Antispila sinensis, Liu, Tengteng & Wang, Shuxia, 2017

Liu, Tengteng & Wang, Shuxia, 2017, First report of the leaf-mining genus Antispila Huebner, [1825] from mainland China, with the description of a new species feeding on Cornus (Lepidoptera, Heliozelidae), ZooKeys 686, pp. 95-107 : 95-100

Antispila sinensis sp. n. Figs 1-3, 4-6, 7, 8-12, 13-14, 15-22, 23

Diagnosis.

This species can be easily separated from the two European Cornus feeding species, A. treitschkiella (Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1843) and A. metallella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), by the forewing with the opposite basal spots separated and thus not forming a fascia, and by the vein Rs3+4 reaching costa near apex and the absence of the stem of vein M. Antispila treitschkiella has a basal fascia in the forewing, and A. metallella has the vein Rs3+4 reaching termen and has an M stem in the forewing. Specimens with the inner spots joined into a fascia, A. sinensis could be separated from A. treitschkiella reliably by genitalia. Although DNA Barcode distance analysis suggests A. tateshinensis Kuroko, 1987 and A. purplella Kuroko, 1961 to be the closest relatives (Fig. 23), morphologically, A. sinensis most closely resembles A. purplella , which feeds on Cornus controversa and C. brachypoda . These two species are similar in terms of the hooked structure of the phallus, the cusps of the ovipositor and wing venation but can be distinguished by the thin ventral tube in the distal part of the phallus, which is bifurcated in A. purplella . In addition, the region of the vinculum adjacent to the triangular median protrusion is almost flat in A. sinensis , while it is apparently concave in A. purplella .

Type material.

China: Holotype ♂, Mt. Baxian, 40.18°N, 117.55°E, 300-600 m, Ji County, Tianjin, larva coll. 5.ix.2013, emerged 9.iii.2014 (indoors), leaf-mine on Cornus walteri , leg. Tengteng Liu, genitalia slide No. LIU12870 (deposited in NKU).

Paratypes. Tianjin: 2♂, 1♀, larva coll. 5.ix.2013, emerged 8, 9.iii.2014, 1♂, 1♀, larva coll. 6.ix.2013, emerged 6, 12.iii.2014, 3♂, 1♀, larva coll. 9.viii.2013, 20, 25.x.2013, 10, 11.iii.2014, 5♂, 5♀, larva coll. 24.vi.2014, emerged vii-2014, other data same as holotype, genitalia slide Nos. LTT12559♀, LTT12613-4♂, LTT12866♀, LTT12867-9♂, LTT12871-3♂, LTT12874-5♀, wing slide Nos. LTT12613-4W, LTT12874W (deposited in NKU); 12♂, 12♀, Mt. Baxian, 40.194°N, 117.557°E, 300 m, Ji County, Tianjin, larva coll. 29, 30.vi, 23.vii.2015, shield made 2, 3, 5, 25, 27.vii.2015, emerged 27, 29, 31.vii, 2, 13, 20.viii.2015, leaf-mine on Cornus walteri , leg. Tengteng Liu, registered Nos. SDNU_BXS150601-05, BXS150607, BXS150608-12, BXS150615, BXS150617-19, BXS150625-27, BXS150630-31, BXS150633, BXS150701-03, BXS150704-05 (deposited in SDNU); Shandong: 7♂, 6♀, Mt. Fohui, Jinan, 36.633°N, 117.050°E, 260 m, leaf-mine on Cornus walteri , larva coll. 7.ix.2015, shield made 7, 10, 11, 13.ix.2015, emerged 26, 30.x.2015, 31.iii, 15, 19, 23, 24.vi.2016, leg. Tengteng Liu, genitalia slide No. LIU15003♂, registered Nos. SDNU_JN150903-04, JN150909, JN150911-14, JN150918-19, JN150926, JN150928-9, JN150939, JN150944, JN150947 (deposited in SDNU).

Adult (Figs 1, 2). Forewing length 2.4-3.0 mm. Head deep silvery gray, smooth. Base of proboscis covered with larger scales. Labial palpus dark gray. Antennae blackish fuscous, distal two segments grayish white. Thorax and tegula dark gray, with purplish-blue metallic reflection. Legs silvery gray to deep silvery gray, tarsi dark gray dorso-distally except last segment. Forewing black, with purplish-blue reflection; two more or less triangular silvery white spots on costa at 1/3 and 2/3; two similar spots on dorsum opposite costal spots, inner pair sometimes joined into a fascia, especially in female (Fig. 2); cilia black basally, dark gray distally. Hindwing dark gray. Abdomen dark gray dorsally, silvery gray ventrally; vestiture on external genitalia dark gray.

Venation (Fig. 3). Forewing with Sc reaching before middle on costa; R1 from 2/5 on upper margin of cell to costal 3/5, Rs1 from 1/7 on upper margin of cell to costal 3/4, Rs2 from distal end of cell, Rs3+4 reaching costa before apex; cell triangular distally; M1 stalked with Rs3+4, to termen near apex, M2+3 from near distal end of cell; Cu from distal 1/7 of lower margin of cell; A1+2 to beyond middle of dorsum. Hindwing with Sc to costal 3/5, R+M ending in 4 branches: Rs to costa near apex, M1, M2 and M3 to dorsum; Cu ending in 2 branches; A1+2 weak. Male with one frenulum, female bearing two frenular bristles and several hairscales.

