Cameraria diplodura Bai

Bai, Haiyan, Xu, Jiasheng & Dai, Xiaohua, 2015, Three new species, two newly recorded species and one newly recorded genus of Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) from China, Zootaxa 4032 (2), pp. 229-235 : 232-233

Cameraria diplodura Bai , sp. nov.

Figs. 2 , 7 , 11 .

Type material. Holotype ♂: China, Jiulian Mountain, Jiangxi, 600 m, 30. iii. 2012, leg. Jiasheng Xu Slide No. B12013 ♂.

Diagnosis. Five Cameraria species known from Palaearctic and Oriental regions have a bifurcate vinculum in the male genitalia. They are C. barlowi Kumata , C. trizosterata Kumata and the three new species described in the present paper. Among the five species, C. diplodura is similar to C. barlowi in forewing pattern, with four white fasciae and in phallus with a barb apically. The shape of the valva, vinculum branches and eighth sternite are different. In C. diplodura , bar-shaped valva is not so swollen as that of C. barlowi ; vinculum branches are uniform in size, and tapering to a pointed apex; eighth sternite is flask-shaped, and strongly narrowing to a bilobed caudal apex. According to the description and illustrations given by Kumata, valva of C. barlo wi is partly swollen on ventral area beyond middle; vinculum branches are thick at base and truncate at apex; eighth sternite is reversed trapeziform, rather deeply emarginated apically. In addition, C. diplodura is similar to the species of the agrifoliella group with the eighth sternite of the male with a bifid caudal apex ( Opler & Davis 1981), but can be distinguished by the straight valva, whereas in agrifoliella group the valva is sinuate.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 8.0 mm. Head white. Antenna with scape whitish, flagellum pale yellow, except 5 basal segments nearly white, 2-4 apical segments distally ringed with black. Labial palpus white. Thorax white, tegula and ground colour of forewing brownish yellow. Forewing with 4 white fasciae that are oblique outwards from dorsum to costa, 3 basal fasciae nearly parallel to each other and detached from costa, apical one reaching costa, parallel to the termen, broken into 3 white specks; first fascia at the base of forewing, with 2–3 discontinuous black spots on outer edge, second and third fascia at basal 1/5 and 2/5 respectively, their outer side delineated with a black line, fourth fascia placed at apical 1/5, external edge of dorsal speck black; fringe concolorous with forewing, on termen with median black line, inner part of fringe darker than outer part. Hindwing with its fringe pale ochreous yellow. Foreleg with coxa whitish; dorsal surface of femur whitish, ventral surface fuscous with ochreous yellow irrorations on apical half and ochreous yellow on basal half; tibia fuscous except basal 2/3 of dorsal surface whitish; tarsus whitish with 2 fuscous rings. Mid- and hindlegs whitish; 3 oblique stripes present on outer surface of midtibia, fuscous, mixed with ochreous yellow; midtarsus with 3 fuscous rings; outer surface of hindtibia with an oblique stripe, ochreous yellow and interspersed with fuscous, dorsal surface with a bundle of pale ochreous yellow long hairs; hindtarsus with 5 fuscous rings, interspersed with ochreous yellow.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ). Tegumen conical, ca. 530 Μm long, distinctly sclerotized. Tuba analis protruding beyond tegument, apical margin concave; dorsal side sclerotized, spinulose, with a pair of slender setae (ca. 500 Μm long) subapically, ventral side membranous, subscaphium bar-shaped. Valva ca. 700 Μm long, nearly bar-shaped, widened basally, ending in a pointed apex; covered with spine-like seta. Vinculum bifurcate, each branch about 400 Μm in length, bar-shaped, tapering apically. Anellus sclerotized, nearly coniform. Phallus about 420 Μm in length, tubular, tapering to basal 2/5; apex with a barb. Flap-like eighth sternite ca. 850 Μm, flask-shaped, strongly narrowing to a bilobed caudal apex. ( Fig. 7 b).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Jiangxi).

Bionomics. Specimen of this species was reared on Cyclobalanopsis sp. collected in Jiulian Mountain, Jiangxi, China. The larva feeds on Cyclobalanopsis sp. leaves, and creates blotch mine on underside of the host plant leaf ( Fig. 11 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from Latin diplodurus, meaning “double tailed”, in reference to the shape of the male eighth sternite.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 1. Chrysaster hagicola Kumata. 2. Cameraria diplodura Bai, sp. nov. 3. C. rhynchophysa Bai, sp. nov. 4. C. jiulianshanica Bai, sp. nov.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Genitalia. Scale bar 0.5 mm. 5. Chrysaster hagicola Kumata. 6. Cameraria magnisignata Kumata. 7 a, b. C. diplodura Bai, sp. nov. (a. male genitalia, b. © eighth sternite, ® vinculum). 8. C. rhynchophysa Bai, sp. nov. 9. C. jiulianshanica Bai, sp. nov.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Mine of larva. 10 a, b. an unidentified plant (Fabaceae), host of Cameraria magnisignata Kumata. 11. Cyclobalanopsis sp. (Fagaceae), host of C. diplodura Bai, sp. nov.. 12. Fissistigma uonicum (Annonaceae), host of C. rhynchophysa Bai, sp. nov.