, A. staticis, slides 1430, Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz, BM 24095, Holotype; 33 – 35, A. limoniastri, slides 3127, Tunisia, Nefta, BM 22597, Holotype and BM 22616 (35), paratype, Algeria, Hammam-es-Salahin.

FIGURES 45 – 48. Acalyptris platani group: female genitalia in dorsal view. 45, A. platani, slide 1255, Italy, Trento; 46, A. minimella, slide 1265, Algeria, Morris; 47, A. pistaciae, slide 1266, Greece, Dhelfoi, paratype; 48, A. loranthella, slide 1260, Greece, Evvoia.

FIGURES 62 – 70. Acalyptris species: male genitalia, valva dorsal side, drawn from right valva, through ventral side (some from left valva, mirrored); not all setae on valval tip and margins are drawn. 62, A. platani, slide 1257, Italy, Trento; 63, A. minimella, slide 1433, Corsica, Porticcio; 64, A. pistaciae, 1268, Cyprus, Limassol, paratype; 65, A. loranthella, slide 1261, Greece, Evvoia; 66 A. limoniastri, slide BM 22614, Algeria, Biskra, Paratype; 67, A. staticis, slide 1430, Canary islands, Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz; 68, A. limonii, slide 3488, Greece, Salaora, paratype; 69, A. maritima, slide 3709, Italy, Portogruaro, paratype; 70, A. lesbia, slide 3625, male holotype, Greece, Lesvos; 71, A. pyrenaica, slide 2886, Germany, Eifel, Marmagen [not on same scale, from Nieukerken & Biesenbaum (1997)].

FIGURES 84 – 93. Acalyptris species, details of immatures. 84 – 88, Headcapsule of final instar larva and part of prothorax with sclerites. 89, 90, Last abdominal segment (s) with anal rods. 91 – 93, Pupal exuviae, details of abdomen with abdominal spines (91, 92) and detached frons with conical projection (93). 84, 89, A. platani, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 85, A. minimella, Tunisia, Tabarka; 86, A. pistaciae, slide RMNH 11892, Turkey, Antalya, Selimiye; 87, A. loranthella, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 88, 90, A. lesbia, RMNH 12393, Greece, Lesvos, paratype; 91, A. loranthella, slide 3647, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 92, A. lesbia, slide 3643, Greece, Lesvos; 93, A. platani, slide 3646, Italy, Trieste.

FIGURES 105 – 111. Acalyptris platani group, leafmines. 105, A. platani, France (Pyrénées-Orientales), Latour-de- France, larva sequenced; 106, 107, A. minimella on Pistacia lentiscus, Spain, Sierra de Grazalema, El Bosque; 108, 109, A. pistaciae on Pistacia terebinthus, Greece, Dhelfoi, type locality, together with Ectoedemia terebinthivora; 110, A. pistaciae on Pistacia lentiscus, Cyprus, R. Johansson; 111, A. loranthella on Loranthus europaeus, Czech Republic, Moravia, Milovice. All mines 2.5 × natural size.

FIGURES 125 – 127. Distribution maps of Acalyptris. 125, A. loranthella, shaded area shows approximate distribution of host Loranthus europaeus; 126, A. staticis group in Western Mediterranean: A. pyrenaica (black dots), A. staticis (grey dots) and A. limoniastri (black squares); 127, A. staticis group in Eastern Mediterranean: A. maritima (black dots), A. limonii (grey diamonds) and A. lesbia (grey square).