journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 58(2),2004,100-113 A NEW SPECIES OF NANODACNA CLARKE (LEPIDOPTERA: ELACHISTlDAE: AGONOXENINAE) FEEDING ON THE SEEDS OF AUSTROCEDRUS CHILENSIS (CUPRESSACEAE) IN ANDEAN ARGENTINA JEAN-FRANGOIS LANDRY Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Neatby Bldg., 960 Carling Ave, Ottawa, Ontario KIA OC6, Canada, email: [email protected] AND DAVID ADAMSKI Department of Systematic Biology, National.\1useum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20,560-0168, USA, email: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Charaders of the adult, larva, and pupa of Nanodacna allstrocedrella Landry & Adamski, new species, are described and illus­ trated. The seed-feeding larvae cause damage to Andean Cedar, cipres de la cordillera [Austrocedrus chilcnsis (D. Don.) Fl. & Bout., Cupres­ saceae] in Chubut Province, Argentina. The species is compared to other species of Nanodacna and to species of Hornoeoprepes Walsingham h om the Neotropics. Criteria for its inclusion in Nanodacna and the phylogenetic Significance of characters of immature stages for relationships within the Agonoxeninae are discussed. RESUMEN. 5e describen e ilustran caractercs del aduito, larva, y pupa de Nanociacna allstrocedrella LandlY & Adamski, nueva especie. Las lalVas que comen las se millas causan dano al cipres de la cordillera [Allstrocedrl1s chilensis (D. Don.) Fl. & Bout., Cupressaceae] en la provin­ cia de Chubut, Argentina. Se compara la especie con otras especies de Nanociacna y a las especies de Horrweoprepes Walsingham dc la region neotropical. Criteria para ser induido en Nanodacna y la significaci6n de caractcres filogeneticos de los cstadios immaduros para relaciones en­ tre Agonoxeninae son diseutidos. Additional key words: immature stages, phylogenetics, Hornoeoprepes , Andean Cedar. In 1995 and 1996 extensive damage was found to M ATERIALS AND M ETHODS the fruit and seeds of cipres de la cordillera (Austroce­ drlls chilensis (D. Don) Fl. & Bout., Cupressaceae) in Several lots of live lalvae with fruit and pieces of bark the vicinity of Trevelin , Department of Futaleufu, of cipres de la cordillera were received in Ottawa from Province of Chubut, Argentina. Damage was caused the INTA-Trevelin Forest Station, Futaleufu, Chubut, by larvae of a microlepidoptera that developed in the Argentina between November 1996 and Aplil 1997. fruit and consumed the seeds. Due to the economic Field collecting dates are 1.3 November 1996, 29 No­ importance of the tree, the life history of the species, vember 1996, 9 December 1996, 8 February 1997, and extent of the damage and infestation, and possible nat­ 10 Aplil199T Lots were placed in screen cages in an in­ ural enemies had been under investigation by re­ cubator at 20°C with 40% R.H. and a 16:8 LD regime, searchers at the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia and misted sporadically. Most larvae collected in No­ in Esquel (Chubut). Results of this study were pub­ vember and December 1996 were very young and did lished (Gomez & Klasmer 1997) but the species re­ not survive due to subsequent fruit detelioration. How­ mained nameless. The purpose of this paper is to ever, larvae of the February and April 1997 lots were ma­ name and describe the species. ture when received and a number of the larvae had al­ Two lots of specimens were sent to JFL in June ready pupated after burrowing in the bark chips and the 1996 with a request to provide an identification of the styrofoam packing matelial. The photopeliod and tem­ species, however those specimens were unmounted perature were reduced progressively during the month and in rather poor condition. The moths represented of May to mimic the onset of austral autumn; lights were an undescribed species of Nanodacna Clarke. tumed off and the temperature set at 4°C from June to In order to obtain a series of good-quality specimens August. The process was reversed beginning in late Au­ for describing the species, arrangements were made gust to achieve full daylight by mid-September. with the Argentinian research team (through the cour­ Thirty-four adults emerged over the period of about tesy of Drs. Cecilia Gomez and Mario Rajchenberg) to a week at the end of September and the beginning of obtain live larvae and host material in an attempt to October 1997. Adults were killed, pinned and spread rear the moths. These efforts were successful and in 24-48 hours after emcrgcnce. A number of larvae and this paper we present the description of the adult, pupae were preserved in 70% ethanol at the time that latva, and pupa of this new species. We indicate how to they were received from Argentina. differentiate it from other species of Nanodacna and Adults were examined with a Nikon SMZ-U stereo­ briefly discuss the composition and phylogenetic posi­ microscope with fiber-optic ring-light illumination at tion of Nanodacna. magnifications of 7.5-75x. Genitalia dissection and VOL IF. 58, NUMBE R 2 101 ,/ 1 2 ." ........... 3 4 FIGS. 1-4. IVanodacna allstrocedrella adults. 