Cactivalva nebularia, gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): a new Weinmannia leaf miner from southern Brazil

Abstract

Cactivalva nebularia, gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): a new Weinmannia leaf miner from southern Brazil Abstract Male, female, pupa, larva and egg of a new genus and species of Gracillariidae (Ornixolinae), Cactivalva nebularia Moreira & Vargas gen. et sp. nov., from southern Brazil are described and illustrated with the aid of optical and scanning electron microscopy. A preliminary analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences including members of related lineages is also provided. The immature stages are associated with Weinmannia paulliniifolia Pohl ex Ser. (Cunoniaceae) in high altitude cloud forest of northeast Rio Grande do Sul state.During the first two sap-feeding instars, the larva forms a serpentine mine in the lowest layer of the spongy parenchyma of a leaflet. After moulting to the third instar, it moves to another leaflet, forming a blotch mine within which the last three tissue-feeding instars complete development, feeding upon both spongy and palisade parenchyma. Pupation occurs outside the mine, within a cocoon built on the leaf surface. This is the third genus of gracillariid moths described from the Atlantic Forest, and the first gracillariid species ever known to be associated with the Cunoniaceae.

Cecidonius pampeanus, gen. et sp. n.: an overlooked and rare, new gall-inducing micromoth associated with Schinus in southern Brazil (Lepidoptera, Cecidosidae)

“…However, microlepidoptera and associated plants are largely unknown in this country due to a corresponding taxonomic impediment (Aguiar et al 2009), and thus they have been completely neglected from a conservation biology perspective. Within the gall-inducer and leaf-miner micromoths there are many species that are specialists on rare and/or endemic plants, particularly in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, most yet to be discovered and/or described (Luz et al 2014, Moreira et al 2017). By being dependent on endemic hosts at a regional scale, these species in particular are under comparatively greater threat, because most of such plants are restricted in distribution (Lewinsohn et al 2005).…”

Description, natural history and genetic variation ofCaloptilia guacanivorasp. nov. Vargas‐Ortiz & Vargas (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in the Atacama Desert, Chile

“…Firstly, the number of species actually present in this biogeographic region is underestimated for several reasons; one of which is poor sampling in many habitats Lees et al 2014). Arévalo-Maldonado 2014; Brito et al 2017;Moreira et al 2018;Mundaca et al 2013;Pereira et al 2017;Vargas et al 2013). Data on genitalia morphology, geographical ranges, host plants and immature stages remain unknown for many of them De Prins et al 2016).…”

Adenogasteria leguminivora Davis & Vargas gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): a new seed‐feeding micromoth associated with Fabaceae in Peru and Chile

“…In addition, although pairs of coremata on dorsal surface of abdominal segments have been described for species outside Ornixolinae (Kumata ), the only case of a single dorsal corema currently known for Gracillariidae is that of Cactivalva (Moreira et al . ), another Neotropical representative of Ornixolinae, suggesting that this character could be exclusive to some genera of this subfamily. The evolution of this morphological character certainly deserves further attention.…”

“…; Moreira et al . ) suggests that even more lineages of Ornixolinae remain undiscovered. That is, an accurate assessment of the relationships of Adenogasteria would also require more detailed taxonomic work to support an adequate lineage sampling for phylogenetic analysis.…”

“…Moreira et al . () described a single, dorsal, conspicuous abdominal corema on the inter‐segmental membrane VI–VII of the Neotropical Cactivalva nebularia Moreira & Vargas, 2017 (Ornixolinae), from Brazil. The gland is located on the third tergum in Adenogasteria .…”