Manitischeria selindica Stonis & Diškus, 2021

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Solis, M. Alma & Monro, Alexandre K., 2021, Diagnostics of Manitisheria gen. nov., an Old-World genus of leaf-mining Tischeriidae, composed of new species and species formerly in Tischeria Zeller, Zootaxa 4964 (2), pp. 251-287 : 260

10. Manitischeria selindica Stonis & Diškus , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:25BD22B0-ECDC-4765-828F-1C1C996639AF

( Figs. 107, 108 )

Tischeria species 0219, in Puplesis & Diškus 2003: 268–269; in Puplesis et al. 2004: 43.

Type material. Holotype: ♀, ZIMBABWE: Mt. Selinda , bred on Triumfetta rhomboidea , 28.iv.1956, Vari, genitalia slide no. Diškus 0219 ( TMSA).

Diagnosis. Externally, M. selindica sp. nov. resembles another dark-coloured species, M. relictana (Ermolaev) . In the female genitalia, the unique, strongly thickened H-shaped antrum ( Fig. 108 ) distinguishes the new species from all known congeneric species, including the South African M. namibiensis sp. nov. and the East Asian M. relictana . It is expected that the latter may be related to M. selindica because they are the only species with a distinct H-shaped antrum with long posterior processes and both are dark-coloured (unusual colour for Manistischeria). However, the antrum of M. relictana is slender and posterior processes of the antrum are shorter than in M. selindica (for M. relictana , see Kobayashi et al. 2016: fig. 5 C, D). Manistischeria selindica is easily distinguishable from M. namibiensis by the short posterior processes of the H-shaped antrum and the dark colour of forewing.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Fig. 107 ). Forewing length: 2.5 mm; wingspan 5.5 mm (n = 1). Head: palpi cream; frons brown; frontal tuft and collar metallic brown; antenna greyish brown. Thorax and tegula glossy grey-brown. Forewing dark brown with some inconspicuous and irregular pale ochre shading; forewing underside dark brown; fringe pale brown. Hindwing brown, very slender; fringe pale brown. Forelegs and midlegs dark brown, hindlegs pale grey. Abdomen dark brown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 108 ). Ovipositor lobes very small, oval-shaped, with peg-like setae; second pair of ovipositor lobes twice as small. Anterior and posterior apophyses equal in length. Antrum strongly developed, Hshaped. Corpus bursae unknown (broken and lost, slide no. Diškus 0219).

Bionomics. Host plant is Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq. , Malvaceae (formerly Tiliaceae ). Mine unknown. Adults occur in April.

Distribution. This species is known from the single locality of Mt. Selinda, Zimbabwe.

Etymology. This species is named after the famous area of exceptional beauty and rich tropical biodiversity, Mount Selinda in Zimbabwe, where it was discovered.

Remarks. The species was left unnamed, but documented, in Puplesis & Diškus (2003). Now that a generic position is evident, we name it for use in a future trophic analysis of the Tischeriidae .

Figures

FIGURES 105–108. Manitischeria spp. 105, M. baryshnikovae Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., female genitalia, ovipositor lobes, apophyses, prela, and antrum, paratype, slide no. AD1014 (ZIN); 106, same, general view; 107, M. selindica Stonis & Diškus, sp. nov., female adult, holotype (TMSA); 108, same, female genitalia, slide no. Diškus 0219 (TMSA)