New leaf-miningNepticulidae (Lepidoptera): potential pests of aromatic Lamiaceae plants from equatorial Andes Author Stonis, Jonas R. State Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos St. 2, Vilnius 08412, Lithuania. Author Diškus, Arūnas 0000-0003-0106-5546 State Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos St. 2, Vilnius 08412, Lithuania. & diskus. biotaxonomy @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0106 - 5546 diskus.biotaxonomy@gmail.com Author Fernández-Alonso, José L. 0000-0002-1701-480X Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, Claudio Moyano 1, Madrid 28014, Spain. & jlfernandeza @ rjb. csic. es; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1701 - 480 X jlfernandeza@rjb.csic.es Author Remeikis, Andrius 0000-0002-9310-1112 State Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos St. 2, Vilnius 08412, Lithuania. & remeikis. andrew @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 9310 - 1112 remeikis.andrew@gmail.com Author Solis, M. Alma 0000-0001-6379-1004 Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, US Department of Agriculture, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., 20013 - 7012, USA. & alma. solis @ usda. gov; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6379 - 1004 alma.solis@usda.gov text Zootaxa 2021 2021-02-09 4926 3 363 383 journal article 8171 10.11646/zootaxa.4926.3.3 d5fd31c2-1373-448a-9dd5-e3d130a22e14 1175-5326 4529319 372AB4A4-C184-4223-8525-62532B712FF7 Stigmella aromatica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. ( Figs 9–11 , 22–24, 28–30 , 41–47 , 65, 66 , 68 ) lsid:zoobank.org:act: 42F003AD-AAE4-4A52-AD3B-E2DE745B8E19 Type material . Holotype : ♁, ECUADOR : SW of Quito, western slopes of the equatorial Andes, Via Aloag to Sto. Domingo, 0°26’46”S , 78°37’39”W , elevation ca. 3100 m , mining larva on Minthostachys mollis (Benth.) Griseb. (Lamiaceae) , 24.ii.2000 , ex pupa iii.2000 , leg. R . Puplesis, genitalia slide no. AD1022 ( USNM ). Paratypes : 9 ♁, 6 ♀ , same label data as holotype , genitalia slides nos AD815♁, AD819♁ (from adult in pupal skin, pinned adult unavailable), AD1021♁, AD1032♁, AD1027 ♀ , AD1031 ♀ ( USNM ). Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the Stigmella singularia species group, designated and characterized by Stonis et al . (2017a) . Externally, males of S. aromatica sp. nov. differ from the most similar S. mentholica sp. nov. in the wide, median fascia of the forewing and distinctive apical fascia. In the male genitalia, S. aromatica differs from all other known Neotropical Stigmella , including species of the S. singularia group, by the combination of an uncus with two unique caudal lobes ( Fig. 41 ), a large gnathos with two very close-set caudal processes ( Fig. 43 ), a bifid juxta ( Fig. 44 ), and a set of large, spine like cornuti ( Figs 45–47 ). The host plant, Minthostachys mollis , also make this species distinctive among other Stigmella species, except for S. mentholica and S. odora sp. nov. However, S. aromatica differs from both species in the morphology of the leaf mine: the leaf mine of S. aromatica is a long, slender, sinuous gallery almost entirely filled with frass ( Fig. 10 ), while the leaf mine of S. mentholica is a relatively short and wide gallery ( Fig. 3 ), and the leaf mine of S. odora is combined of a very slender gallery and irregular blotch ( Fig. 6 ). Male ( Figs 22–24, 30 ). Forewing length 2.0– 2.5 mm ; wingspan 4.5–5.6 mm (n = 5). Head: palpi golden cream; frontal tuft large, dark orange; scape golden cream; collar golden cream but at certain angle may look metallic grey; antenna about 2/3 of the length of forewing; flagellum with 33–37 segments, brown-grey, golden glossy. Thorax and tegula concolorous with the forewing base. Forewing pale golden brown, strongly shining, with some purple iridescence along costa; postmedian fascia wide, comprised of silvery or golden shiny scales; apex of forewing brown with strong purple iridescence, and with a distinctive apical fascia of silvery or golden shiny scales (occasionally apical fascia is indistinctive, see Figs 28, 29 ); fringe grey, glossy, distally whitish; underside of forewing dark greybrown, without spots or androconia, except for a slender, scaleless spot at base. Hindwing grey to dark grey, without androconia; fringe grey. Legs glossy cream to grey; on upper side, covered with dark grey-brown scales. Abdomen blackish grey with purple iridescence on upper side, brown-grey on underside; genital segments pale brown; anal tufts short but distinctive, grey. Female . Smaller than male; forewing length 2.1–2.3 mm ; wingspan 4.7–5.2 mm (n = 5). Antenna shorter than in male, only slightly longer than half the length of forewing. Abdomen grey-brown on upper side and underside; genital segments pale brown; anal tufts short but distinctive, blackish grey to grey; ovipositor pointed. Otherwise as in male. Male genitalia ( Figs 41–47 ). Capsule longer (290–300 μm) than wide (175–210 μm). Vinculum with short, pointed lateral lobes. Uncus with unique caudal lobes ( Fig. 41 ). Gnathos large, with two very close-set caudal processes ( Fig. 43 ). Valva ( Fig. 44 ) 200 μm long, with pointed, partially divided apical process ( Fig. 44 ); transtilla without sublateral processes ( Fig. 42 ). Juxta triangular, distally split ( Fig. 44 ). Phallus ( Figs 45–47 ) 210–330 μm long, 90–115 μm wide; vesica with about numerous large spine-like cornuti and a lateral set of small cornuti ( Fig. 45 ). FIGURES 1–6. Bionomics of new Stigmella species feeding on Lamiaceae plants. 