Male genitalia (Figs 4, 5, 5a). Uncus setose on posterior margin, with two setose sacs ventrally. Vinculum slightly shorter than phallus, anteriorly rounded, posteriorly almost even besides triangular median protrusion. Valva more or less rectangular on basal half, digitally extended distally, pecten on pedicel, with 10-14 comb teeth (Fig. 5a); transtilla almost uniform in width, sublateral processes relatively short. Juxta about half as long as phallus, densely covered with teeth on basal 2/5, anteriorly spade-shaped. Phallus long, strongly expanded at base laterally; distal part beyond base of juxta complex, curved, with small hooks distally and medio-ventrally, an incision before middle dorsally, a thin tube extruded near base ventrally.

Female genitalia (Fig. 6, 6a). Ovipositor with 3 cusps at either side (Fig. 6a). Eighth sternum medially indented posteriorly, with many papillate setal sockets, triangularly protruded on posterior margin ventrally. Vestibulum oval, covered with spines anteriorly, inner with paired wrinkled sclerotization, each with a long spine. Corpus bursae membranous.

Final instar larva in mine (Figs 7-12). Body length about 5.0 mm. Two stemmata visible. Prothorax (TI) with sternum and tergum strongly sclerotized (Fig. 7). T2-3 and A5-9 with terga strongly sclerotized, covered with granules; eighth tergum with a weakly sclerotized oval zone medially, a row of sclerotized pointed bumps along posterior margin (Fig. 7). A5-9 with sternum strongly sclerotized, covered with granules, A5 and A6 with weak sclerotized zones medially (Fig. 7). Tenth tergum more or less oval, lateral and ventral plate sclerotized. Thorax legs and prolegs absent (Fig. 7).

Head (Figs 8-9). Three long setae on A-group, A1 internal to stemmata, A3 posterior to stemmata I, A2 internal to A3; Fa internal and dorsal to F1; P-group close to adfrontal area, with P1 longer than P2, two short setae lateral and ventral to P1 which might be real P setae, while P setae here designated might be AF setae; L1 posterior to A3; V-group with 2 micro-setae; O1 ventral to stemmata II, O2 and O3 ventral to stemmata I; SO1 below antennae, SO2 dorsal to SO1; G-group with three setae, G1, MG1, and MG2.

Thorax (Fig. 10). TI with D1 anterior and slightly ventral to D2, XD1 anterior and ventral to D1, near anterior margin prothoracic shield, MXD1close to posterior margin of prothoracic shield; SD1 and SD2 on lateral margin and posterior margin respectively, SD1 longer than SD2; L-group with 3 setae, L2 ventral to SD1, L3 close to spiracle, L2 between L1 and L3; SV-group with two setae, same in length; two micro-setae on concave of lateral margin of sternum; sternum with 4 MV setae. TII similar to TI, one MD setae anterior to D1; SD2 close to SD1, with two MSD setae anteriorly; SV-group with only one seta; two MV setae exist. TIII similar to TII, except with SD2 missed.

Abdomen (Figs 11, 12). A1 with D-group and SD-group setae very short, SD1 dorsal and posterior to spiracle, SD2 next to spiracle; L-group and SV-group setae long, L1 posterior to spiracle, L2 ventral to L1, L3 posterior and ventral to L2, SV1 anterior and slightly ventral to L3. A2 similar to A1. A3 similar to A1, but with L3 shorter, SV1 moved ventrally, MV1 absent. A4-7 similar to A3, except with L3 longer on A7. A8 with D1 anterior and dorsal to D2, L-group more or less same in length, arranged in line. A9 similar to A8, but with L3 absent. A10 apparently sclerotized on both sternum and tergum, with a single plate dorsally and two paired plates ventrally (Fig. 12).

Pupa and shield (Figs 13-14, 20-22). Shield 4.3 ± 0.3 mm in longitudinal diameter, 2.4 ± 0.2 mm in latitudinal diameter, with 13.2 ± 3.3 spines (n = 23), but also some extremes without spines (Fig. 21). Pupa changing from white to dark fuscous during maturity (Figs 13-14).

DNA barcode.

Four DNA barcodes from individuals from each of the collecting sites have been submitted to BOLD under the public Dataset “DS-ANTISIN” (doi: 10.5883/DS-ANTISIN). The Barcode Identification Number is BOLD:ADG5043. A neighbor joining tree with barcodes of other Antispila species, particularly Cornus feeding species and Japanese species, is given in Fig. 23.

Host plant.

Cornus walteri Wangerin ( Cornaceae ).

Distribution.

China (Shandong, Tianjin).

Biology.

Egg is laid on the lower side of a leaf, usually close to leaf margin and occasionally near main vein, where a darker area of callus (piercing scar) caused by piercing of the ovipositor is invariably seen (Figs 17, 18). The leaf-mine begins as a line and extends along veins if it cannot go through (Fig. 19). The mine soon enlarges to a blotch, incorporates most or all of the earlier linear mine and finally, ends in a cut-out (Fig. 16). Several mines can be found on the same leaf (Figs 15, 16). Frass primarily occupies the opposite side of the cut-out in the mine, with a small amount extending adjacent to the cut-out (Fig. 16). The newly made larval shield often falls onto the ground, after which the larva searches for a place to pupate (Fig. 20). The larva molts once in the shield before pupation and the final larval exuviae are often protruding at one end of the shield, opposite to the end where the pupal exuviae protrude (Fig. 21). This species overwinters as a prepupa in the shield and pupates during early spring to emerge later as an adult. At least three generations occur annually.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the country where the new species represents the first formally named Heliozelidae species.