Anarsioses aberrans ( Braun, 1930 )

Eiseman, Charles S. & Davis, Donald R., 2020, Wrong side of the leaf: assigning some Lithocolletinae species (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) to their proper genera, Zootaxa 4751 (2), pp. 201-237 : 203

Anarsioses aberrans ( Braun, 1930)

( Figs. 1–4 )

Lithocolletis aberrans Braun 1930: 12 . Phyllonorycter aberrans (Braun) — Davis 1983: 10.

Leaf mine. As with Chrysaster and Leucanthiza , the larva forms a flat, upper-surface blotch mine that is abandoned prior to pupation ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Generic placement. This species was originally placed in Lithocolletis , listed by Davis (1983) under Phyllonorycter , and assigned by Davis (2019) to the monobasic genus Anarsioses .

Hosts. Fabaceae : Apios americana Medik. , Desmodium canescens (L.) DC., D. glabellum (Michx.) DC., D. marilandicum (L.) DC., D. paniculatum (L.) DC., D. perplexum B.G. Schub. , Lespedeza hirta (L.) Hornem., Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.

Distribution. USA: AR, FL, GA, KY, MD, MO, NC, OH, SC, TN.

Review. Braun (1930) first reared this species from larvae mining leaves of Desmodium canescens and D. paniculatum in Adams Co. , Ohio. Braun (1939) reported rearing further specimens from Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina, and found empty mines in Tennessee. Heppner (2003) recorded this species from Florida and doubtfully from Illinois and Texas, with an additional host record of “ Vigna lutens ,” a misspelling of V. luteola . Davis (2019) confirmed the Florida record of V. luteola and reported rearing Anarsioses aberrans from Apios americana and Desmodium glabellum in Maryland. Leaf mines on A. americana have also been found in Georgia ( Pucak 2019).

CSE has reared this species from mines on Desmodium perplexum collected in Missouri (Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit, Franklin Co.; Figs. 1, 4 ), and he and T.S. Feldman have reared it from mines on D. marilandicum and Apios americana collected in North Carolina (St. Andrews University, Laurinburg, Scotland Co.). T.S. Feldman also collected larvae mining leaves of Lespedeza hirta at the same site in North Carolina ( Fig. 2 ), but no adults were reared.

Comments. Braun (1930) collected mines on 21 August with adults emerging 18 to 23 September. Braun (1939) reported an earlier generation mining in late June and early July with adults emerging in July. In North Carolina, larvae have been collected on 2 May, 7 June, and 26 August, with adults emerging on 24 May, 23 June, and by 18 September, respectively; larvae collected in September gave rise to adults the following spring. T.S. Feldman has also photographed occupied mines on 21 July (Scotland Co.; Feldman 2015) and 24 July (Durham Co.; Feldman 2017). It would therefore appear that in the southern part of its range, both larvae and adults of A. aberrans can be found in every month from April to September, although Heppner (2003) only reported this species from June and September in Florida.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Anarsioses aberrans. 1: Mines of four larvae in a leaf of Desmodium perplexum; 2: Coalescing mines of four larvae in a leaflet of Lespedeza hirta; 3: Spread adult; 4: Adult reared from D. perplexum.