Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius & Torres, Nixon Cumbicus, 2016, First description of leaf-mining Nepticulidae and Tischeriidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) feeding on the Chilean endemic plant genus Podanthus Lag. (Asteraceae), Zootaxa 4061 (2), pp. 119-130 : 121-122

Redescription of Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus

Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus, 2003: 112 , 133. ( Figs 1, 3 , 7–13, 16, 17, 30–38)

Material examined. CHILE: 2♂ [holotype and paratype], Malleco 60, Angol (Los Alpes), at elevation 650 m, 17.iii.1979, leg. Mision Cientifica Danesa, genitalia slide nos Diškus045 [holotype], Diškus044 [paratype] ( ZMUC); 23♂, 15♀, Region Metropolitana de Santiago, 18 km southeast of Pirque, Rio Clarillo (Nacional Reserve), 33°43'31''S, 70°29'29''W and 33°43'29''S, 70°28'57''W, elevation 890–910 m, larvae on Podanthus ovatifolius Lag. 15.iv.2014, ex pupae 12–25.v.2014, fieldwork card no. 5150, leg. A. Diškus, genitalia slide nos AD 597♂, AD598♀, AD 599♂ ( ZMUC).

Diagnosis. Differs from all other known Astrotischeria in the dorsal lobe of the valva which is narrowed in distal half but in ventral view always appears broad; the host-plant ( Podanthus ovatifolius ) also makes this species distinctive.

Male ( Fig. 16 ). Forewing length: 4.0–4.8 mm. Wingspan: 8.5–10.6 mm. Head: palpi cream; face cream, sometime with irrorated brownish grey scales; pecten cream grey proximally, grey distally or entirely cream or grey; frontal tuft cream to yellowish cream, with some grey-brown tipped lamellar scales, pale yellow or ochreyellow on vertex; antenna with about 50–53 segments, slightly longer than 2/3 of forewing greyish cream annulated with pale brown to grey-brown; sensilae short, indistinct. Thorax pale yellow to almost white. Forewing pattern highly variable, forming orchre-yellow and black irregular patches; usually ochre-yellow scales predominate and black scales form irregular basal and apical (or/and tornal) patches (as in the female photo, see fig. 17), or distributed along the costa and on tornus; sometimes grey cream background of forewing densely irrorated with brown-black or black scales and with cream to orchre-yellow irregular patches: two basal one tornal, and one apical ( Fig. 16 ); forewing underside grey. Cilia brown cream to brown dorsally, pale yellow apically, and grey tornally; cilia-line distinct, formed by black scales. Hindwing brown cream to grey or dark grey on upper side and underside; no androconia on hindwing; hindwing cilia grey. Legs brown cream; forelegs and midlegs irrorated with black scales on upper side. Abdomen grey to brown cream or dark grey on upper side, yellowish cream on underside; a pair of anal tufts brown cream to grey, distinct and long (almost as long as abdomen’s width at caudal end); anal plates yellowish cream.

Female ( Fig. 17 ). Antenna with about 45–46 segments. Forewing pattern highly variable as in male. Hindwing pale grey. Abdomen usually pale brown, sometime yellowish cream on underside.

