Splitting the leafmining shield-bearer moth genus Antispila Huebner (Lepidoptera, Heliozelidae): North American species with reduced venation placed in Aspilanta new genus, with a review of heliozelid morphology
Author
Nieukerken, Erik J. van
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9557, NL- 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5721-1840
nieukerken@naturalis.nl
Author
Eiseman, Charles S.
276 Old Wendell Rd., Northfield, MA 01360, USA
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5496-9114
text
ZooKeys
2020
957
105
161
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.957.53908
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.957.53908
1313-2970-957-105
11D608E770FD44C487616A6EFFF82AEB
A76FD807E0E75726ACF6A08A6AE0F13F
Heliozela eugeniella (Busck, 1900)
comb. n.
Fig. 107
Antispila eugeniella
Busck, 1900: 236. Holotype adult, USA, Florida, Palm Beach, leafmine on
Eugenia
sp., bred 25 Feb. 1900,
"819"
, [leg. Dyar], Type No. 4945, USNMENT 01476200 (USNM).
Antispila eugeniella
;
Dyar 1901
: 478;
Dyar et al. 1903
: 539;
McDunnough 1939
: 91;
Kimball 1965
: 292;
Davis 1983b
: 4;
Heppner 2003
[2007]: 233;
Eiseman 2019
: 1153.
This species is rare; since the unique holotype was reared, we are only aware of a few specimens reared by David L. Wagner (pers. comm.); all subsequent literature records to
Dyar (1901)
are simple checklist entries. According to
Busck (1900)
the host plant was
Eugenia
spec., which was according to
Dyar (1901)
, who collected the mine, probably
E. procera
(identified by F. Kinzel), a misapplied name for the Red stopper,
Eugenia rhombea
Krug & Urb. ex Urb. However, we doubt that this identification is correct, as
E. rhombea
is a very rare tree only of the Florida Keys, and not currently occurring in Palm Beach, where only
E. axillaris
(Sw.) Willd. and
E. uniflora
L. have been recorded (
Wunderlin and Hansen 2003
;
Wunderlin et al. 2020
). However, we cannot exclude that it did occur there in 1900, as most of the original habitat is now probably lost to development.
We illustrate the holotype here (Fig.
107
): a moth with a small white dorsal spot at 1/3 and a fascia at 2/3, which is narrowest at dorsum and widens towards costa.
The colour pattern of
Antispila
and
Aspilanta
is almost always with a fascia at one third and two opposite spots at two-thirds. The pattern of
H. eugeniella
is different, with a postmedial fascia, and resembles more some species of the Old World genus
Holocacista
(van
Nieukerken and Geertsema 2015
). Most species of
Heliozela
have a basic pattern of two dorsal spots, but there are some species where one or both of these extend towards the costa, e.g.,
H. anna
(Fletcher, 1920) from India with two fasciae and
H. argyrozona
(Meyrick, 1918) from South Africa, with a pattern very much resembling that of
H. eugeniella
(van
Nieukerken and Geertsema 2015
). Both were reared from
Myrtaceae
, the latter from
Syzygium cordatum
Hochts. ex Krauss, and
H. anna
from
Eugenia jambolana
Lam. (
Fletcher 1920
), the correct name of which is now
Syzygium cumini
(L.) Skeels (Malabar plum, Jambolan). Also in Australia and Southeast Asia
Myrtaceae
is a
major
host family for
Heliozela
(
Milla et al. 2017
,
2019
). These facts suggest that
eugeniella
is better placed in
Heliozela
than in
Antispila
, although still further morphological and molecular confirmation is needed.