Lithuanian University of Educological Sciences Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technologies Department of Biology
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LITHUANIAN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCOLOGICAL SCIENCES FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGIES DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY ANDRIUS REMEIKIS NEW DATA ON SPECIES TAXONOMY AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF NEPTICULOIDEA (LEPIDOPTERA) OF THE NEOTROPICAL REGION, CRIMEA AND HIMALAYA MASTER‘S THESIS (Biomedical Sciences, Zoology, 05B) Scientific supervisors: Prof. Habil. Dr. Jonas R. Stonis, Biomedical Sciences, Zoology (05B), Biosystematics Research Group, Department of Biology, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (Vilnius, Lithuania); Dr. Donald R. Davis, Biomedical Sciences, Zoology (05B), Research Entomologist of USNM, Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C., U.S.A.) Vilnius, 2013 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4 1.1. RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................................ 4 1.2. NOVELTY OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.3. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF THE RESULTS ...................................................................... 5 1.3.1. National and international conferences and workshops..................................................................... 5 1.3.2. Publications........................................................................................................................................ 7 1.4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 9 2. OPOSTEGIDAE AND NEPTICULIDAE (NEPTICULOIDEA) (LITERATURE REVIEW) .......... 11 2.1. SOME PARTICULARITIES OF NEPTICULOIDS ................................................................................ 11 2.1.1. Family Opostegidae ......................................................................................................................... 11 2.1.2. Family Nepticulidae ......................................................................................................................... 14 2.2. STUDY HISTORY ................................................................................................................................... 25 2.2.1. Studies of Opostegidae of Central and South America ................................................................... 25 2.2.2. Studies of Nepticulidae of Europe and other regions of the world .................................................. 26 2.2.3. Studies of Nepticulidae of Central and South America ................................................................... 27 3. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 30 4. MATERIAL AND METHODS ................................................................................................................. 31 4.1. SCIENTIFIC MATERIAL EXAMINED ................................................................................................. 31 4.2. METHODS ............................................................................................................................................... 35 5. RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................... 39 5.1. NEW DATA TO THE NEOTROPICAL FAUNA OF NEPTICULOIDEA ...................................... 39 5.1.1. Contribution to the fauna of Opostegidae of the Neotropical Region ............................................. 39 5.1.1.1. New species of Opostegidae from Costa Rica and Mexico ................................................ 39 5.1.1.2. Geographical distribution of Central American Opostegidae ............................................. 45 5.1.1.3. New distribution data of the Neotropical Opostegidae ....................................................... 51 5.1.2. Nepticulidae of Central and South America .................................................................................... 55 5.2. NEW DATA TO THE SOUTH EASTERN EUROPEAN FAUNA OF THE NEPTICULIDAE .... 62 5.2.1. The Easternmost record of a Sub-mediterranean species Acalyptris platani in Europe .................. 62 5.2.1.1. European Acalyptris as representatives of the Mediterranean and Sub-mediterranean fauna ................................................................................................................................................................. 62 5.2.1.2. Documentation of Acalyptris platani specimens collected in Karadag Nature Reserve ..... 63 5.2.1.3. Discussion about Acalyptris platani in Karadag ................................................................. 68 5.2.2. A re-assessment of the Crimean fauna of Nepticulidae, with new records for the peninsula .......... 68 5.3. CONTRIBUTION TO THE FAUNA OF NEPTICULOIDEA OF THE HIMALAYA ................... 70 2 5.3.1. A re-assessment of Opostegidae of the Himalaya, with description of new species ....................... 70 5.3.2. New Nepticulidae discoveries in the Himalaya ............................................................................... 80 5.4. THE MOST RECENT DISCOVERIES. DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES FROM YUCATAN (MEXICO ONTRIBUTION TO THE FAUNA OF NEPTICULOIDEA OF THE HIMALAYA) .................................................................................................................................................. 82 5.4.1. Stigmella maya Remeikis & Stonis, 2013 ....................................................................................... 82 5.4.2. Acalyptris yucatani Remeikis & Stonis, 2013 ................................................................................. 84 5.4.3. Taxonomic discussion about recorded Nepticulidae species in Yucatan and adjascent regions ..... 87 6. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 90 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................. 93 LITHUANIAN SUMMARY (SANTRAUKA) ............................................................................................. 101 3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY One of the most fundamental challenges for mankind in the 21st century is to document the extent and distribution of global biodiversity, and to understand the ecological processes that generate and maintain it (Stonis et al., 2010, 2013). Such information will be essential to inform and guide efforts to safeguard the natural ecosystems that provide earth’s life support systems in the face of escalating threats from human habitat destruction and modification (Stonis, 2010; Stonis et al., 2011, 2013). Growing international concern over the biodiversity crisis together with the provisions of the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity have imparted an urgency to the need for taxonomic revisions of diverse groups and the provision of identification manuals, particularly for most unstudied, remote or tropical areas (Puplesis, Robinson, 2000; Stonis et al., 2011). Hence this research project. Opostegidae and Nepticulidae (Nepticuloidea) are very specialized superfamilies of Lepidoptera (Insecta) with a worldwide distribution. The minute size of the adults, the concealed mining life-style of the larvae, and the difficulty of rearing imagines goes some way towards explaining why these moths are still poorly studied in many regions (Remeikis et al., 2009, Stonis ir kt., 2012). The major comprehensive goals of nepticuloid studies are taxonomic revisions and reviews of these tiny and intriguing Microlepidoptera, with documentation and description of new taxa. It also includes fieldwork in remote areas (e. g. the Himalaya or even southern Europe, the Crimea), a documentation of new data on larval bionomics and species diversity; a study of sizable collection material currently deposited at LEUS (received from BMNH, London, USNM Washington, ZMUC, Copenhagen and other world‘s leading biodiversity research centres), and description of new taxa from the Himalaya and the Neotropics; a re-assessment of the European, Himalayan and Neotropical fauna of the studied organisms to support new phylogenetic and faunogenetic concepts of the boreal and tropical biotas. The proposed studies can provide the wherewithal for users to identify representatives of groups for which there was previously no ‘entry-point’. Without the baseline data of providing names and means of identification for the species in a region, no one can go further and properly plan their conservation in the case of endemic species, or their control in the case of introduced 4 species damaging endemic vegetation, or recognise if a species is newly introduced and a potential pest. Also leaf-mining insects have already proved outstandingly well suited for inquiries into a number of fundamental problems in functional and evolutionary ecology. The conducted studies have broadened knowledge of biodiversity of leaf-mining moths. The study is noteworthy, since few have studied these tiny moths, yet many species remain to be discovered and described. We hope that the present thesis and the reviews of regional faunas will stimulate further studies of these intriguing groups of insects – Opostegidae and Nepticulidae.