Astrotischeria selvica Diškus, Carvalho-Filho & Stonis, 2018

Stonis, Jonas R., Diškus, Arūnas, Remeikis, Andrius & Lewis, Owen T., 2020, Exceptional diversity of Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera) from a single tropical forest site in Belize, Central America, European Journal of Taxonomy 723, pp. 33-76 : 51-52

Astrotischeria selvica Diškus, Carvalho-Filho & Stonis, 2018

Figs 15 , 83–84

Astrotischeria selvica Diškus, Carvalho-Filho & Stonis in Stonis et al., 2018a: 36–37 , figs 93–126.

Tischeria sp. 1 – Lewis et al. 2002: 872.

Diagnosis

External characters are not sufficient for the identification of this species. In the male genitalia, Astrotischeria selvica resembles the Central American A. basilobata sp. nov. and particularly A. maya Diškus & Stonis, 2018 . From the latter A. selvica differs by the horn-like, apically pointed dorsal lobe of the valva and the distinctly wide gap between the median lobes of the uncus; from A. basilobata sp. nov. A. selvica differs by the presence of two distinctive dorsal lobes on the valva (in A. basilobata sp. nov. only one dorsal lobe is distinctive). The fact that A. selvica feeds on Synedrella Gaertn. , Sphagneticola O.Hoffm. and Tilesia G.Mey. also makes this species rather unique; however, hostplant data may not be valid for species differentiation because the biology of many other species of Astrotischeria is still incompletely known or, in some cases, totally unstudied.

Material examined

Holotype

BELIZE • ♂; Cayo District, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Las Cuevas ; 16°43′53″ N, 88°59′11″ W; alt. 550 m; 4 Nov. 1997; O.T. Lewis leg.; mining larva on Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski ( Asteraceae ); field card no. 1406-4/11; genitalia slide no. 010316213♂ (former no. AD920); NHMUK 010289234 .

Paratypes

BELIZE • 2 ♂♂; 7 ♀♀; same locality and host-plant data as for holotype; 1 Oct. 1997 and 10 Jun.–14 Aug. 1998; O.T. Lewis leg.; field card nos 358, 359, 1403 to 1405, 4273, 3524, 5380, 3804; genitalia slide nos 010316214♂ (former no. AD298), 010316215♂ (former no. AD919); 010316217♀ (former no. AD921); NHMUK 010289235 to 010289243 .

Description

This species was described and illustrated by Stonis et al. (2018a: 36–37, figs 93–126).

Biology

Host plants, all members of Asteraceae : Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski and Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. in Central America, Tilesia baccata (L.) Pruski along with the main host plant Synedrella nodiflora in Brazil. Leaf mines were illustrated by Stonis et al. (2018a: figs 122–126). This species was listed as ‘ Tischeria sp. 1’ by Lewis et al. (2002) who found that, at Las Cuevas, the rate of parasitism was 24% (6 out of 25 mines reared successfully were parasitized).

Flight period

Adults are known from February, April, June–July, and October–November; based on reared specimens from Las Cuevas, adults are likely to occur year-round in Belize.

Distribution

Currently known from Central America ( Belize and Guatemala), the Caribbean ( U.S. Virgin Islands) and equatorial Brazil (State of Pará) ( Stonis et al. 2018a).

Figures

Figs 6–20. Tischeriidae collected in Las Cuevas, Belize. 6. Astrotischeria papilloma sp. nov., head, paratype (NHMUK 010289202). 7. Same, holotype (010289201). 8. Same, paratype (010289202). 9. A. scutifera sp. nov., holotype (010289214). 10. Same, paratype, hindwing (010289218). 11. Same, paratype (010289221). 12. A. basilobata sp. nov., holotype (010289226). 13. Same, frontal tuft. 14. Same, dorso-lateral view. 15. A. selvica, paratype (010289241). 16. A. casila, holotype (010289244). 17. A. furcata, holotype (010289261). 18. Paratischeria robinsoni sp. nov., holotype (010289262). 19. Same, paratype (010289269). 20. Same, paratype (010289270).

Figs 83–89. Male genitalia of Astrotischeria spp. (NHMUK). 83. A. selvica Diškus, Carvalho-Filho & Stonis, 2018, capsule with phallus removed, holotype (genitalia slide no. AD920). 84. Same, phallus, paratype (genitalia slide no. AD919). 85. A. casila Diškus & Stonis, 2018, capsule with phallus removed, holotype (genitalia slide no. AD939). 86. Same, phallus. 87. A. furcata Diškus & Stonis, 2018, capsule with phallus removed, holotype (genitalia slide no. AD925). 88. Same, lateral view of capsule. 89. Same, phallus.