First discovery of leaf-mining Nepticulidae and Tischeriidae (Lepidoptera) associated with the Chilean endemic genus Podanthus Lag.(Asteraceae) as a host-plant

Abstract:

The new nepticulid species belongs to the Stigmella salicis group and clearly differs from all other species of the group by shape and number of cornuti in the phallus. The new species is a leaf-miner on Podanthus ovatifolius Lag. After the ‘Formula of Evaluation of Abundance and Occurrence of Leaf-miners’(see Stonis et al., 2012: 52–54; Stonis et al., unpublished), the new leaf-miner on Podanthus ovatifolius is not rare in central Chile: limited in distribution but abundant (more than 20 leaf-mines recorded at a single site). In the original description of A. chilei (see Puplesis & Diškus, 2003) the ink drawings and photographs of the male genitalia are very accurate but neither females nor trophical relationships of the species were known or described. New material allowed a redescription of A. chilei, with the first photographic documentation of the leaf-mines and female genitalia (Stonis et al., in prep.). Astrotischeria chilei differs from all other known Astrotischeriain the dorsal lobe of the valva which is narrowed in distal half but in the ventral view always appears broad; the host-plant (Podanthus ovatifolius) also makes this species distinctive. Larvae mine leaves in April producing specific blotch mines. After the ‘Formula of Evaluation of Abundance and Occurrence of Leaf-miners’(Stonis et al., 2012; Stonis et al., unpublished), A. chilei is common in central Chile: limited in distribution, but extremely abundant mining.

Año de publicación:

2014

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