Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) of East Asia (2). Study of a collection sample deposited at the Russian Academy of Sciences, with descriptions of new species and a checklist

Abstract

Over the few couple of decades, the Nepticulidae of East Asia have been the subject of continuing investigation. Male genitalia of the nepticulid species described from Primorskiy Kray (the Russian Far East) were reexamined in the preceding paper in this journal. The present paper continues our study on the diversity and systematics of the Nepticulidae of East Asia based on a sample of specimens collected in 1974-1990 at various sites of the southern part of Primorskiy Kray and treats 35 species: two new taxa (Ectoedemia ortiva sp. nov. and E. species 219) and 33 other species. Seventeen of them are briefly discussed and illustrated with photographs of male genitalia. Two new synonyms are proposed, and three new distribution records are provided. We also provide an updated checklist of the Nepticulidae of East Asia, which comprises 105 species; 67 species occur in the Russian Far East and 53 in Japan (20 of which occur both in Japan and Russia). Species with Euro-East Asiatic distribution currently comprise 11% of the Japanese fauna and 16% of the continental fauna of the Russian Far East, Primorskiy Kray.

Revised classification and catalogue of global Nepticulidae and Opostegidae (Lepidoptera, Nepticuloidea)

“…The 167 named Nepticulidae and 12 Opostegidae certainly only represent the tip of the iceberg. Much work has been done on parts of the former Soviet Union: Central Asia and the Russian Far East (Puplesis 1994; Puplesis and Diškus 2003a; Rocienė and Stonis 2013; Stonis and Rocienė 2013), but for other regions descriptive work is only just beginning. In central Asia the best studied and most diverse country is Tadzhikistan with ca 40 species (Puplesis and Diškus 2003a).…”

“…The northernmost portion, Far east Russia, notably the Primorye region, has been best studied, with around 70 species known (Puplesis 1994; Rocienė and Stonis 2013; 2014, Stonis and Rocienė 2013). Initial fieldwork in China has resulted in the recognition of a very rich fauna of at least some 200 species, but to date only few have been described (van Driel and van Nieukerken 1985; van Nieukerken and Liu 2000).…”

“…We synonymise Stigmella nakamurai Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 from Japan with Stigmella palionisi from Russia: Primorye, on the basis of a comparison of descriptions, a male paratype slide of Stigmella nakamurai (Fig. 41, 42) and detailed photos of Stigmella palionisi genitalia (Rocienė and Stonis 2013; Stonis and Rocienė 2013) (also Fig. 43).…”

“…22), Asta Navickaite, Agnė Rocienė and Andrius Remeikis (Fig. 23) he continued working on the Neotropical fauna and collecting, now also in Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Chile (Stonis et al 2013c; 2013d; 2014; 2016b; Remeikis and Stonis 2015; Stonis and Remeikis 2015), but also revised the earlier described Far East Russian Nepticulidae (Rocienė and Stonis 2013; Stonis and Rocienė 2013) and worked on the Lithuanian and Crimean fauna (Navickaitė et al 2011; 2014). Puplesis-Stonis and his co-authors have contributed by far the largest number of new species in Nepticulidae, by July 2016 in total ca 225 valid names.…”

Stigmella multispicata Rociene. & Stonis, an Asian leafminer on Siberian elm, now widespread in eastern North America (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae)

“…The Nepticulidae of East Asia are best known from Far East Russia, especially the Primorye region, by studies of J. Stonis (formerly R. Puplesis) and his students (Rocienė and Stonis 2013, Stonis and Rocienė 2013). The study on Chinese nepticulids is still in its infancy [two papers deal with species feeding on Fagaceae (van Nieukerken and Liu 2000, Stonis et al 2013)] whereas studies on the Japanese fauna are now progressing (Kemperman et al 1985, Hirano 2013, 2014, Yagi and Hirowatari 2017).…”