Fomoria miranda Diškus & Stonis, 2017

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 : 31-34

Fomoria miranda Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 116–125 )

Type material. Holotype: ♀, ECUADOR: Chimborazo Province, Bucay (Cumanda), 2°12'11"S, 79°8'26"W, elevation 305 m, mining larvae on Inga sp., 10.xi.2007, field card no. 4916, A. Diškus, genitalia slide no. AD 780♀ ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. The combination of an unique forewing pattern ( Fig. 117 ), unusual set of vaginal sclerites, odd shape of apophyses ( Fig. 119 ), and rather unique signa ( Figs 118, 119 ) in the female genitalia distinguishes F. miranda sp. nov. from all species (including other Fomoria , also Hesperolyra and Acalyptris ).

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Figs 116, 117 ). Forewing length about 1.9 mm; wingspan about 4.5 mm. Head: palpi cream; frontal tuft dark orange; collar indistinctive, comprised of piliform scales; scape very large, golden cream, distally ochre cream; flagellum with 22–23 segments, glossy, grey-brown with little purple iridescence on upper side, grey on underside. Thorax and tegula glossy, pale grey-brown, with little purple and green iridescence. Forewing glossy; dark areas black-brown, with some purple and green iridescence; basal, medial and slender apical fasciae yellowish cream, silvery shiny; areas along dorsal margin very glossy, beige-ochre; fringe brown-grey, distally golden cream; underside of forewing grey-brown, without spots. Hindwing glossy, grey with purple iridescence on upper side, brown-grey on underside; no spots or androconia; its fringe grey. Legs golden cream on upper side, dark golden cream on underside. Abdomen grey-brown with some purple iridescence on upper side, shiny, silvery cream on underside.

Female genitalia ( Figs 118–120 ). Total length about 750 µm. Anterior and posterior apophyses very slender, posterior apophyses slightly longer than anterior ones. Vestibulum with a set of three connected sclerites. Corpus bursae with short and slender apical part and large (380 µm long, 160 µm wide) basal part; signa only slightly asymmetrical: smaller signum 240 µm long, 80 µm wide, larger signum 255 µm long, 85 µm wide; each signum comprised of narrow inner part and 2.5–3 times wider outer part; cells almost invisible. Accessory sac small; ductus spermathecae very slender, with 3–3.5 convolutions. Abdominal apex very widely rounded distally.

Bionomics ( Figs 121–125 ). Host-plant: Inga sp.: I. spectabilis (Vahl) Willd. or I. edulis Mart., Mimosoidea , Fabaceae ( Figs 121–124 ). Larva mines leaves in November. Leaf-mine ( Fig. 125 ) starts as a very slender sinuous gallery almost fully filled with black-brown frass; further in the gallery gradually widens but remains rather slender, with a central line of black-brown frass. Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Adults fly in December. Otherwise biology unknown.

Distribution ( Figs 1 ). This species occurs in humid tropical forests and orchards on the western foothills of the Andes ( Ecuador) at altitudes around 300 m.

Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin mirandus (marvelous) in reference to the peculiar pattern of the forewing.

Remarks. In female genitalia, the species exhibits some similarity with a few representatives of Foromia Beirne and Acalyptris Meyrick. Therefore the new species is tentatively placed in the genus Foromia. Unfortunately, no males of F. miranda are known yet to confirm the current taxonomic placement.

Figures

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

FIGURES 116 – 120. Fomora miranda Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. 116, 117, female adult, holotype; 118 – 120, female genitalia, holotype, slide no. AD 780 (ZMUC).

FIGURES 121 – 125. Bionomics of Fomora miranda Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. 121 – 124, host-plant Inga sp.: I. spectabilis (Vahl) Willd. or I. edulis Mart., Mimosoidea, Fabaceae; 125, leaf-mine, Bucay (Cumanda), 2 ° 12 ' 11 " S, 79 ° 8 ' 26 " W, Chimborazo Province, Ecuador.