Stigmella pangorica Diškus & Stonis, 2015

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas & Remeikis, Andrius, 2015, The first description of the leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) feeding on the South American plant genus Liabum, Asteraceae, Zootaxa 4040 (5), pp. 576-582 : 580-582

Stigmella pangorica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 , 17–21 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, ECUADOR: Chimborazo Province, ca. 30 km NE Pallatanga, 1°52'41"S, 78°54'11"W, elevation 3025 m a.s.l., mining larva on Liabum barclayae H. Rob. 21.ii.2007, field card no. 4878, leg. A. Diškus, J. R. Stonis, genitalia slide no. AD 616♂ ( ZMUC). Paratypes: 3 ♂, same label data as holotype, genitalia slides nos AD 613♂, AD 703♂ ( ZMUC).

Diagnosis. Externally Stigmella pangorica sp. nov. mostly resembles S. serpentina sp. nov. S. pangorica differs from S. serpentina by its creamy collar and weaker purple iridescence of the forewing as compared to S. serpentina . In the male genitalia, S. pangorica differs from S. serpentina by the two apical processes on each valva, four-lobed uncus and rounded transtilla.

Male ( Fig. 17 ). Forewing length 2.5–2.7 mm, wingspan 5.6–5.9 mm. Head: palpi creamy with fuscous scales to entirely fuscous; frontal tuft ferruginous; collar large, creamy, with golden gloss, without purple iridescence; eye-caps golden creamy; antenna slightly to distinctly longer than half of forewing; flagellum with 36–38 segments, brownish grey to fuscous. Thorax and tegula dark grey with golden gloss and strong purple iridescence. Forewing grey to dark grey with strong golden gloss and some purple (sometimes also bluish iridescence: in contrast to S. serpentina , purple iridescence strongest along costal margin of forewing base and tegula (not in apical half of forewing). Fascia distinctly postmedian, ill-defined, almost invisible, shining golden; underside of forewing fuscous brown; cilia grey with some golden gloss, paler than forewing ground colour, creamy grey distally. Hindwing grey to pale grey, without androconia; underside fuscous; cilia grey. Legs grey on underside, fuscous with some purple iridescence on upper side. Abdomen fuscous grey on upper side, dark grey on underside; anal tufts indistinct, very short, brownish grey or fuscous; anal plates brownish grey.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 18–21 ). Capsule just slightly longer (225 µm) than wide (185 µm). Vinculum with very small triangular lateral lobes ( Fig. 18 ). Uncus with four caudal papillae ( Figs 18, 19 ). Gnathos with two slender caudal processes and large central plate ( Fig. 18 ). Valva 145–150 µm long, 60 µm broad, gradually narrowing towards apex, with two apical processes ( Fig. 19 ). Transtilla rounded, without lateral processes ( Fig. 18 ). Phallus ( Figs 20, 21 ) 160–165 µm long, 60–70 µm broad; vesica with two ( Fig. 20 ) or three ( Fig. 21 ) spine-like cornuti.

Bionomics. ( Fig. 2 ). Mines in leaves of Liabum (Asteraceae) (possibly L. barclayae H. Rob. ) ( Fig. 3 ). Egg on upper side of the leaf. Larvae in February. Mine gallery similar to those of S. serpentina (not preserved or documented, as being initially confused with that species). Cocoon beige-brown; length 2.9–3 mm, maximal width 1.4–1.5 mm. Adults emerged in March.

Distribution. Known from a single locality in Equatorial Andes (Chimborazo Province, Ecuador). Occurs in tropical montane moist forests ( Figs 1, 2 ).

Etymology. The species name is named after the Pangor Canyon in Ecuador, where the new species was discovered.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Bionomics of the new species. 1, 2, habitat, tropical montane moist forest, Pangor Canyon, 30 km NE Pallatanga, Ecuador, 1 ° 52 ' 41 " S, 78 ° 54 ' 11 " W, elevation 3025 m a. s. l.; 3, Liabum sp. (Asteraceae), a host-plant of Stigmella serpentina sp. nov. and S. pangorica sp. nov.; 4 – 6, leaf-mines of S. serpentina sp. nov.

FIGURES 17 – 21. Stigmella pangorica sp. nov. 17, moth, holotype; 18, 19, male genitalia, capsule, holotype, slide no. AD 616; 20, same, phallus, holotype, slide no. AD 616; 13, same, paratype, slide no. AD 703.