Acalyptris lesbia

Van, Erik J., 2007, Acalyptris Meyrick: revision of the platani and staticis groups in Europe and the Mediterranean (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), Zootaxa 1436, pp. 1-48 : 22

Acalyptris lesbia Van Nieukerken & Hull sp. n.

( Figs. 14, 16, 17 , 38, 44 , 57–59 , 70 , 82, 83 , 88, 90, 92 , 115–117 , 127 )

Type material. Holotype ɗ: GREECE (Lesvos): Lesvos: Skala Kallonis, 39.12’22” N-26.13 ’3”E, 16.vi.2004, M. Hull, leafmines on Limonium gmelini (Willd.) , e.l. 20.vi–1.vii.2004, reared in Leiden, RMNH /EvN no. 2004902, Don. M. Hull 2004– ENT –56, Genitalia slide EvN 3625 (RMNH-INS no 23625). — Paratypes 16 ɗ, 17 Ψ, 9 larvae, same locality, 13.vi.2003, 12, 13, 16 + 19.vi.2004, e.l. resp. 19–24.vi.2003, 20.vi- 6.vii.2004, M. Hull, reared in Caernarfon or Leiden; Genitalia slides ɗ 3552, Ψ 3626, Ψ 3642, Wing slide 3645, Larval slides RMNH INS no 12392–12394 ( RMNH, BMNH, WML, MH).

Non type material. Leafmines: same data as types.

Diagnosis. Externally A. lesbia resembles A. limonii , but the female lacks the conspicuous anal tuft. Males identified with certainty by examination of genitalia: gnathos triangular, wider than in limonii , but distinctly narrower than in maritima , uncus narrow and pointed as in limonii . Aedeagus distinctly longer than in maritima . Female genitalia resemble limonii in the hairy anal papillae and S7, but lack the conspicuous tufts on T7.

Description. Male ( Figs. 14, 16, 17 ). Forewing length 1.7–2.1 mm, wingspan 4.0–4.6 mm. Head: frontal tuft and collar white or ochreous, mixed with dark grey scales; scape hidden in tuft, some brown-tipped scales, flagellum grey. Antenna with 28–34 segments. Thorax and forewing white, irrorate with brown-tipped scales; white fascia at 2/3, some additional white spots basally may be present; cilia white, cilia line present. Hindwing narrow, grey, with costal bristles. Underside of forewing and hindwing dark brown or grey. Abdomen dark grey with conspicuous yellow anal tufts.

Female. Forewing length 1.9–2.2 mm, wingspan 4.4–4.8 mm. Antenna with 29–31 segments. Abdominal tip broadly rounded, no tufts present.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 38, 44 , 70 , 82 , 83). Measurements: see Table 3 . Vinculum rounded, ventral plate narrow, with ventral, triangular posterior process; lateral arms slightly expanded ventrally. Tegumen forming distinctly produced, rounded pseuduncus with many setae dorsally. Uncus with long, pointed central element, strongly curved posteriorly. Gnathos with triangular central element, longer than broad, lateral arms not ‘swollen’. Valva ( Fig. 70 ) basally broadest; tip slightly produced inwards, with many thick setae dorsally; transtilla with slightly curved transverse bar and short sublateral processes. Aedeagus ( Figs. 44 , 82, 83 ) with ventral carina bifurcate, long, pointed; lateral carinae strongly curved dorsad. Vesica without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 57–59 ). Two groups of 6–8 setae along posterior margin of T7. T8 trapezoid, slightly indented mesially, without setae and scales. T9 with two groups of more than 50 setae. S7 also with many setae near abdominal tip. Vestibulum and bursa flimsy, without sclerotisations, bursa hardly reaching beyond segment 7, total bursa length from cloaca ca 375 μm. Ductus spermathecae with 2 narrow convolutions.

Final instar larva. Head capsule ca 350 µm wide, see further group description.

Biology. Hostplant: Limonium gmelinii (det. J. Edmondson). The hostplant grows here on the edges of the dunes, either close to the sea in sand or close to the salt marsh amongst grass. The host does not grow on the salt marsh proper.

Egg on either side of leaf. Leafmine ( Figs. 115, 116 ) a full-depth mine, gallery throughout, starting much contorted, often spirally, later a full-depth mine with narrow broken, brown, frass, following straighter course through leaf. Larval exit hole on leaf upperside. Mines not separable from those of A. maritima or A. limonii .

Cocoon white, usually spun on leaf underside ( Fig. 117 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 127 ). Greece, Lesvos. Only found at Skala Kallonis, and not found on other sites with the host on Lesvos, nor on Khios (pers. comm. M. Hull).

Etymology. Named after the island of Lesvos (=Lesbos): lesbios (Greek), lesbius (Latin), an adjective, denoting ‘from Lesvos’ or inhabitant of Lesvos. Lesvos is the transcription of modern Greek as used in the Times Atlas ( Times 2000).

