Revista Brasileira de Entomologia http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0085-56262013005000012 A new genus and species of leaf miner (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) for Chile associated to the native tree Lithraea caustica Enrique A. Mundaca1, Luis E. Parra2 & Héctor A. Vargas3 1Universidad Católica del Maule, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Escuela de Agronomía, Casilla 7-D, Curicó, Chile.
[email protected] 2Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción. Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
[email protected] 3Departamento de Recursos Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Tarapacá, Casilla 6-D. Arica, Chile.
[email protected] ABSTRACT. A new genus and species of leaf miner (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) for Chile associated to the native tree Lithraea caustica. We propose the new genus and species of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) Hualpenia lithraeophaga Mundaca, Parra &Vargas gen. nov., sp. nov., leaf miner of Lithraea caustica (Mol.) H. et Arn (Anacardiaceae) occurring in southern central Chile. Aspects of the life cycle, adult and larval morphology, development and feeding habits of the new genus and species are also presented. We emphasise the uniqueness and importance of this new species for broadening the current knowledge on the Chilean fauna of Gracillariidae. KEYWORDS. Hualpén, hypermetamorphic, Insecta. The family Gracillariidae includes small-sized moths with Prophyllocnistis epidrimys Davis, 1994, whose larvae are leaf white marks on the wings and is considered the main group miners of the native plant Drimys winteri J.R. et G. Forst, of lepidopteran leaf-miners in the world (Davis 1987). Most 1776 (canelo); Phyllocnistis puyehuensis Davis, 1994; species of this family have a remarkable larval development Chileoptilia yaroella Vargas & Landry, 2005; and Angelabella characterised by having at least two well-differentiated mor- tecomae Vargas & Parra, 2005.