Systematics of Helioandesia tarregai gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea: Heliodinidae) from the Andes of Northern Chile

Héctor A Vargas

doi:10.5852/ejt.2021.731.1209

Abstract

The adult stage of Helioandesia tarregai gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea: Heliodinidae) is described and illustrated from the arid western slopes of the Andes of northern Chile. The larvae of H. tarregai gen. et sp. nov. feed as leaf skeletonizers on Mirabilis acuta (Reiche) Heimerl (Nyctaginaceae). The mostly gray forewing of H. tarregai gen. et sp. nov., ornamented with strongly bulging metallic spots, resembles that of the representatives of the mainly Nearctic Lithariapteryx Chambers, 1876. However, the latter lacks CuP in the forewing, has a single bristle in the female frenulum, and lacks a well-developed cornutus. Helioandesia gen. nov. clustered as sister to Neoheliodines Hsu, 2004 in a cladistic analysis, although no synapomorphies were found for this cluster, while Lithariapteryx was sister to Helioandesia gen. nov. + Neoheliodines based on two synapomorphies. The genetic distance between a DNA barcode sequence of H. tarregai gen. et sp. nov. and representatives of other genera of Heliodinidae Heinemann, 1877 was 9.0–12.5% (K2P), and a maximum likelihood analysis based on this molecular marker confirmed the placement of H. tarregai gen. et sp. nov. as a member of this micromoth family. This contribution represents the first confirmed record of Heliodinidae for Chile.

Highlights

The Heliodinidae Heinemann, 1877 (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea) is a family of metallic-colored mostly diurnal micromoths, whose monophyly has been supported by morphological (Hsu & Powell 2004) and molecular (Sohn et al 2013) analyses
Helioandesia gen. nov. clustered as sister to Neoheliodines Hsu, 2004 in a cladistic analysis, no synapomorphies were found for this cluster, while Lithariapteryx was sister to Helioandesia gen. nov. + Neoheliodines based on two synapomorphies
The new genus and species was clustered with Neoheliodines Hsu, 2004, no synapomorphies were found for this clustering

Summary

Introduction

The Heliodinidae Heinemann, 1877 (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea) is a family of metallic-colored mostly diurnal micromoths, whose monophyly has been supported by morphological (Hsu & Powell 2004) and molecular (Sohn et al 2013) analyses. The larvae of Heliodinidae feed externally as leaf skeletonizers or flower feeders, or internally as leaf miners or stem borers (Harrison & Passoa 1995; Hsu 2002). Larvae of some species can feed on cecidomyiid galls (Walsingham 1897; Hsu & Powell 2004). The main host plant family of Heliodinidae is Nyctaginaceae, some species are associated with Aizoaceae Martinov, Araliaceae Juss., Amaranthaceae Juss., Onagraceae L., Phytolaccaceae R.Br., Piperaceae Giseke and Portulacaceae Juss. The main host plant family of Heliodinidae is Nyctaginaceae, some species are associated with Aizoaceae Martinov, Araliaceae Juss., Amaranthaceae Juss., Onagraceae L., Phytolaccaceae R.Br., Piperaceae Giseke and Portulacaceae Juss. (Hsu & Powell 2004)

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