Neotrifurcula van Nieukerken

van Nieukerken, Erik J., Doorenweerd, Camiel, Nishida, Kenji & Snyers, Chris, 2016, New taxa, including three new genera show uniqueness of Neotropical Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera), ZooKeys 628, pp. 1-63 : 30-31

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Nepticulidae

Neotrifurcula van Nieukerken gen. n.

Type species.

Neotrifurcula gielisorum van Nieukerken sp. n. by present designation.

Diagnosis.

Neotrifurcula can be recognised by the hindwing venation with trifurcate Rs+M, and a very long and separate CuA in forewing, collar with hairscales, in the genitalia male phallus with a long curved flagellum-like appendix; female with reticulate signa and complex vaginal sclerite. Glaucolepis has a similar venation, but usually a velvet patch of special scales on hindwing and three pairs of anal tufts.

Description.

Adult (Figs 97-99). Medial to large nepticulid moths, forewing length 2.7-4.8 mm, largest over 10 mm wingspan. Head with collar comprising piliform scales; antenna with 42-58 segments in male (n=4), 47 in female (n=1). Forewing with distinct or less distinct fascia, sometimes metallic, no subdorsal retinaculum in male. Hindwing in male with costal bristles, no androconial scales observed. Venation (Fig. 95): very complete, with closed cell, R+Rs+M with 6 terminal branches: R, Rs1+2, Rs3, Rs4, M1 and M2, CuA separate and long, approaching Rs+M; A thickened; Hindwing broad, with 5 veins, Rs+M trifurculate: Rs, M1, M2. Abdomen: anterior part of sternum 2 with two lobes on posterior margin (Fig. 96). Tergum 8 with distinct anal tufts, tergum 3-7 with lateral groups of many setae and scales.

Male genitalia. (Figs 100-104). Vinculum ring shaped, fused with tegumen; ventral plate expanded, not bilobed. Uncus Y shaped. Gnathos with large triangular central element. Valva elongate to triangular, transtilla without transverse bar, sublateral processes distinct. Juxta V-shaped. Phallus long, gradually tapering caudally; a peculiar long curved process at left side; vesica with small group of several cornuti.

Female genitalia (Figs 107-110). T9 a pair of setose anal papillae; T8 rounded, with a few setae. Anterior apophyses, slightly longer than posterior ones. Vestibulum with sclerotisation; corpus bursae with a pair of reticulate signa. Ductus spermathecae with 3.5 convolutions.

Biology.

Hostplant and immature stages unknown. Adults collected in Nothofagus forests from November to January.

Distribution.

Chile and Argentina, southern parts at low and medial altitudes.

Composition.

Next to the type species, we include two unnamed species, for one of which we only have one female that was sequenced, another one only one worn male on loan from Copenhagen (ZMUC). We find the DNA barcode distance too large to include the female in Neotrifurcula gielisorum and the male is much smaller and shows some differences in the genitalia. According to Jonas Rimantas Stonis (personal communication) there is a group of several closely related species of Neotrifurcula in Patagonia, estimated to comprise at least five species.

Etymology.

Neotrifurcula , a noun, a combination of the prefix neo-, new, here derived from Neotropics, and the Latin noun Trifurcula (= a three-pronged fork), another nepticulid genus with a 3-forked Rs+M in the hindwing. The name is to be treated as feminine.

Remarks.

The anterior sclerite of sternum 2 (S2A) has anterior apodemes similar to Bohemannia Stainton, 1859. The venation also has several similarities to Bohemannia , although the latter seems more reduced by the fusing of CuA with Rs+M and the reduction of the closed cell. This supports the possible sistergroup relationship to Bohemannia or Bohemannia + Hesperolyra that we found in our molecular analyses ( Doorenweerd et al. 2016). Overall the species of Neotrifurcula resemble Glaucolepis in several ways: the venation is almost identical, the transverse bar of transtilla is absent, but Neotrifurcula does not have the male "velvet patch", the phallotrema spines. The flagellum-like appendix of the phallus is a remarkable character of as yet unknown function. This character requires further detailed morphological study. It is likely an apomorphy for the genus.