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

Cristiano Marcondes Pereira | Zendy; Denis S. Silva | Zendy; Gislene L. Gonçalves | Zendy; Héctor A. Vargas | Zendy; Gilson R. P. Moreira | Zendy

Open Access

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

Author(s) -

Cristiano Marcondes Pereira,

Denis S. Silva,

Gislene L. Gonçalves,

Héctor A. Vargas,

Gilson R. P. Moreira

Publication year - 2016

Publication title -

revista brasileira de entomologia

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.477

H-Index - 31

eISSN - 1806-9665

pISSN - 0085-5626

DOI - 10.1016/j.rbe.2016.11.003

Subject(s) - gracillariidae , lepidoptera genitalia , anacardiaceae , dna barcoding , biology , genus , phylogenetic tree , range (aeronautics) , ecology , biochemistry , materials science , composite material , gene

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 analysis 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 geographic 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

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