Abstract
Larvae of many-plumed moths (Alucitidae), especially in the world-wide genusAlucitaLinnaeus, 1758 are known as borers or gall-inducers on flowers, fruits and shoots of a few dicotyledonous families, including Bignoniaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Rubiaceae. However, there is no study available on the biology of the monotypic, Neotropical genusPrymnotomisMeyrick, 1931 except for its original description that was based on a single male, the holotype ofPrymnotomis crypsicrocaMeyrick, 1931 from Espirito Santo, Brazil. We describe here a second species for this genus,Prymnotomis cecidicolasp. nov.whose larvae induce galls onCordiera elliptica(Cham.) Kuntze (Rubiaceae), a dioecious plant with dimorphic inflorescences found in the Brazilian Cerrado, Planaltina City, Federal District. Adults, larvae, pupae and galls are illustrated under light and scanning electron microscopy. Galls are green, spherical, unilocular and develop individually onC. ellipticaflower buds. During development they look like fruits in shape and colour but are larger, do not have style scars when on female plants, and are induced also in male inflorescences. Pupation occurs outside the gall within a silk cocoon, presumably in the litter. A preliminary analysis of DNA barcode sequences including putative members of other alucitid lineages and Neotropical BINs (Barcode Index Number) supportsPrymnotomis cecidicolasp. nov.as an independent phylogenetic unit, with 12 to 18% divergence. Its nearest-neighbour was the BIN cluster 5 (BOLD:AAA0842) that includes specimens from Costa Rica.
Highlights
Alucitidae is a small, worldwide family of apoditrysian moths with nine valid genera and ca 216 species (Gielis 2003, Nieukerken et al 2011)
A total of 27 species of alucitids are found in the Neotropics, of which only six have been recorded in Brazil (Gielis 2003, Vargas 2011, Heppner 2015)
In contrast to the adults, their immature stages are poorly known, especially in the Neotropical region where the host plants for a few species have been documented, within Alucita Linnaeus, 1758 the most speciose, worldwide genus (e.g. Vargas 2011)
Summary
Alucitidae is a small, worldwide family of apoditrysian moths with nine valid genera and ca 216 species (Gielis 2003, Nieukerken et al 2011). A total of 27 species of alucitids are found in the Neotropics, of which only six have been recorded in Brazil (Gielis 2003, Vargas 2011, Heppner 2015). These micromoths are well known by their specialized fore- and hindwings, which are multiply divided into lobes that look like bird feathers.
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