Paratischeria braziliensis Diskus & Stonis, 2020

Stonis, Jonas R., Diskus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Solis, M. Alma & Katinas, Liliana, 2020, Exotic-looking Neotropical Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera) and their host plants, ZooKeys 970, pp. 117-158 : 117

Paratischeria braziliensis Diskus & Stonis sp. nov. Figs 49 , 116-126

Holotype.

male, pinned, with genitalia slide no AD1004. Label: Brazil, Nova Teutônia, 27°11'S, 52°23'W, Oct 1944, Fritz Plaumann (USNM).

Diagnosis.

External characters are not informative for species identification: this new species can be confused with many other pale speckled Paratischeria Diškus & Stonis, Coptotriche Walsingham, and Astrotischeria Puplesis & Diškus species. In the male genitalia, the unique, unusually long, rod-like process of vinculum (Figs 120 , 121 ), absence of transtilla, and the unique, spiny phallus (Figs 124-126 ) easily differentiate P. braziliensis sp. nov. from all known Tischeriidae species (also see Discussion).

Description.

Male (Fig. 38 ). Forewing length 3.9 mm; wingspan 8.4 mm (n = 1). Head: frons and pecten glossy whitish cream; frontal tuft ochre cream, but distally glossy whitish over the frons, laterally with some brown-tipped scales; collar ochre cream; antenna only longer than one half the length of forewing; flagellum glossy yellow cream. Tegula pale ochre-yellow; thorax ochre cream. Forewing pale ochre yellow, with irregularly scattered ochre-brown scales; fringe indistinct or absent; forewing underside pale ochre-brown. Hindwing and fringe yellow-ochre. Legs pale yellow ochre, with some ochre-brown scales on upper side. Abdomen ochre cream on upper side and underside; genital plates cream; anal tufts long, cream.

Male genitalia (Figs 116-126 ) with capsule 550 µm long, 450 µm wide. Uncus (Fig. 118 ) comprised of two large, strongly thickened, lateral lobes. Socii membranous, unpaired, unusually large (Fig. 116 ). Valva (Figs 117 , 119 , 120 ) 500 µm long (excluding the basal process), wide (Fig. 119 ). Transtilla absent. Anellus indistinctive. Vinculum with unusually slender but very long (785 µm), rod-like process (Figs 120 , 121 ). Phallus (Figs 122-126 ) 1185 µm long, apically with three lobes and some large spines laterally (Figs 124 , 126 ).

Female. Unknown.

Bionomics.

Adults fly in October. Otherwise, biology is unknown.

Distribution.

This species is known from a single locality in southeastern Brazil, Santa Catarina: Nova Teutônia.

Etymology.

The species is named after Brazil, the country where it was found.

Figures

Figures 44 - 49. Adults of Paratischeria spp. 44 P. guarani sp. nov., male, holotype (ZIN) 45 same, female, paratype (ZIN) 46 P. mesoamericana sp. nov., male, holotype (ZIN) 47 P. suprafasciata sp. nov., female, holotype (ZIN) 48 P. mesoamericana sp. nov., female, paratype (ZIN) 49 P. braziliensis sp. nov., male, holotype (USNM).

Figures 116 - 126. Male genitalia of Paratischeria braziliensis sp. nov. 116 holotype, slide no. AD 1004, socii 117 same, apex of valva 118 same, uncus and tegumen 119 same, valva 120, 121 same, vinculum 122 - 126 same, phallus (USNM).

Figures 38 - 43. Adults of Astrotischeria spp. 38 A. jociui sp. nov., male, holotype 39 same, female, paratype 40 A. atlantica sp. nov., male, holotype 41 same, female, paratype 42 A. cornuata sp. nov., male, holotype 43 same, female, paratype (ZIN).