Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis, 2021

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Orlovskytė, Svetlana & Katinas, Liliana, 2024, How high can trumpet moths occur: documentation of mountainous leaf-mining Tischeriidae, featuring a species from record-high elevations, Zootaxa 5507 (2), pp. 201-223 : 203-205

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 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Adults of mountainous Astrotischeria species. 1, A. parapallens Diškus & Stonis, 3,320 m, non-type specimen, a new elevation record; 2, A. peruanica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype, 2,110 m; 3, A. montivaga Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., paratype, 3,320 m (MfN).

FIGURES 11–15. Male genitalia of Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis, 3,320 m (a new elevation record), non-type specimen, genitalia slide no. AD1140 (MfN). 11, genitalia capsule with phallus removed, focused on the ventral view; 12, same, focused on the dorsal view; 13, anellus; 14, phallus; 15, basal processes of valvae.

FIGURES 47–52. Bionomics of mountainous Astrotischeria species. 47, habitat of A. parapallens Diškus & Stonis and A. montivaga Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Ayacucho, Huamanga Province, Peru, 3,320 m; 48, unidentified host plant of A. peruanica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., possibly Baccharis trinervis Pers., Asteraceae, 2,110 m; 49, 50, leaf mines with feeding larvae of Astrotischeria peruanica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov.; 51, 52, Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers., Asteraceae, a host plant of Astrotischeria viscacha Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Pisac, Calca Province, Peru at an elevation of 2,990 m.