A new species of Leurocephala Davis & Mc Kay (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) from the Azapa Valley, northern Chilean Atacama Desert, with notes on life-history

The Neotropical micromoth genus Leurocephala Davis & Mc Kay, 2011 (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) was originally described to include only the type species, L. schinusae Davis & Mc Kay, 2011, whose leaf miner larvae are associated with Anacardiaceae in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. An integr...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Pereira, Cristiano Marcondes, Silva, Denis S., Gonçalves, Gislene Lopes, Vargas, Héctor A., Moreira, Gilson Rudinei Pires
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2017
País:Brasil
Recursos:Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Repositório:Repositório Institucional da UFRGS
Idioma:português
OAI Identifier:oai:www.lume.ufrgs.br:10183/207150
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10183/207150
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Leurocephala Davis & Mc Kay
Gracillariidae
Atacama, Deserto de (Chile)
Anacardiaceae
Gracillariid moths
Leaf miners
Microlepidoptera
Schinus
Descrição
Resumo:The Neotropical micromoth genus Leurocephala Davis & Mc Kay, 2011 (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) was originally described to include only the type species, L. schinusae Davis & Mc Kay, 2011, whose leaf miner larvae are associated with Anacardiaceae in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. An integrative analy- sis including morphology, life history and DNA barcode sequences revealed that specimens collected on Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) in the coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile belong to a second species of this formerly monotypic genus. Adults of Leurocephala chilensis Vargas & Moreira sp. nov. are herein described and illustrated in association with the immature stages and life history, and corresponding phylogenetic relationships are assessed based on DNA barcode sequences. This finding provides the first record of Leurocephala from west of the Andes Range, expanding remarkably its geo- graphic range. It is suggested that the extent of diversity within Leurocephala is much greater and that variation in geographic factors and host plant use may have modeled it, an evolutionary hypothesis that should be assessed in further studies.