New taxa, including three new genera show uniqueness of Neotropical Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera)

Erik J van Nieukerken; Camiel Doorenweerd; Kenji Nishida; Chris Snyers

doi:10.3897/zookeys.628.9805

New taxa, including three new genera show uniqueness of Neotropical Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera)

Zookeys. 2016 Oct 31:(628):1-63. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.628.9805. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Erik J van Nieukerken¹, Camiel Doorenweerd¹, Kenji Nishida², Chris Snyers³

Affiliations

¹ Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
² Estación Biológica Monteverde, Apdo. 22-5655, Monteverde, Costa Rica.
³ Rendierstraat 14/2, BE-2610 Wilrijk, Antwerpen, Belgium.

Abstract

After finding distinct clades in a molecular phylogeny for Nepticulidae that could not be placed in any known genera and discovering clear apomorphic characters that define these clades, as well as a number of Neotropical species that could be placed in known genera but were undescribed, three new genera and nine new species are here described from the Neotropics: Stigmella gallicola van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. reared from galls on Hampea appendiculata (Malvaceae) in Costa Rica, representing the first example of a gall making Stigmella; Stigmella schinivora van Nieukerken, sp. n. reared from leafmines on Schinus terebinthifolia (Anacardiaceae) in Argentina, Misiones; Stigmella costaricensis van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. and Stigmella intronia van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. each from a single specimen collected the same night in Costa Rica, Parque Nacional Chirripó; Stigmella molinensis van Nieukerken & Snyers, sp. n. reared from leafmines on Salix humboldtiana, Peru, Lima, the first Neotropical species of the Stigmella salicis group sensu stricto; Ozadelpha van Nieukerken, gen. n. with type species Ozadelpha conostegiae van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n., reared from leafmines on Conostegia oerstediana (Melastomataceae) from Costa Rica; Neotrifurcula van Nieukerken, gen. n. with type species Neotrifurcula gielisorum van Nieukerken, sp. n. from Chile; Hesperolyra van Nieukerken, gen. n.. with type species Fomoria diskusi Puplesis & Robinson, 2000; Hesperolyra saopaulensis van Nieukerken, sp. n., reared from an unidentified Myrtaceae, Sao Paulo, Brasil; and Acalyptris janzeni van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. from Costa Rica, Guanacaste. Five new combinations are made: Ozadelpha ovata (Puplesis & Robinson, 2000), comb. n. and Ozadelpha guajavae (Puplesis & Diškus, 2002), comb. n., Hesperolyra diskusi (Puplesis & Robinson, 2000), comb. n., Hesperolyra molybditis (Zeller, 1877), comb. n. and Hesperolyra repanda (Puplesis & Diškus, 2002), comb. n. Three specimens are briefly described, but left unnamed: Ozadelpha specimen EvN4680, Neotrifurcula specimen EvN4504 and Neotrifurcula specimen RH2.

Keywords: New species; gall; leafmines; molecular phylogeny; new genus; taxonomy.