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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #339365
Research Project: Systematics of Moths Significant to Biodiversity, Quarantine, and Control, with a Focus on Invasive Species

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Descriptions of four new species of Struthoscelis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae: Oecophorinae), one from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Northwestern Costa Rica, providing the first known biology for the genus

Author
item Metz, Mark
item JANZEN, DANIEL - University Of Pennsylvania
item HALLWACHS, WINNIE - University Of Pennsylvania

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/2017
Publication Date: 8/30/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5922758
Citation: Metz, M., Janzen, D.H., Hallwachs, W. 2017. Descriptions of four new species of Struthoscelis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae: Oecophorinae), one from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, providing the first known biology for the genus. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 119(3):442-458.

Interpretive Summary: Leaf-tier moths are pests of agricultural crops and forest trees worldwide. Their varied diet makes them potential invasive threats to U.S. agriculture and natural resources, particularly species in the American tropics with close relatives in the contiguous United States. We describe three lief-tier moths new to Science. One of the species collected in Costa Rica and initially identified using DNA feeds on two species of orchids, so contributes to our knowledge of taxa feeding on economically important plants. We provide the first food-plant information for American tropical species and diagnostic features to allow their identification. This information will be useful to scientists, action agency identifiers, and land resource managers.

Technical Abstract: We add three species to the known fauna: Struthoscelis christianafigueresae new species, Struthoscelis konia new species, and Struthoscelis solamarita new species. We report the first known biology for a species of Struthoscelis and rediagnose the genus based on newly discovered morphology including a novel structure in the male wings. We provide illustrations of all the new species and the male genitalia of the male of S. semiotarsa Meyrick, 1916 for comparison.