Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis, 2021

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Fernández-Alonso, José L., Baryshnikova, Svetlana V. & Solis, M. Alma, 2021, Documenting trumpet leaf-miner moths (Tischeriidae): new Neotropical Coptotriche and Astrotischeria species, with notes on Sapindaceae as a host-plant family, Zootaxa 5047 (3), pp. 300-320 : 308-315

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5047.3.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:65A22984-EBA7-4788-B044-B23BC59939D4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5540841
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3AE6711C-34C4-404D-BEFD-F29C9C048B02
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:3AE6711C-34C4-404D-BEFD-F29C9C048B02
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Astrotischeria parapallens Diškus & Stonis View in CoL , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3AE6711C-34C4-404D-BEFD-F29C9C048B02

( Figs. 10 View FIGURES 7–10 , 25–29 View FIGURES 25–29 , 41–46 View FIGURES 41–46 , 51, 52 View FIGURES 47–52 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, PERU: Huamanga Province, 9 km East of Ayacucho (Muyurina), 13°6’52”S, 74°11’47”W, elevation ca. 2510 m, mining larva on Baccharis sp. (Asteraceae) , 29.x.2008, ex pupa xi.2008, field card no. 4957, leg. A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD1045 ( ZIN). Paratypes: 7 ♂, 4 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide nos. AD1046 ♂, AD1052 ♂, AD 864♀ (forewing venation), AD 973♀, AD1042 ♀ ( ZIN); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same label data ( NRC).

Diagnosis. Externally, this new species can be confused with some other speckled Astrotischeria species , including A. mystica sp. nov. described above. In the male genitalia, this species is the most similar to and probably closely related to A. pallens Puplesis & Diškus from Neuquén, Argentina (described and illustrated in Puplesis & Diškus 2003: figs. 263–265). However, A. parapallens Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. differs from A. pallens in the distally wide and dentate dorsal lobe of the valva (see Fig. 42 View FIGURES 41–46 ), large apical lobes of the phallus ( Figs. 44–46 View FIGURES 41–46 ), very large soccii, and the significantly longer and slender uncus. Additionally, A. parapallens sp. nov. also differs from A. pallens in the dark forewing (the forewing of A. pallens is very pale, almost cream).

Male ( Figs. 25–27 View FIGURES 25–29 ). Forewing length 3.9–4.0 mm; wingspan 8.4–8.6 mm (n = 9).

Head. Frons and palpi ochreous cream; pecten greyish cream; frontal tuft comprised of lamellar scales, brownish grey with some purple iridescence, sometimes with ochre-tipped scales; collar comprised of lamellar scales, glossy, pale brown-grey; antenna slightly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum grey-brown on upper side and underside, sensilla relatively short, inconspicuous.

Thorax. Tegula and thorax grey-brown. Forewing densely speckled with grey-brown (sometimes black-brown) scales and small, irregular spots of ochre cream scales; occasionally spots large and comprised of pale ochre yellow scales ( Fig. 27 View FIGURES 25–29 ); fringe brownish grey to dark grey-brown, without fringe line; forewing underside grey-brown, without spots or androconia. Hindwing brownish grey to grey-brown on upper side and underside, without androconia; fringe brownish grey with some purple iridescence. Legs glossy grey-brown to pale grey, with some purple iridescence.

Abdomen. Grey-brown to dark grey-brown on upper side, glossy brownish grey on underside; anal tufts dorsal, long, dark grey; genital plates brownish grey. Genitalia ( Figs. 41–46 View FIGURES 41–46 ) with capsule 595 µm long, 300 µm wide. Uncus ( Fig. 41 View FIGURES 41–46 ) comprised of two very large lobes. Valva ( Figs. 41–43 View FIGURES 41–46 ) about 335 µm long (excluding the basal process); dorsal lobe wide and dentate distally (see Fig. 42 View FIGURES 41–46 ). Anellus only slightly thickened, mostly membranous, with 2–3 small setae laterally. Vinculum rounded ( Fig. 41 View FIGURES 41–46 ) or triangular distally ( Fig. 43 View FIGURES 41–46 ). Phallus 380–405 µm long, deeply bifurcated, symmetrical, with a spine on each apical lobe ( Figs. 44–46 View FIGURES 41–46 ).

Female ( Figs. 28, 29 View FIGURES 25–29 ). Forewing length 3.5–4.3 mm; wingspan 7.6–9.3 mm (n = 5).

Head. Similar to male.

Thorax. Tegula grey-brown, distally ochre-yellow or entirely grey-brown. Thorax ochre-yellow to pale greybrown. Forewing grey-brown with three or four very large, ochre-yellow spots.

Abdomen. Genitalia ( Figs. 51, 52 View FIGURES 47–52 ) about 1580 µm long. Ovipositor lobes unusually large, rounded, clothed with short, modified setae or ‘peg setae’; area between ovipositor lobes wide, with tiny papillae and some short setae. Second pair of lobes, lateral and anterior to the ovipositor lobes, much three times smaller than ovipositor lobes, but bearing very long lamellar but slender setae. Anterior and posterior apophyses almost equal in length; prela comprised of three pairs of unique projections ( Fig. 52 View FIGURES 47–52 ). Corpus bursae long and very slender, without pectinations or signum. Accessory sac indistinctive. Ductus spermathecae very slender, with about 4 large coils and indistinctive vesicle.

Bionomics ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–10 ). Host plant: Baccharis L., possibly B. latifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. (Asteraceae) . Larvae mine leaves in late October. The blotch mine ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–10 ) is irregular, elongated, usually pale brownish, with little or no frass. Pupation inside the leaf mine. Adults occur in November.

Distribution. This species is known from the single locality in Peru (Ayacucho), at an elevation of about 2500 m, but the host plants have a much broader distribution.

Etymology. The species is named after Astrotischeria pallens Puplesis & Diškus from Argentina, in reference to the similar male genitalia.