Stigmella confertae Diškus & Stonis, 2016

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius, Gerulaitis, Virginijus & Karsholt, Ole, 2016, Leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from record high altitudes: documenting an entire new fauna in the Andean páramo and puna, Zootaxa 4181 (1), pp. 1-94 : 25-26

Stigmella confertae Diškus & Stonis, 2016

( Figs 6–17 , 27 , 49–54 )

Stigmella confertae Diškus & Stonis, in Stonis et al. 2016b: 124 –126.

Material examined. 2 ♀ (holotype and paratype), ECUADOR, Napo Province, ca. 10 km W Papallacta, 0°21'45"S, 78°11'35"W, elevation 3700–3800 m, páramo, mining larvae on Baccharis conferta Kunth , 13.i.2005, field card no. 4862, leg. A. Diškus & J. R. Stonis, genitalia slide nos AD 638♀ holotype, AD 642♀ paratype ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. In the female genitalia, the new species differs from all other known Neotropical Stigmella by the combination of a very large accessory sac, small corpus bursae with indisctinctive comb-like pectinations, and large pointed anterior apophyses. The host-plant Baccharis conferta also makes this species highly distinctive.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Fig. 49 ). Head: frontal tuft ochre; collar and scape cream; antenna longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 27–28 segments, fuscous. Thorax and tegula fuscous. Forewing unicolorous (fascia indistinct or absent; see Remarks), fuscous with purple iridescence. Abdomen fuscous.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 51 ). Total length about 675 µm. Abdominal apex widely rounded, about 110–120 µm wide. Anterior and posterior apophyses almost equal in length; anterior apophyses very wide proximally, strongly narrowing (pointed) distally; posterior apophyses 110–145 µm long, very slender. Vestibulum very wide, without sclerites. Corpus bursae with folded distal part and with wider, oval-shaped, 260–265 µm long, 180–205 µm wide, basal part, without signa; pectinations comb-like, indistintive, hardly visible. Accessory sac very large, folded; ductus spermathecae slender, with one distinct, strongly chitinized plate-like structure.

Bionomics. Larva mines in leaves of Baccharis conferta Kunth (Asteraceae) ( Figs 50, 52 ). Larva bright green with dark grey-green intestine and dark brown head; mines in early January (and judging on numerous vacant leafmines) also in December. Leaf-mine is a gallery strongly widening and contorted in distal third of leaf-mine (therefore resembling a blotch) ( Figs 52–54 ). Usually but not always the distal part of leaf-mine is in distal portion of the leaf-blade ( Fig. 53 ). Black frass filling most of gallery except in the final part. Old leaf-mines appear brownish cream, distinctive ( Fig. 52 ). Larval exit slit on upper side of the leaf. Cocoon grey-ochre to ochre; length 3 mm, maximum width 1.5–1.6 mm.

Distribution ( Figs 17 , 27 ). This species occurs high in the equatorial Andes ( Ecuador: Napo Province) at altitudes between 3700–3800 m in páramo habitats ( Figs 7–16 ).

Remarks. The description of external features is based on two completely developed pupae. It seems that this species is difficult to rear indoors (mortality rate is about 98%; the causes of the high mortality remains unknown). Etymology. The species is named after the host-plant Baccharis conferta .

Figures

FIGURE 27. Distribution map of the high-Andean Nepticulidae with height records.

FIGURES 6 – 10. Habitats: shrub-dominated páramo and Polylepis forest near volcano Antisana and Papallacta Pass (Ecuador: Napo Province) at altitudes about 3700 – 3900 m, 0 ° 21 ' 45 " S, 78 ° 11 ' 35 " W. 6, view of volcano Antisana; 7, a relict stand of high- Andean Polylepis; 8 – 10, shrub-dominated páramo SE of Papallacta Pass.

FIGURES 11 – 15. Habitats: shrub and grass-dominated páramo, SE of Papallacta Pass (Ecuador: Napo Province) at altitudes about 3700 – 3800 m, 0 ° 21 ' 45 " S, 78 ° 11 ' 35 " W.

FIGURES 16 – 17. Distribution of high altitude Stigmella species in the Ecuadorian Andes. 16, habitat of Stigmella paramica sp. nov. and S. confertae Diškus & Stonis, 3700 – 3800 m, 0 ° 21 ' 45 " S, 78 ° 11 ' 35 " W; 17, distribution map.

FIGURES 49 – 54. Stigmella confertae Diškus & Stonis. 49, forewing; 50, host-plant Baccharis conferta Kunth (Asteraceae); 51, female genitalia, holotype, genitalia slide AD 638 (ZMUC); 52 – 54, leaf-mines.