Systematics and biology of some species of Micrurapteryx Spuler (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) from the Holarctic Region, with re-description of M. caraganella (Hering) from Siberia

Abstract

During a DNA barcoding campaign of leaf-mining insects from Siberia, a genetically divergent lineage of a gracillariid belonging to the genus Micrurapteryx was discovered, whose larvae developed on Caragana Fabr. and Medicago L. (Fabaceae). Specimens from Siberia showed similar external morphology to the Palearctic Micrurapteryx gradatella and the Nearctic Parectopa occulta but differed in male genitalia, DNA barcodes, and nuclear genes histone H3 and 28S. Members of this lineage are re-described here as Micrurapteryx caraganella (Hering, 1957), comb. n., an available name published with only a brief description of its larva and leaf mine. Micrurapteryx caraganella is widely distributed throughout Siberia, from Tyumen oblast in the West to Transbaikalia in the East. Occasionally it may severely affect its main host, Caragana arborescens Lam. This species has been confused in the past with Micrurapteryx gradatella in Siberia, but field observations confirm that Micrurapteryx gradatella exists in Siberia and is sympatric with Micrurapteryx caraganella, at least in the Krasnoyarsk region, where it feeds on different host plants (Vicia amoena Fisch. and Vicia sp.).In addition, based on both morphological and molecular evidence as well as examination of type specimens, the North American Parectopa occulta Braun, 1922 and Parectopa albicostella Braun, 1925 are transferred to Micrurapteryx as Micrurapteryx occulta (Braun, 1922), comb. n. with albicostella as its junior synonym (syn. n.). Characters used to distinguish Micrurapteryx from Parectopa are presented and illustrated. These findings provide another example of the potential of DNA barcoding to reveal overlooked species and illuminate nomenclatural problems.

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

“…To explore the phylogenetic position of the new species and its generic classification we combined the mitochondrial and nuclear data for Mercantouria neli with a published dataset of 39 Gracillariidae species and one outgroup (Kirichenko et al 2016, Gutzwiller et al 2015; Kawahara et al 2011) (Suppl. material 1).…”

New records of the leaf mining Gracillariid moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) from Asian part of Russia

“…Oligophagous species on Fabaceae. In Siberia: Caragana arborescens, C. boisii, Medicago sativa (Kirichenko et al, 2016). In Tuva Republic and Amur oblast we found mines only on Caragana arborescens.…”

“…The species has been recently found in Siberia where it was previously confused with Micrurapteryx gradatella which exists in sympatry in some Siberian regions but develops on other Fabaceae species (Lathyrus, Vicia) (Kirichenko et al, 2016). Drawing of male genitalia in Kuznetzov (1981, fig.…”

“…DISTRIBUTION. Russia: Central Siberia (Hering, 1957), Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and Irkutsk oblast, Altai and Krasnoyarsk krai (Kirichenko et al, 2016), *Tuva Republic, Transbaikal krai (Kirichenko et al, 2016), *Amur oblast.…”

The first notes on taxonomic diversity of leaf-mining micromoths, Gracillariidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) in Omskaya Oblast, Russia

“…Для этих целей насекомые, собранные в поле, фиксировались в 96 % спиртовом растворе и хранились в 1,5 мл герметичных пробирках (Axigen, USA) при температуре -20°С для обеспечения лучшей сохранности ДНК. ДНК-баркодинг насекомых осуществлялся по стандартной методике [Folmer et al, 1994], подробно изложенной в применении к минирующим Gracillariidae в наших предыдущих работах [Kirichenko et al, 2016[Kirichenko et al, , 2017b. Молекулярно-генетические исследования осуществлялись в лаборатории лесной зоологии Французского национального института сельскохозяйственных исследований (INRA -Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Орлеан, Франция) вторым автором в рамках постдоковской программы Le Studium.…”