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Title: Another new Lygodium-boring species of the musotimine genus Siamusotima (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from China

Author
item Solis, M Alma
item Pratt, Paul
item MAKINSON, JEFF - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item ZONNEVELD, RYAN - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item Lake, Ellen

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/18/2017
Publication Date: 8/21/2017
Citation: Solis, M.A., Pratt, P.D., Makinson, J., Zonneveld, R., Lake, E.C. 2017. Another new Lygodium-boring species of the musotimine genus Siamusotima (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from China. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 119(3):471-480.

Interpretive Summary: During the search for biological control agents of the Old World climbing fern, an invasive species that infests more than 100,000 acres in Florida, has prompted the exploration for, and discovery of, new snout moth larvae feeding on this fern in its native habitat in southeast Asia. A species new to science is described and compared to closely related species with similar biology. This information will be useful to action agencies, biological control workers of the Old World climbing fern in the United States, and evolutionary biologists interested in the evolution of fern-feeding in insects.

Technical Abstract: Siamusotima disrupta Solis, n. sp., is a stem-boring musotimine from China. It was discovered in the stems of several Lygodium Sw. species (Lygodiaceae) during exploration for biological control agents of Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br., the Old World climbing fern. This is the second report of a stem-boring pyraloid larva with a unique, cup-like modification of the anal segment. The larval morphology of S. disrupta is compared with that of the previously described S. aranea Solis and Yen. Observations on life history are presented; the adult has not been captured in the wild.