Astrotischeria colombiana Stonis & Vargas, 2019

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas & Vargas, Sergio A., 2019, Discovery of leaf-mining Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera) in Colombia and their distribution in the Neotropics, Zootaxa 4638 (2), pp. 219-236 : 220-223

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4638.2.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F0F5791B-C899-4F15-A786-0C1862925113
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1C78C8E3-857D-44A9-9F9D-0732D0511EF1
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:1C78C8E3-857D-44A9-9F9D-0732D0511EF1
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Astrotischeria colombiana Stonis & Vargas
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Astrotischeria colombiana Stonis & Vargas View in CoL , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–28 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURES 2–8 View FIGURES 9–19 View FIGURES 20–32 , 33–57 View FIGURES 33–39 View FIGURES 40–46 View FIGURES 47–53 View FIGURES 54–57 )

Type material. Holotype: COLOMBIA: ♂, Departamento de Valle del Cauca, Municipio de Dagua, Lobo Guer- rero, 850 m, 3°45’58’’N, 76°40’43’’W, larvae on Asteraceae , fieldcard no. SV004, 11.ii–3.iii.2019, J. R. Stonis & S. A. Vargas, genitalia slide no. AD960 ( MPUJ) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype, slide nos. AD GoogleMaps 956♂, AD 958♂, AD 957♀ ( MPUJ) .

Diagnosis. The combination of a broad, dorsally thickened anellus and minute ventral lobes of the uncus in the male genitalia distinguishes A. colombiana from all known Astrotischeria species. The unique morphology of its phallus also makes this species very distinctive.

Male ( Figs. 26–28 View FIGURES 20–32 ). Forewing length 3.7–4.0 mm; wingspan 8.0–8.5 mm (n = 3). Head: Face triangular, smoothly-scaled, cream; labial palpus cream to yellowish cream; frontal tuft comprised of grey, yellowish-tipped lamellar scales or sometimes entirely yellowish cream; antenna distinctly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum dark grey, glossy; sensillae very fine, cream. Thorax: Predominantly yellowish cream, also with some scales that are basally ochre cream. Tegula and forewing speckled with black, white-tipped, and ochre scales; latter particularly common in apical half of wing forming characteristic, distinct, ochre stripes: one long, along forewing fold, and one to three short closer to anterior margin of forewing; fringe grey, at apex grey to ochre; fringe line distinct, comprised of black scales; forewing underside blackish grey, without spots or androconia. Hindwing and its fringe blackish grey on upper side and underside, without androconia, with brown frenulum and about 10 brown-black costal bristles. Legs dark grey, densely speckled with cream-tipped scales. Abdomen: Brown-black with purple and blue iridescence on upper side, predominantly yellowish cream with some irregularly scattered brown scales on underside; anal tufts blackish grey, distinctive, merged into one tuft; genital plates dark grey, distally yellowish cream. Genitalia ( Figs. 33–53 View FIGURES 33–39 View FIGURES 40–46 View FIGURES 47–53 ) with capsule 505–580 µm long, 220 µm wide. Uncus ( Figs. 35, 36 View FIGURES 33–39 ) comprised of two long dorsal lobes and two very short, pointed ventral lobes. Valva divided ( Figs 34 View FIGURES 33–39 , 48, 51 View FIGURES 47–53 ): ventral lobe (main body) straight, gradually narrowed towards apex, about 350 µm long (excluding the basal process); dorsal lobe 2.5 times shorter, inwardly curved; transtilla absent; basal process of valva long ( Figs. 37 View FIGURES 33–39 , 51, 52 View FIGURES 47–53 ). Anellus thickened, ventral part with 3–4 setae laterally ( Fig. 39 View FIGURES 33–39 ), dorsal part long and wide, distally rounded ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 33–39 ). Phallus 585–610 µm long, distally deeply bifurcated ( Figs. 43–46 View FIGURES 40–46 ), with lateral processes and fine spines ( Figs. 40–42 View FIGURES 40–46 ).

Female. Head and Thorax: Externally similar to male, but thorax and forewing pattern tend to be much paler; forewing with some brown and black-brown scales, but ochre cream scales prevail; dark ochre stripes on forewing less distinct, however still visible. Hindwing and its fringe dark grey. Abdomen: Grey-brown, glossy on upper side, yellowish cream on underside; yellowish cream anal tuft highly contrasting with surrounding grey-brown scales. Genitalia ( Figs. 54–56 View FIGURES 54–57 ) total length about 1900 µm. Ovipositor lobes small, clothed with short, stout and darker, modified setae (‘peg setae’) ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 54–57 ); area between ovipositor lobes indistinct, with tiny papillae and some short setae. Second pair of lobes, lateral and anterior to the ovipositor lobes, similar in size to ovipositor lobes, but bearing very long slender setae, without stout, modified ‘peg setae.’ Anterior and posterior apophyses long, stout ( Figs. 54, 56 View FIGURES 54–57 ); remaining two apophyses pairs represent slender, rod-like and wide lobe-like projections called prela. Tips of one pair of rod-like prela articulating with anterior apophyses in a groove 1/2 way of their length ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 54–57 ). Vestibulum without antrum, however, vestibulum may look thickened laterally because of the prela ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 54–57 ). Ductus bursae long and very narrow ( Fig. 54 View FIGURES 54–57 ), without pectinations. Corpus small, oval-shaped ( Fig. 54 View FIGURES 54–57 ), without spines or signum. Ductus spermathaecae very narrow (broken in the slide AD956, Fig. 54 View FIGURES 54–57 ), with about 3.5 coils ( Fig. 57 View FIGURES 54–57 ), utriculus absent or not preserved ( Fig. 54 View FIGURES 54–57 ).

Bionomics ( Figs. 2–19 View FIGURES 2–8 View FIGURES 9–19 ). The host plant is Wedelia calycina Rich. ( Asteraceae : Heliantheae: Ecliptinae) ( Figs. 4–8 View FIGURES 2–8 ). Mining larvae are recorded from February and early March. The blotch mine is irregular, usually dark, but with little irregularly deposited frass ( Figs. 9–19 View FIGURES 9–19 ); fully developed mines sometimes may bend (distort) the mined leaf ( Figs. 18, 19 View FIGURES 9–19 ); old vacant leaf mines usually appear pale brown or whitish brown. A silk-lined nidus is usually indistinct inside of the mine. The larva is pale yellowish green, with a dark green intestine and a blackish brown head ( Figs. 11, 14 View FIGURES 9–19 ). Pupation occurs inside the leaf mine; the pupa is brown to grey-beige. An exit slit usually is on the upper side. Adults occur from February and late March.

Distribution. The species is known from the single locality, Lobo Guerrero, Valle del Cauca, southwestern Colombia ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) at an elevation of about 850 m, mostly from drier rocky slopes along an abandoned railway ( Figs. 2, 3 View FIGURES 2–8 ).

Etymology. The species is named after the country, Colombia. Remarks. The host plant resembles some species of Sphagneticola O. Hoffm. (L. Katinas pers. comm.) and Ti- thonia Desf. ex Juss. (E. Moreno pers. comm.), but on the basis of photographs, it was identified as Wedelia calycina Rich. by research botanist Francisco Fajardo Gutiérrez (Herbarium of Jardín Botánico de Bogotá).