1, Holotype 6, # eNC LEP 00001116; 2, Paratype 9 , # CNC LEP 00001137; 3, Paratypc Q, # e NC LEP 00001141, palest specimen of the type series; 4, Paratype 9, # CNC LEP 00001138, darkest sp -cinwn of the type series. preparation followed LandI), and Wagner (199.5) ex­ micronleter or generated by the electron 111icroscope. cept that Orange G was used exclusiv~ly as a stain in Photographs of adults and genitalia were taken with rnale preparations, and a c0111bination of orange C; and a N ikon D MX 1200 digital canlera n10unted on either chlorazol black vvas used for felnale genitalia. Due to Nikon lnicroscope Inentioned above. All inlages were the highly triuinlensional aspect of the 111ale genitalia, subsequently processed \vith Adobe Photoshop®. For sorne dissections \"'ere lTIounted whole and unaltered line art, hand-drmvn sketches were digibzed and \",hile others were separated on one side and "unrolled" processed in Adobe Illustrator® as scalable vector to expose the most diagnostic features. Dissections graphics. vvere studied using a N ikon Eclipse E800 cOlnpound The holotype and adult paratypes ar deposited in microscope at magnifications of 40-400x, in pure lactic the Canadian National Collection (CNC), Ottawa. acid on well slides and in Euparal on perrnanent slide Paratypes are also deposited in the M useo Argentino nlounts. To exanline venation, wings were detached, de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (MBR), \",etted in 70% ethanol, bleached in diluted sodiunl Buenos Aires, the National NI useunl of Natural His­ hypochlorite (J avex®) for a few seconds, rinsed thor­ tory (USNlVI), Washington, D.C., the Natural History oughly in 30% ethanol, stained \\lith orange G in lacbc Museum (BMNII), London, and the Zoologisk lVlu­ acid, dehydrated, and Inounted in Euparal on slides. seunl (ZMUC), Copenhagen, Denn1ark. The ultrastructure of the larva and pupa \",as studied "vith an Anlray 1810 scanning electron nlicroscope at Nanodacna austrocedrella an accelerating voltage of 10 kV. For SEM examina­ Landry & Adamski, new species tion, inl1nature specinlens were cleaned in 10% Diagnosis. Adults are slnall, fuscous bro\vn to dark­ ethanol with a canleJ-hair brush, dehydrated in in­ brovvn moths with a slightly peppery appearance froln creasing concentrations of ethanol to absolute ethanol. the suffusion of dark scales over the crealny-\vhite After d E~ hyuration, specilnens were critical-point dried ground color (Figs. 1-4). The forewing hears three using a Tousinlis critical-point dryer, mounted on SEM black spots of slightly raised scales in both sexes. The Shlbs, and coated \:vith gold-palladiu111 (40/600/0), using malE_ has small, conlpact genitalia vv'ith an elongate­ a Cressington sputter coater. All nleasurements vvere rectangular, hood-like tegUJllen, broad valvae v\lith a made using a dissecting Inicroscope vvith a calibrated deeply sinuate ventral nlaro'in, a large, inwardly directed 102 JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY Sc Rs ® ® FIGS . .5- 6. NfJnodacna ctllstrocedrella. 5, 1', wing venation (slide MIC 4767); 6, Basal segments of abdomen; left: 0 TI-T2 (slide MIC '1699); right: \1 51-2 showing apodemes (slide MIC 4768) spinose process projecting from the costal margin and ferentiated and mostly membranous, the ostium is abutting the middle of the aedeagus, and a small cluster small, indistinguishable, and situated submedially on of short spines at apex (Figs. 7-9). In overall aspect, the S8, the ductus bursae is rather straight with a slight genitalia have an appearance generally resembling that sclerotization near the inception of the ductus semi­ of Horrweoprepes felisae Clarke (from Colombia; fig­ nalis, the corpus bursae is elongate-ovoid with a pair of ured in Clarke 1962, Fig. 4) but in the latter, the costal weakly developed signa in the distal portion of the process of the valvae is not projected, the ventral mar­ bursa. Despite a general resemblance in their genitalia, gin of the valvae is evenly rounded and without an api­ N. austrocedrella and Ilonweoprepes species are moths cal spine, and the paired anTIS of the gnathos are pro­ with very different habits and do not occur in the same portionally shorter with their rows of flat spines geographic area (but see discussion below). covering half their length. The female genitalia of N. Description. Adult. (Figs. 1-4). Forewing length 4.0-5.1 mm, austrocerlrella (Figs. 10-14) are very simple with few mean = 4.6, 5D = 0.30; wingspan 8.7-LI.3 mm, mean = 10.2, SD = remarkable features and resemble quite closely those 0.69 (n = 32). Moth with creamy-white ground color heaVily suf­ fused with dark-brown- to rusty-brown-tipped scales. of H. trochiloides Walsingham (from Costa Rica; Fig. 1 Head creamy-white, with dark-brown scales narrowly lining each in Clarke 1962): the 8th abdominal segment is undif- side of frons; a few scales around eyes with fUSCOllS tips; scales of VOLUME 58, NUMBER 2 103 gnaarms------------__------- ~------- un postero­ lateral angle teg flange ant teg E E c:i ® FIGs.