Stigmella gallicola van Nieukerken & Nishida, 2016

Stonis, Jonas R., Remeikis, Andrius, Diškus, Arūnas & Megoran, Nick, 2017, New species of leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from the Neotropical and Ando-Patagonian regions, with new data on host plants, Zootaxa 4272 (1), pp. 1-39 : 31

Stigmella gallicola van Nieukerken & Nishida, 2016

( Figs 1 , 112–115 )

Material examined. 1 ♂, COSTA RICA: Heredia, La Selva Field Station (near Puerto Viejo) 21–28.iii.1988, W. E. Steiner, J. M. Hill, J. M. Swearingen, & J. M. Mitchell, genitalia slide no. RA 617♂ ( USNM) .

Diagnosis. The combination of a black or very dark brown scaling of the adult, U-shaped gnathos, gradually narrowed valva with a small slender apical process, and an unusual set of two very large cornuti in the phallus distinguishes S. gallicola Nieukerken & Nishida from all other Stigmella .

Male ( Fig. 112 ) (See Remarks). Forewing length about 2.3–2.5 mm; wingspan about 5.2–6.0 mm. Head: palpi fuscous, distally silvery shiny; face black, silvery shiny, with blue iridescence; frontal tuft ferruginous to orange; collar wide, black to dark brown, silvery glossy, with some blue iridescence; scape golden cream to cream, distally darkened with black to grey scales; antenna slightly shorter than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 32–34 segments, brown to almost black on upper side and underside. Thorax, tegula and forewing unicolorous, black to fuscous brown, golden glossy, with some purple and blue iridescence; fringe and underside of forewing black, no androconia. Hindwing black on upper side and underside, without spots or androconia; fringe black. Legs blackgrey, glossy; forelegs silvery shiny with blue iridescence. Abdomen entirely black, without anal tufts.

Female. Similar to male (see van Nieukerken et al. 2016).

Male genitalia ( Figs 113–115 ). Capsule longer (about 320 µm) than wide (about 215 µm). Uncus wide but short, not divided into lobes. Gnathos U-shaped. Valva 170–200 µm long, 50–70 µm wide, with one very small and very slender apical process, and with one inner (dorsal) process; transtilla with short and slender sublateral processes. Juxta with V-shaped thickening. Vinculum with small triangular lateral lobes and short ventral plate. Phallus ( Fig. 115 ) 290–375 µm long, 65–121 µm wide; vesica with two large horn-like cornuti and numerous minute cornuti.

Female genitalia (described in van Nieukerken et al. 2016).

Bionomics (described in van Nieukerken et al. 2016). Larvae yellowish green, make galls on Hampea appendiculata (Donn.Sm.) Standl. (Malvaceae) in March, May and June (van Nieukerken et al. 2016). Adults fly in January, March–June, and October.

Distribution ( Figs 1 ). This species known from Costa Rica (Heredia Province and, after van Nieukerken et al. 2016, also in Puntarenas).

Remarks. This remarkable species was originally included in our manuscript as a new taxon (manuscript prepared 2015) on the basis of a single male specimen and, therefore, deposited in the USNM collection as holotype of S. "eunigra ". However, prior to publication of this paper, the species was described by van Nieukerken et al. 2016, and thus in the current paper we provide additional photographs and drawings, and additional information on the male morphology and adult activity.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map to the species treated in the current paper.

FIGURES 112 – 115. Stigmella gallicola van Nieukerken & Nishida, 2016. 112, male adult; 113, 114, male genitalia, slide no. RA 617, capsule with phallus removed; 115, same, phallus (USNM, deposited with a label as holotype of " eunigra "; see Remarks on the species).