Triberta cistifoliella (Groschke, 1944) Groschke, 1944

Prins, Jurate De, Davis, Donald R., Coninck, Eliane De, Sohn, Jae-Cheon & Triberti, Paolo, 2013, Systematics, phylogeny and biology of a new genus of Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) associated with Cistaceae, Zootaxa 3741 (2), pp. 201-227 : 217-219

Triberta cistifoliella (Groschke, 1944) , comb. nov.

Lithocolletis cistifoliella —Groschke (1944: 122–124, figs 7, 9) [original description]; Amsel (1951: 422).

Lithocolletis helianthemella —Walsingham 1908: 976 [misidentification of L. cistifoliella ], Klimesch 1942: 387 [misidentification of L. cistifoliella (Klimesch 1956: 215) ], 1968: 176; Kuznetzov 1981: 296 [synonymization of L. cistifoliella Groschke with L. helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer , the illustration Fig. 272/1 on p. 297 as L. helianthemella is a misidentification of L. cistifoliella ].

Lithocolletis cisticolella —Hering 1957: 304 [an incorrect subsequent spelling of L. cistifoliella Groschke, 1944 (Klimesch 1979: 155) ].

Phyllonorycter cistifoliella —Klimesch 1979: 155; Vives Moreno 1994: 54; Gaedike et al. 1995: 18; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 300.

Translation of the original description:

[As in the case of Weberina lentiscella spec. nov. where the mine was known years before the insect could be identified, a Lithocolletis -mine was known for years to occur on Cistus salvifolius [sic], of which I now describe the insect as Lithocolletis cistifoliella spec. n. (fig. 7).

The colour and pattern of the forewing show that the new species is very closely related to Lithocolletis helianthemella H.-S. (fig. 8). The forewing is dark golden brown. Forewing with white base, with a sharply broken transverse band, and with 3 strongly curved and 1 almost straight, pure white uncinate markings at costa and dorsum which are connected to form transverse bands. All white markings and the outer margins are edged with blackish brown, basally stronger than distally. A black longitudinal line present distally. Inside the golden brown area, near the corners of the transverse bands, not as clearly edged with white and touching the white markings.

Forewing fringes golden brown, externally white.

Hind wings grey, as are the fringes which possess a golden brown luster at their bases.

Head and thorax white with contrasting dark brown tegulae and patagia. Abdomen grey.

Antennae whitish to brownish, not strongly ringed.

Legs white with very strong, brownish black rings.

J. Klimesch, Linz, kindly sent me a drawing of the forewing of Lithocolletis helianthemella H.-S., and this allows me to show more easily and clearly the differences between both species. The pure white bases, the more oblique and connected white strigulae, and the characteristic apical part, in my opinion, differentiate clearly this Lithocolletis cistifoliella from L. helianthemella H.-S., so that captured specimens can also be identified unquestionably to belong to one or the other species.

I reared 8 specimens which belong to two separate generations: 5 specimens from 4.xii.1942 to 9.i.1943 and 3 specimens from 23.vi to 15.vii.1943, and furthermore I caught one specimen flying on Monte Poretta near Taormina on 2.ix.1942, which is certainly a late specimen of the summer generation.

At the same locality I also found caterpillars of the bred specimens in November–December and in June. They made mines (fig. 9) on the underside of the leaves, except in two instances where the mines were on the upperside, without any preference of a particular place on the leaf. As typical for this genus, the initial epidermal mines grew to tentiform mines, which followed the strong side nerve of the Cistus -leaf. The frass is gathered into a smooth ball. In order to pupate, the caterpillar leaves the mine and makes a white, shiny cocoon similar to those in the genus Caloptilia .

This last fact is, apart from the systematic characters, a further biological character that demonstates a relationship of the new species with Lith. helianthemella .

The pupal period of both generations is 3–4 weeks.]

Neotype designation. The German lepidopterist Franz Groschke (1914–1956) worked at (or was associated with) the Zoological Institute in Tharandt (possibly part of the "Forstliche Hochschule Tharandt"), next to Dresden during the war years of his military service in 1940–1944. However his collection was not transferred to the State Museum of Zoology (Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde) in Dresden (Matthias Nuss, pers. corr.). The type specimens of Lithocolletis cistifoliella are also absent in Stuttgart (Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart) where Franz Groschke worked before his death in 1956 (Andreas Zwick, pers. corr.). There is no publication except the original description which refers to the type specimens of L. cistifoliella , though significant efforts were made to find them by Jozef Wilhelm Klimesch during the preparation of his study “Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Microlepidopteren-Fauna des Kanarischen Archipels” (1979). We believe that the type specimens of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke 1944 were lost during the last years of the second world war or the years after the war, and could not be traced despite the efforts of the curators from Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde in Dresden and Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Stuttgart. There is an exceptional need to designate the name bearing type under the conditions specified by the ICZN Art. 75: (1) the neotype is designated with the express purpose to clarify the taxonomic status of closely related species within the new genus Triberta and to restore the species Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke 1944 from synonymy; (2) we present the diagnosis of the valid species L. cistifoliella and its bibliographic references; (3) label data are presented to ensure the recognition of the specimen designated; (4) we state that the neotype is consistent with what it is known of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944 from the original description and the original illustrations (Groschke 1944: 122–124, figs. 7, 9); (5) the neotype originates near to the original type locality (ICZN Art. 76.1); (6) we designate as the neotype of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944 the historic male specimen collected and studied by Josef Wilhelm Klimesch, who labelled it in the collection as ‘a paralectotypus’, but did not officially designate it as the neotype; (7) the deposition of the neotype is the ZSM, a publically recognized scientific institution, that has managed to preserve historic Lepidoptera specimens, has proper facilities for preserving this particular name-bearing type for future generations, and assures the accessibility of the neotype of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944 for further studies.

Here we designate the following male specimen as the neotype of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944 :

♂, [1] ‘Sicilia, Palermo, S. Martino d. Scale, 1–12.vi.1954, J. Klimesch’; [2] ‘genitalia slide TRB3554♂’, in the ZSM ( Figs 10 , 16 ).

Additional specimen from the same series:

♀, ‘Sicilia, Mistretta, Mercuore, 700 m, 21–30.VI.52, J. Klimesch’, in the ZSM. Remarks: the abdomen of this female specimen is damaged and genitalia are not in condition to be examined.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 15. The primary types of Triberta species. 10, the neotype of Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944, male, in ZSM. 11, the lectotype of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, in ZMHB. 12, the paralectotype 1 of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, in ZMHB. 13, the paralectotype 2 of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, in ZMHB. 14, the paralectotype 3 of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, female, in ZMHB. 15, the paralectotype 4 of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, female, in ZMHB. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 16 – 21. Male genitalia of Triberta species. 16, Lithocolletis cistifoliella Groschke, 1944, male, neotype, prep. TRB 3554 ♂, in ZSM. 17, Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, lectotype, prep. TRB 3935 ♂, in ZMHB. 18, Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, paralectotype, prep. TRB 3945 ♂, in ZMHB. 19, Valva of Triberta helianthemella, male, Italy, Verona, 25 / 30. vi. 2010, leg. P. Triberti, prep. TRB 3552 ♂, in MSNV. Scale bar 100 µm. 20, abdomen opening of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, lectotype, prep. TRB 3935 ♂, in ZMHB. Scale bar 200 µm. 21, sternum VIII of Lithocolletis helianthemella Herrich-Schäffer, 1861, male, lectotype, prep. TRB 3935 ♂, in ZMHB. Scale bar 100 µm.