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 17. Acalyptris staticis group, adults. 9, A. staticis, Canary islands, Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz; 10, A. limoniastri, Algeria, Biskra, Paratype; 11, A. limonii, ♂ paratype, Greece, Salaora; 12, A. limonii, Ψ paratype, Greece, Salaora; 13, A. maritima, ♂, Greece, Skala; 14, A. lesbia, ♂ holotype, Greece, Lesvos; 15, A. pyrenaica, Germany, Eifel, Nettersheim; 16, 17, A. lesbia, ♂ live specimen, paratype; [material in RMNH, except Fig. 13, in ZMUC].

FIGURES 36 – 44. Acalyptris staticis group: male genitalia in ventral or lateral view (aedeagus, 40, 43, 44). 36, 37, 42, A. maritima, slides 3709, Italy, Portogruaro and 3515, Greece, Salaora, both paratypes; 38, 44, A. lesbia, slides 3625, Holotype and 3552, paratype 2003; 39, 40, 43, A. limonii, slide 3488, Greece, Salaora, paratype; 41, A. pyrenaica, slide 2827, Germany, Eifel, Nettersheim.

FIGURES 55 – 61. 55 – 59. Acalyptris staticis group: terminal abdominal segments and female genitalia (as far as visible), in dorsal view and dorsally focussed, in 58 more ventrally focussed, showing sternite. 55, 56, A. maritima, slide 3530, Italy, Portogruaro; 57 – 59, A. lesbia, slide 3642, paratype, Greece, Lesvos. 60 – 61. Acalyptris species, female, second abdominal segment from ventral, showing shape of s 2 a. 60, A. limoniastri, slide BM 22615, Algeria, Biskra, Paratype; 61, A. minimella, slide 3415, Portugal (Algarve), Serra de Monte Figo.

FIGURES 62 – 70. Acalyptris species: male genitalia, valva dorsal side, drawn from right valva, through ventral side (some from left valva, mirrored); not all setae on valval tip and margins are drawn. 62, A. platani, slide 1257, Italy, Trento; 63, A. minimella, slide 1433, Corsica, Porticcio; 64, A. pistaciae, 1268, Cyprus, Limassol, paratype; 65, A. loranthella, slide 1261, Greece, Evvoia; 66 A. limoniastri, slide BM 22614, Algeria, Biskra, Paratype; 67, A. staticis, slide 1430, Canary islands, Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz; 68, A. limonii, slide 3488, Greece, Salaora, paratype; 69, A. maritima, slide 3709, Italy, Portogruaro, paratype; 70, A. lesbia, slide 3625, male holotype, Greece, Lesvos; 71, A. pyrenaica, slide 2886, Germany, Eifel, Marmagen [not on same scale, from Nieukerken & Biesenbaum (1997)].

FIGURES 72 – 83. Acalyptris species, male genitalia, capsules (72, 74, 76, 79) and aedeagus in ventral (73, 75, 77 80, 82) and lateral view (78, 81, 83). 72, 73, A. minimella, slide 1433, Corsica, Porticcio; 74, 75, A. pistaciae, slide 1268, Cyprus, Limassol, paratype; 76 – 78, A. limoniastri, slide BM 22616, Algeria, Hammam-es-Salahin and BM 22613 (77), Biskra, paratypes; 79 – 81, A. staticis, slide 1430, Canary islands, Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz; 82, 83, A. lesbia, Greece, Lesvos, slide 3625, holotype and slide 3552, paratype.

FIGURES 84 – 93. Acalyptris species, details of immatures. 84 – 88, Headcapsule of final instar larva and part of prothorax with sclerites. 89, 90, Last abdominal segment (s) with anal rods. 91 – 93, Pupal exuviae, details of abdomen with abdominal spines (91, 92) and detached frons with conical projection (93). 84, 89, A. platani, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 85, A. minimella, Tunisia, Tabarka; 86, A. pistaciae, slide RMNH 11892, Turkey, Antalya, Selimiye; 87, A. loranthella, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 88, 90, A. lesbia, RMNH 12393, Greece, Lesvos, paratype; 91, A. loranthella, slide 3647, Greece, Evvoia, Dhírfis Oros; 92, A. lesbia, slide 3643, Greece, Lesvos; 93, A. platani, slide 3646, Italy, Trieste.

FIGURES 112 – 119. Acalyptris staticis group, leafmines. 112, A. maritima, Portogruaro, Brussa; 113, 114, A. limonii or maritima on Limonium sp., Arta, Salaora, 15. vi. 1996; 115 – 117, A. lesbia on Limonium gmelini, 117 showing two cocoons on midrib, leaf underside; 118, 119, A. staticis on L. pectinatum, Tenerife, Puero de la Cruz. All mines 2 × natural size, except Fig. 117, which is more enlarged.

FIGURES 125 – 127. Distribution maps of Acalyptris. 125, A. loranthella, shaded area shows approximate distribution of host Loranthus europaeus; 126, A. staticis group in Western Mediterranean: A. pyrenaica (black dots), A. staticis (grey dots) and A. limoniastri (black squares); 127, A. staticis group in Eastern Mediterranean: A. maritima (black dots), A. limonii (grey diamonds) and A. lesbia (grey square).