A new genus and species of leaf-mining moth from the French Alps, Mercantouria neli gen. n., sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae)

By

Huemer, Peter
Triberti, Paolo
Lopez Vaamonde, Carlos

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

586

Pages

145-162

Subjects

Alps , COI , DNA barcoding , Gracillaria group , histone 3 , new genus , new species

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.586.8375

 

Abstract

The Alps are a hotspot of biodiversity in Europe with many Lepidoptera species still to be discovered. Here we describe a new gracillariid genus and species, Mercantouria neli gen. n. and sp. n. The morphology of the male genitalia is highly differentiated with unique features. DNA barcodes show that its nearest neighbor is the North American species ‘Caloptilia’ scutellariella (Braun, 1923). M. neli is known from four adults (two males and two females) collected at two localities in the French Alps. Its host plant and life cycle remain unknown.