1, 2, Minthostachys mollis (Benth.) Griseb var. mollis , a host plant; 3, leaf mine of S. mentholica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. on Minthostachys mollis , Ecuador, SW of Quito, Via Aloag to Sto. Domingo, ca. 3100 m; 4–6, leaf mines of S. odora Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. on M. mollis , Ecuador, Baños, slopes of Tungurahua, ca.1860 m FIGURES 7–11. Bionomics of Stigmella aromatica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 7, 8, host plant Minthostachys mollis (Benth.) Griseb var. mollis , Lamiaceae ; 9–11, leaf mines, Ecuador, SW of Quito, Via Aloag to Sto. Domingo, ca. 3100 m FIGURES 12–17. Bionomics of Stigmella tomentosella Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 12, 13, host plant Clinopodium tomentosum (Kunth) Govaerts , Lamiaceae ; 14–17, leaf mines, Ecuador, Baños, slopes of Tungurahua, ca.1860 m FIGURES 18–21. Bionomics of Stigmella clinopodiella Diškus & Stonis, 2016 . 18, host plant Clinopodium axillare (Rusby) Harley , Lamiaceae : Menthae; 19–21, leaf mines, Bolivia, Copacabana (southern shore of Lake Titicaca), ca. 3930 m. Note. Figure 18 most likely represents Clinopodium axillare subsp. uniflorum (Rusby ex Briq.) J.R.I. Wood. The only difference of note is that the locality of our sample is somewhat higher in elevation (3930 m) than those so far known for this species (3000–3300 m) in herbarium material and the literature ( Wood 2011 ). However, there are frequent intermediate forms and possible hybrids which are difficult to assign with precision to a taxon ( Schmidt-Lebuhn 2008 ) FIGURES 22–31. Adults of new Stigmella species. 22–24, S. aromatica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. ; 25, 26, S. mentholica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. ; 27, S. tomentosella Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. ; 28–30, enlarged right side of S. aromatica , sp. nov. ; 31, enlarged right side of S. mentholica , sp. nov. (USNM) FIGURES 32–40. Male genitalia of Stigmella mentholica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 32, slide AD697, holotype, capsule with phallus removed; 33, same, tegumen; 34, same, uncus and gnathos; 35, slide AD1033, paratype, left sublateral process of transtilla; 36, slide AD697, holotype, right sublateral process of transtilla; 37, slide AD688, paratype, phallus; 38, slide AD697, holotype, valvae; 39, same, cornuti in torn phallus; 40, slide AD1033, paratype, phallus inside genital capsule (USNM) FIGURES 41–47. Male genitalia of Stigmella aromatica Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 41, slide AD1022, holotype; 42, slide AD1032, paratype, transtilla; 43, slide AD1021, paratype, capsule with valvae and phallus removed; 44, slide AD1022, holotype, valvae and juxta; 45, slide AD815, paratype, phallus; 46, 47, slide AD1021, paratype, phallus (USNM) FIGURES 48–53. Male genitalia of Stigmella odora Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 48, slide AD685, paratype, capsule with phallus removed; 49, same, focused on gnathos and transtilla; 50, same, phallus; 51, same, capsule, focused on valvae and vinculum; 52, slide AD821, holotype, capsule with phallus removed; 53, same, phallus (USNM) FIGURES 54–59. Male genitalia of Stigmella tomentosella Diškus & Stonis , sp. nov. 54, slide AD796, holotype, capsule with phallus removed; 55, same, uncus; 56, same, valvae; 57, same, capsule, focused on gnathos and transtilla; 58, 59, same, phallus (USNM) FIGURES 60–62. Male genitalia of Stigmella clinopodiella Diškus & Stonis, 2016 (after Stonis et al. 2016 , modified). 60, slide AD646, holotype, valvae; 61, same, cornuti; 62, same, capsule with phallus removed (ZMUC). Female genitalia ( Figs 65, 66 ). Total length 995–1000 μm. Anterior apophyses gradually narrowing and bent distally; posterior apophyses slender, approximately as long as anterior ones ( Fig. 66 ). Vestibulum without sclerites. Corpus bursae with a strongly folded distal part and round or oval-shaped basal part with many distinctive pectinations. Accessory sac small; ductus spermathecae without coils, but with a small, tube-like vesicle. Bionomics ( Figs 7–11 ). Host plant is Minthostachys mollis (Kunth) Griseb. , Lamiaceae : Mentheae ( Figs 7, 8 ). Larva yellow with indistinctive, yellowish brown intestine and pale brown head; feeds in February and probably in late January (note that in late February most of the leaf mines are already vacant). Prefer to occur in shady places. Leaf mine ( Figs 9–11 ) is a long, slender, sinuous gallery almost entirely filled with black frass ( Fig. 10 ); in old, vacant leaf mines, frass may turn brown or black ( Fig. 9 ). Cocoon brown. Adults probably fly in March (indoors, emerged in March). Distribution ( Fig. 68 ). This species is known from a single locality in Ecuador , on the western slopes of the equatorial Andes, at elevation of ca. 3100 m , but the host plant has a much wider distribution in the northern and central Andes (see Discussion). Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin aromaticus (aromatic), due to the minty aroma of essential oil of the host plant, Minthostachys mollis , and its leaf mines.