Coptotriche camptotheca Xu & Dai, 2021

Xu, Jiasheng, Dai, Xiaohua, Rimšaitė, Jolanta, Diškus, Arūnas & Stonis, Jonas R., 2021, Discovery of the new Coptotriche species in China revealed two novel host-plant families and host-plant orders for Tischeriidae, a family of stenophagous, leafmining lepidopterans, Zootaxa 5071 (1), pp. 76-96 : 77-81

Coptotriche camptotheca Xu & Dai , sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ B78B1D24-898A-450A-8AD9-B2EC657D1AC0

( Figs. 1, 2 , 12–18 , 49–55 )

Type material. Holotype: 1 ♂, CHINA, Jiulianshan, Longnan County, Ganzhou City , Jiangxi Province, 24.585 N, 114.514 E, elevation 370 m, feeding larvae on Camptotheca acuminata Decne. ( Nyssaceae ), adults emerged 24– 26.viii.2012, Jiasheng Xu, genitalia slide no. BX12094 ♂ ( GNU) . Paratypes: 1 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide no. BX12093 ♀ ( GNU) and 1 ♂, 1 ♀, CHINA, Yunwushan, Guiding County, Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture , Guizhou Province), genitalia slide no. Liu 0117 and Liu 01160001 ( GNU) .

Diagnosis. External characters are not informative and insufficient for species differentiation in most cases of Coptotriche (or many other Tischeriidae ), including this new species. In the male genitalia, the combination of a very slender phallus with a strongly widened apex ( Fig. 17 ), distinctive spines on anellus ( Fig. 14 ), and a rounded vinculum ( Fig. 12 ) distinguish C. camptotheca sp. nov. from all other congeneric species. In the female genitalia, the distinctive spines on ductus spermathecae ( Fig. 16 ) make this species unique. The host plant Camptotheca acuminata ( Nyssaceae ) also makes this species distinctive because there are no other species known to be feeding on Nyssaceae .

Male ( Fig. 2 ). Forewing length about 3.6 mm, wingspan 7.9 mm (n = 1). Head: frons, palpi and pecten glossy cream to fuscous; frontal tuft comprised of slender lamellar scales, brown, distally cream; collar glossy cream; antenna slightly longer than one half of the length of forewing; flagellum dark brown on upper side, pale ochre on underside; sensilla long. Thorax: ochre to ochre-brown; tegula ochre-brown. Forewing greyish yellow-ochre, densely speckled with black-brown scales along costal margin and apically; fringe yellowish grey to dark brown, without fringe line; forewing underside dark grey-brown. Hindwing dark grey-brown on upper side and underside; fringe yellowish brown. Legs ochreous cream to brownish cream, densely covered with greyish brown to black-grey scales on upper side. Abdomen glossy, ochre to dark brown on upper side and underside; anal plates large, dark brown-grey.

Female ( Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 3.3–3.8 mm, wingspan 7.7–8.5 mm (n = 2). Antenna half the length of forewing; flagellum without visible sensilla. Forewing stronger speckled with black-brown scales on tornus than in male. Hindwing and fringe grey. Otherwise, as in male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 12–14, 17, 18 ). Capsule about 550 μm long. Uncus with two long lateral lobes. Socii membranous, distinctive ( Figs. 13, 14 ). Tegumen short, with long lateral arms ( Fig. 14 ). Valva about 445 μm long, gradually narrowing towards apex but rounded distally ( Fig. 12 ). Transtilla with a short and very slender transverse bar and medium-short sublateral processes. Vinculum rounded anteriorly. Anellus membranous, covered with distinctive spines ( Fig. 14 ). Phallus about 500 μm long ( Fig. 17 ), very slender, with a strongly extended tulip-shaped apex and two short, lateral bands of spines.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 15, 16 ). Total length about 1450 μm. Ovipositor lobes large, clothed with short, modified, peg-like setae. Second pair of lobes almost equal to the main ovipositor lobes. Anterior apophyses significantly shorter than posterior apophyses; the latter widened distally. Prela comprised of three pairs of rod-like projections. Vestibulum without antrum, slightly thickened laterally. Ductus bursae considerably narrower than corpus bursae, without spines. Corpus bursae membranous, without spines or signa. Ductus spermathecae wide in proximal part, with distinctive spines ( Fig. 16 ).

Bionomics ( Figs. 49–55 ). The host plant is Camptotheca acuminata Decne. ( Nyssaceae ), an evergreen tree ( Fig. 50 ). Larvae mine leaves in August. The first to second larval instars produce a small, irregular, white blotchlike mine ( Fig. 51 ); with the growth of the larvae, the mine expands into a long blotch-like mine ( Figs. 54, 55 ). There is usually one mine per a leaf ( Figs. 52, 53, 55 ). Pupation inside of the mine. Adults fly in late August and possibly September. Otherwise, biology is unknown.

Distribution. Currently known from the two localities in the Jiulianshan Mountains ( China: Jiangxi Province) and the Yunwushan Mountains ( China: Guizhou Province) at elevation of ca. 400 m along roadsides in the montane subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest ( Fig. 49 ).

Etymology. The new species is named after the host plant, Camptotheca Decne.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Adults of new Coptotriche species. 1, C. camptotheca Xu & Dai, sp. nov., female paratype, Jiangxi Province, China; 2, same, another female paratype (GNU); 3, 4, C. turpinia Xu & Dai, sp. nov., male holotype, Jiangxi Province, China (GNU)

FIGURES 12–18. Genitalia of Coptotriche camptotheca Xu & Dai, sp. nov. 12, 13, male genitalia, paratype, slide no. BX12094. 14, same, another paratype, slide no. Liu0117; 15, female genitalia, paratype, slide no. BH12093; 16, same, another paratype, slide no. Liu01160001; 17, male genitalia, phallus, paratype, slide no. BX12094; 18, same, another paratype, slide no. Liu0117 (GNU)

FIGURES 49–55. Bionomics of Coptotriche camptotheca Xu & Dai, sp. nov. 49, habitat, Guizhou Province, China; 50, host plant Camptotheca acuminata Decne. (Nyssaceae); 51–55, leaf mines