Systematics of Phyllocnistis leaf-mining moths (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) feeding on dogwood (Cornus spp.) in Northeast Asia, with the description of three new species
Author
Kirichenko, Natalia
Author
Triberti, Paolo
Author
Kobayashi, Shigeki
Author
Hirowatari, Toshiya
Author
Doorenweerd, Camiel
Author
Ohshima, Issei
Author
Huang, Guo-Hua
Author
Wang, Min
Author
Magnoux, Emmanuelle
Author
Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos
text
ZooKeys
2018
736
79
118
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.736.20739
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.736.20739
1313-2970-736-79
529E026F95C14F22BC0C4B50A311B49F
529E026F95C14F22BC0C4B50A311B49F
Phyllocnistis verae Kirichenko, Triberti & Lopez-Vaamonde
sp. n.
Figs 7, 10A, B, 15
A-C
, 17
A-C
Etymology
.
The species name,
verae
is a patronym in commemoration of Mrs. Vera Kirichenko, the mother of the first author.
Diagnosis.
Forewing lustrous-white with a complete lf, three costal and four apical ciliary strigulae, tf interrupted; male genitalia with phallus shorter than phallobase; female corpus bursae with two signa, similar in size and shape.
Forewing pattern of
P. verae
is distinguished from
P. saepta
and
P. cornella
by the interrupted tf. In male genitalia, length of the phallus and the phallobase is similar to
P. indistincta
, but with a higher number of ventral setae (42-50). In the female genitalia, the two signa are very similar in shape and size, while they are different in the other
Cornus
-feeding species.
Type material.
Holotype (♂): Russia, Krasnoyarsk, near village Borovoe, along the river Yenisei (left bank), rock (skala) Berkut,
55.97N
,
92.55E
, 144 m, ex
Cornus alba
, 7.VII.2016 (larva), 14.VII.2016 em., No. 6-3, TRB4200, N. Kirichenko leg. (deposited in SIF SB RAS).
Paratypes.
(5): 4♂, TRB4116, TRB4152, TRB4199, TRB4225; 1♀, Russia, Krasnoyarsk, near village Borovoe, along the river Yenisei, rock (skala) Berkut, ex
Cornus alba
, 28.VI.2015, TRB4116, N. Kirichenko leg. (deposited in MSNV).
Additional material examined.
Larvae (11): Russia, Krasnoyarsk, near village Borovoe, along the river Yenisei, rock (skala) Berkut,
Cornus alba
, 3 larvae, 28.VI.2015, 4 larvae, 5.VII.2016, 4 larvae, 7.VII.2016, N. Kirichenko leg. (deposited in SIF SB RAS).
Description of adult.
(Figs 10A and B). Wing span 6.0-6.1 mm (6.1 mm in holotype).
Head, thorax, legs and hindwing do not differ from the other
Cornus
-feeding species. Forewing lustrous white, subapical area orange with a small dark spot; lf well-defined on both sides; cilia white with tf always interrupted in the middle, three dark brown costal and four apical strigulae.
Abdomen. Like in
cornella
.
Male
genitalia (Fig. 15
A-C
). Tegumen elongate, slightly passing the apex of valvae, ventro-basally with 42-50 setae of variable length; valva not differing from the other species; phallus slender, membranous, finely wrinkled, shorter than phallobase, cornuti absent.
Female genitalia (Fig. 17
A-C
). The whole structure is similar to the other species. Bursa copulatrix with two flattened signa bearing usually a short median projection, both very similar in shape and size.
Pupa.
Not studied.
Biology.
(Fig. 7). The mine is similar to that of other
Phyllocnistis
species: a very long serpentine subepidermal tunnel, slightly widening to the end, not intersecting itself (Fig. 7B, C, I). Black grains of frass form a rather wide central line (Fig. 7F). The
mine
is on the lower side of the leaf, often following secondary veins, crossing them closer to the leaf margin where veins are thinner (Fig. 7
B-G
). Young and late instar larvae are yellow (Fig. 7
D-H
). The tunnel ends upon the leaf margin or 10-15 mm away from it, where the mine slightly widens (Fig. 7I, J). Here, silk is deposited across the tunnel that causes contraction of this part of the mine, where pupation takes place (Fig. 7
K-L
).
Figure 7. Biology of
Phyllocnistis verae
on
Cornus alba
in Russia (type locality: Krasnoyarsk, village Borovoe, left bank of Yenisei River, 144 m). A habitat B branch with mined leaves on the lower side C mine with feeding larva D fragment of mine with young larva (transmitted light) E same, incident light F line of frass and feeding larva (transmitted light) G opened mine H sap-feeding larvae, dorsal view I, J pupation near leaf margin K, L pupa. Arrows show mines (B, C), larva (D, E, F, G), frass (G, F), pupation site (
I-K
). Scale bars: 3 mm (D, E), 5 mm (F, G), 1 mm (H, L), 2 mm (J, K).
Phenology
.
In 2015, by the 5th of July, when insect mines were found in nature, most larvae were at their final stage and some already had pupated. It suggests that larval development of the first generation may have started in late May. Thus, adults of the first generation can be on the wing in mid July. There are no records of the second generation. The overwintering stage remains unknown.
Ecology
and host plants.
(Fig. 7A). In Central Siberia, the moth inhabits the forested areas. In Krasnoyarsk, mines were found on bushes growing along the river (Fig. 7A). The host plant is
Cornus alba
, the only native
Cornus
species in Siberia (
Koropachinskiy and Vstovskaya 2012
).
Distribution.
Russia, Siberia. Occurs in the southern part of Krasnoyarsk Kray, in the suburb of Krasnoyarsk. In 2015-2017, no mines were found on
Cornus
spp. in other regions of Asian Russia (Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk Oblasts, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Irkutsk Oblasts, Altai Kray, the Republic of Buryatia and Transbaikalia), nor in the Russian Far East (Amur Oblast, Primorskiy Kray, the Island Sakhalin).