Male genitalia ( Figs 30–34 ). Capsule about 555–730 µm. Uncus short. Valva about 390–480 µm; main (ventral) lobe slender; dorsal lobe narrowed at distal 1/2 but in ventral view appears broad ( Fig. 31 ); transtilla absent; sublateral process of valva very long ( Figs 30, 31 ). Anellus long and membranous, with 2-4 pairs of spines laterally ( Fig. 32 ). Phallus 625–755 µm, distally deeply bifurcated and with a pair of small, inwardly directed spines ( Figs 33, 34 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 35–38 ). Total length 1505–1510 Μm. Ovipositor clothed with short, stout and darker, modified setae which we refer to as ‘peg setae’ ( Fig. 36 ); area in between ovipositor lobes with one distict central papilla and some long setae. Second pair of lobes, lateral and anterior to the ovipositor lobes, are slightly smaller, bearing very long slender setae. Anterior and posterior apophyses very long and stout, particularly the latter ones ( Fig. 37 ); remaining three apophyses pairs ( Figs 37, 38 ) represent rod-like and plate-like projections (of possibly modified 8th and 9th sternites); these apophyses were collectively referred to as the prela and the morphology was described by Braun (1972). Ventral anterior margin of 8th segment divided into two arms, the tip of each arm articulating with an anterior apophysis in a groove 2/3 way of its length ( Fig. 37 ). Arising from the dorsum of the 8th segment, a pair of plate-like rods, their bases broadly attached and weakly sclerotized, the distal slender portion strongly sclerotized, plate-like, bent outwardly. Vestibulum membranous, without antrum (developed in Tischeria only). Ductus bursae considerably narrower than corpus bursae, with minute spines and wrinkled. Corpus bursae membranous, relatively small (403 Μm long, 275 Μm broad), distinctly oval ( Fig. 38 ), with minute spines but without signa. Ductus spermathaecae membranous, narrow, with 2.5 convolutions ( Fig. 38 ), utriculus absent (or missing in the genitalia slides).

Bionomics ( Figs 3 , 7–13). Host-plant: Podanthus ovatifolius Lag. ( Asteraceae : subfamily Asteroideae : tribe Heliantheae ) ( Fig. 3 ). Egg on upper side of the leaf. Larvae mine in April (start feeding in early April). Blotch mine with specific, compactly deposited black frass in the narrow corner; early mine round or oval (Figs 7, 8); latter irregular (Figs 7, 10–13); old leaf-mines usually white, sometime brownish cream (Figs 12, 13). Larva pale green in early (first) instars to brownish grey latter (including the final instar), with dark brown intestine (Figs 7–10). Pupation inside of leaf-mine without cocoon; pupa black-brown (Fig. 11). Exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Adults known from March (Puplesis & Diškus, 2003), and the reared material emerged in May.

Using the ‘Formula of Evaluation of Abundance and Occurrence of Leaf-miners’ (see Diškus & Stonis 2012: 52– 54), it appears that A. chilei is common: it is limited in distribution, but locally with extremely abundant mining.

Distribution ( Figs 1, 2 ). Known only from central Mediterranean Chile at elevation about 650–910 m ( Figs 1, 2 ).

Etymology. The species is named after Chile, where it occurs on the Chilean endemic host plant genus Podanthus Lag.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Geography and biology of the treated leaf-mining species. 1, distribution of Stigmella podanthae sp. nov. and Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus; 2, central Mediterranean Chile at elevation about 910 m (18 km southeast of Pirque, Rio Clarillo); 3, Host-plant Podanthus ovatifolius Lag.; 4, same, with a leaf-mine of Stigmella podanthae sp. nov.; 5, 6, leafmines of Stigmella podanthae sp. nov. Podanthus ovatifolius Lag., 18 km southeast of Pirque, Rio Clarillo.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Adults. 14, 15, male (14) and female (15) of Stigmella podanthae sp. nov.; 16, 17, male (16) and female (17) of Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus. Note: the forewing pattern is highly variable, the pattern (17, female) when ochreyellow scales predominate and black scales form irregular dots is equally characteristic for males.

FIGURES 30 – 34. Male genitalia of Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD 599 (ZMUC). 30, general view; 31, dorsal view; 32, anellus and other details; 33, phallus; 34, same, distal part.

FIGURES 35 – 38. Female genitalia of Astrotischeria chilei Puplesis & Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD 598 (ZMUC). 36, 37, ovipositor, a pair of lobes clothed with short, stout and darker modified setae (‘ peg setae’), and second pair of lobes bearing very long slender setae; 37, anterior and posterior apophyses and the prela (described by Braun 1972) which includes the remaining three pairs of apophyses; 38, general view.