Leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from record high altitudes: documenting an entire new fauna in the Andean páramo and puna
Author
Stonis, Jonas R.
Author
Diškus, Arūnas
Author
Remeikis, Andrius
Author
Gerulaitis, Virginijus
Author
Karsholt, Ole
text
Zootaxa
2016
4181
1
1
94
journal article
37923
10.11646/zootaxa.4181.1.1
7f55813e-d9fb-47d1-ae70-4207ea726e64
1175-5326
164243
639B9F0E-4E0C-4859-9A32-093511BEEFB8
Stigmella pandora
Remeikis & Stonis
,
sp. nov.
(
Figs 18
,
27
,
143–151
)
Type
material.
Holotype
: Ƌ,
PERU
, Dept.
Ancash
,
35 km
SE Huaraz
,
Cerro Cahuish
,
Quabrada Pucavado
,
9°40'50"S
,
77°13'32"W
,
elevation
4100 m
,
15–18.ii.1987
,
O. Karsholt
, genitalia slide no. RA565Ƌ (
ZMUC
)
. Paratypes: 4 Ƌ, 3 ♀, same label data as holotype, genitalia slide nos. RA578Ƌ, RA579Ƌ, RA567♀ (ZMUC);
1 Ƌ, Dept.
Lima
,
45 km
NE Chosica
,
Millo Valley
,
Quabrada Yanac
,
11°36'30"S
,
76°24'18"W
,
elevation
4000 m
,
26– 28.i.1987
,
O. Karsholt
, genitalia slide no. RA574Ƌ (
ZMUC
)
.
Diagnosis.
The combination of: pale speckled forewing, long processes of transtilla, large gnathos with closely juxtaposed processes, and specific set of cornuti distinguishes
S. pandora
sp. nov.
from all other
Stigmella
species.
Male
(
Figs 143, 144
). Forewing length
4.6–4.7 mm
; wingspan about
9.7–10 mm
. Head: palpi brownish cream; frontal tuft comprised of ochre cream (sometimes whitish cream) and ochre piliform scales; collar and scape cream to yellowish cream; antenna distinctly longer than half the length of forewing; flagellum with 42 segments, pale ochre to ochre cream on upper side and underside. Thorax and tegula golden cream (sometime tegula fuscous anteriorly). Forewing brownish cream to golden cream, speckled with ochre-brown scales with weak purple iridescence; base of forewing darkened with fuscous along costal margin; fringe greyish ochre; underside of forewing ochre-brown, with no spots or androconia. Hindwing pale grey to ochreous grey on upper side and underside, with no spots or androconia; its fringe pale grey. Legs golden cream to brownish cream, darkened with fuscous brown on upper side. Abdomen grey to fuscous on upper side, grey crean on underside; tufts short, grey cream to cream; genital segments cream.
Female.
Forewing length about 4.0 mm; wingspan about
8.6 mm
. Abdominal tip with long fuscous to dark grey lateral tufts.
Male genitalia
(
Figs 145–150
). Capsule longer (360 µm) than wide (250 µm). Uncus with four caudal papillae. Gnathos with large central plate and two closely juxtaposed caudal processes. Valva 245–255 µm long, 65–85 µm wide, with two apical processes; transtilla with long triangular processes. Juxta membranous, triangular. Vinculum with small triangular lateral lobes and short ventral plate. Phallus (
Figs 146, 147
) 270–280 µm long, 70– 95 µm wide; vesica with four large thickened horn-like cornuti, four other but little thickened cornuti, and a group of very small spine-like cornuti.
Female genitalia
(
Fig. 151
). Total length
1005–1015
µm. Anterior and posterior apophyses almost equal in length. Vestibulum narrow, without sclerites. Corpus bursae with long, heavily folded distal part and small round, 295–300 µm long, 210 µm wide basal part with comb-like pectinations; signa absent. Accessory sac small; ductus spermathecae with 3.5–4 convolutions. Abdominal tip narrowed, almost truncated.
Bionomics.
Adults fly in January–February. Otherwise biology unknown.
Distribution
(
Figs 18
,
27
). This species occurs in the high Peruvian Andes (
Peru
:
Ancash
Departamento and
Lima
Departamento) at altitudes
4000–4100 m
.
Etymology.
The species name is derived from Greek
Pandora
(Pandora’s box), the artifact in mythology, in reference to the amazing diversity of the Andean
Stigmella
often represented by externally similar species, which may appear as separate distinct taxa only after dissection (like
S. pandora
sp. nov.
).