Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis, 2023

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Orlovskytė, Svetlana, Solis, Alma, Paulavičiūtė, Brigita, Xu, Jiasheng & Dai, Xiaohua, 2023, Genera of Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera): a review of the global fauna, with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 5333 (1), pp. 1-131 : 74

Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:780CEFC1-71FD-45E0-8DE7-C320F97812EA

( Figs 306–311 , 314–340 )

Type material. Holotype: Ô, LAOS: Luang Prabang Prov., Nong Khiaw, 20°33’07”N, 102°36’21”E, elevation 1070 m, mining larva on Helicteres sp. (Malvaceae) , 10.ii.2020, ex pupa iii. 2020, field card no. 5322, leg. A. Diškus & M. Jocius, genitalia slide no. AD 1040 ( MfN). Paratypes: 2 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide no. AD 1058 ♀ ( MfN).

Diagnosis. In the male genitalia, this new species can be easily differentiated from other congeneric species by the unique shape of the juxta (see Figs 314, 315, 317–319 ). In the female genitalia, the new species is characterized by the thickened membrane between the inner prela.

DNA barcode. We barcoded one specimen of the type series, but not the holotype; the sequence is available in the GenBank database under the accession number OQ413564.

Description. Male ( Figs 306–309 ). Forewing length 3.3 mm; wingspan 7.1 mm (n = 1). Head: palpi greyish cream; frons pale grey, glossy, with some purple irridence; frontal tuft dark grey, glossy, with some purple iridescence, comprised of relatively wide lamellar scales; collar grey; antenna distinctly longer than one half the length of forewing; flagellum grey, annulated with dark grey scales; sensilla cream, relatively short. Tegula, thorax and forewing dark ochre-brown, densely speckled with blackish brown or brown-black scales with purple iridescence; these dark scales are distinctly cream-tipped in apical half of the forewing; tornal spot developed but almost indistinctive; fringe dark grey, without fringe line; forewing underside black-brown, without andronia or spots, except for a row of black special scales along costa basally. Hindwing black-brown on upper side and underside, without androconia or spots, except for small cream scaleless area basally; fringe brown-grey. Legs brownish black, with some purple iridescence on upper side, brownish cream on underside. Abdomen metallic glossy, dark grey with some purple iridescence on upper side, grey on underside; genital plates large, grey; anal tufts short, grey.

Female ( Figs 310, 311 ). Forewing length 2.5–2.8 mm; wingspan 6.1–6.6 mm (n = 2). Similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs 314–326 ) with capsule about 350 µm long, 225 µm wide. Uncus comprised of two large lobes. Socii medium large, weakly paired, membranous. Valva about 275 µm long, with an additional, inner lobe dorsally (see Fig. 326 ). Anellus present, membranous, without setae or spines (see Figs 316 , 325 ). Juxta elaborated, large ( Figs 314, 317–319 ), covered with a “hood” (see Fig. 318 ). Vinculum short, triangular. Phallus about 280 µm long, bifid only at apex (see Fig. 324 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 327–331 ) about 1380 µm long. Ovipositor lobes large, rounded, with peg-like setae; second pair of ovipositor lobes three times smaller; lateral lobes indistinctive. Anterior and posterior apophyses almost equal in length; prela comprised of three pairs of unique, rod-like projections; inner prela unusually long; the area between processes of inner prela is thickened. Corpus bursae long, with a slender proximal part and very small, oval-shaped main body without distinctive pectination. Ductus spermathecae short, with about 3 large coils.

Bionomics ( Figs 332–340 ). Host plant is Helicteres viscida Blume ( Malvaceae , former Sterculiaceae ) ( Fig. 332 ). Larvae mine leaves in February. Leaf mine is linear, with parallel or lateral corridors ( Figs 333–340 ); frass fills most of the width of the initial part of the gallery. Adults occur in March.

Distribution. This species is known from a single locality in Laos (Luang Prabang Province: Nong Khiaw) at elevation 1070 m.

Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin capitatus (headed), in reference to the unusual, head-like juxta with horns in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 306–313. Adults of new Pafazaria species. 306, P. capitata Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Laos, frontal tuft, dorsal view; 307, same, fragment of antenna; 308, same, head, frontal view; 309, same, general view without abdomen, male holotype; 310, same, with abdomen, female paratype; 311, same, another female paratype (MfN); 312, P. faboidica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., female paratype; 313, same, male holotype, without abdomen (MfN)

FIGURES 314–319. Male genitalia of Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Laos, holotype, genitalia slide no.AD1040 (MfN). 314, capsule, ventral view; 315–317, details of capsule, lateral view; 318, 319, juxta, lateral view

FIGURES 320–326. Male genitalia of Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Laos, holotype, genitalia slide no.AD1040 (MfN). 320–322, capsule with phallus and juxta inside; 323, 324, spines of juxta; 325, capsule, focused on uncus; 326, same, focused on valval lobe

FIGURES 327–331. Details of female genitalia of Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Laos, paratype, genitalia slide no. AD1058 (MfN). 327, 328, ovipositor; 329, general view of genitalia; 330, corpus bursae; 331, prela

FIGURES 332–340. Bionomics of Pafazaria capitata Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., Laos. 332, host plant, Helicteres viscida Blume (Malvaceae, former Sterculiaceae); 333–340, leaf mines