Phyllonorycter mespilella Hubner 1805

Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner, 1805)

(Figs 1–33, 38, 40, 41)

Tinea mespilella —Hübner J. 1796–1838: pl. 39, fig. 272 (for a list of citations see Triberti (2007a: 176). Ty pe locality: [Germany]. Type specimens of this species are missing. For full synonymy, see Landry & Wagner (1995); De Prins & De Prins (2005, 2013) and Triberti (2007a).

Designation of the neotype. Horn & Kahle (1935: 119) provided the last information on the location for the type specimens in the Hübner collection as: “Hübner, Jacob (1761–1826), Lepidopt.- Typen via V. A. v. Mazzola, an Naturhist. Mus., Wien.” However, this type material was apparently destroyed during the Second World War.

The following issues were considered in the designation of the neotype:

i) since no syntype survives from the Jacob Hübner collection and no name-bearing type specimen of Tinea mespilella Hübner, 1805 is believed to be extant, we assign as neotype (ICZN, Recommendation 75A) a male topotypic specimen, in good condition, studied, illustrated and identified as Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner 1805) by Triberti (2007a);

ii) the revisionary study on the Palaearctic Rosaceae-feeding Phyllonorycter conducted by Triberti (2007a) revealed a complex of 17 very similar species belonging to the blancardella group showing considerable intraspecific variability. As a result, the designation of a neotype is critical to objectively define the nominal taxon Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner, 1805);

iii) the neotype of Tinea mespilella Hübner, 1805 is designated with the express purpose of clarifying the status of this taxon, an important matter because this species is a potential pest in subtropical and tropical orchards;

iv) following the recommendation of the ICZN 76A, the collection locality for the neotype is in southern Germany in close proximity to the location where the original type series was collected. The specimen chosen for the neotype was reared from Cydonia vulgaris Pers. which is a synonym of Cydonia oblonga Mill. (Rosaceae), the main host plant for P. mespilella (De Prins & De Prins 2005, 2013; see also ICZN 75.3.6);

v) the specimen selected as a neotype was studied, identified, and illustrated as Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner, 1805) in a major revision (Triberti 2007a: 178 );

vi). the designated neotype is morphologically consistent with what is known of Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner, 1805) from the original illustration (Fig. 38) and subsequent sources.

Neotype ♂ (Figs 31–33), designated here, [1] (printed) ‘Württemberg / Marbach-N. / L. Süssner / (handwritten in black Indian ink) e.p. iv. [19]69 / Cydonia / vulg.’; [2] (printed) ‘ Phyllonorycter / mespilella Hb. / det. P. Triberti / slide 3175♂’. The neotype of Phyllonorycter mespilella is in the collection of the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria (TMLF). This collection has extensive holdings of Alpine Lepidoptera and proper facilities for preserving name-bearing types which are accessible for study (ICZN, Art. 75.3.7). Before proposing designation of this neotype, we consulted Peter Huemer, the curator of the Microlepidoptera collection at the TMLF, and received his support for this nomenclatural act (ICZN, Recommendation 75B).

Identification. Adult (Figs 0 1, 0 2, 31). Very similar to the other 16 species in the blancardella group. Because intraspecific variability is extensive (Emmet 1985; Landry & Wallace 1995), identification based on external characters is impossible.

FIGURES 01–02. Phyllonorycter mespilella, adult, Canary Islands, La Palma, 31.x.2007. 0 1, male. 0 2, female. Scale bar 1 mm.

Male genitalia (Figs 0 3, 0 7, 0 8, 33). Similar to P. malella and P. malicola for the broad right valval process. However they can be differentiated because the first species has a very curved spine at the end of this process and the second is lacking of the left basal process. This broad process differentiates P. mespilella from the other species of blancardella group (Triberti 2007a).

Female genitalia (Figs 04–06). Differs from all other species belonging to the blancardella group in that the posterior margin of segment VII in P. mespilella projects very slightly, and the aperture of the ostium bursae is enringed by thin sclerotization (Triberti 2007a: 177–178). This combination of characters differentiates P. mespilella from all other species of the blancardella group.

Description of pupa (Figs 09–24). Maximum length 3.9 mm; width 1.0 mm, elongate, cylindrical, narrower in the last five segments, varying in different shades of brown (Figs 0 9, 10, 17). Head without setae. Vertex furnished with a frontal process (cocoon cutter), which is relatively short, broadly triangular, acute, with wrinkled median surface, lateral ridges straight (Figs 11–13). Forewings long, extending to the anterior margin of abdominal segment A5, and unattached at their distal ends (Figs 10, 14, 17). The appendages of the antennae are slightly longer than forewings, and extending to anterior margin of A6, but shorter than the appendages of metathoracic future legs. The future hind legs extend to posterior margin of A6 (Figs 14, 17). The distance between the apices of the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs is approximately 1.23× the distance between the apices of the prothoracic and mesothoracic legs (Fig. 10). Abdominal segments A5–7 free in male, A 5–6 in female, enabling the pupa to wriggle actively when disturbed (Figs 14, 17). Abdominal segments mostly covered dorsally and ventrally with dense minute spines (Fig. 16). A1–2 possess latero-dorsal bulbous expansions situated close to anterior margin (Fig. 09); terminal segment A10 elongate, fully covered with spinaculae, the convex area present anteriorly on dorsal surface of A8 covered with tiny erected spines, the remaining surface of segment A8 with spinaculae (Figs 14, 16). One pair of dorsal setae is present on segments TI–TII, two pairs of setae (one dorsal and one lateral) are on TIII and A1; four pairs of setae (two dorsal, one latero-dorsal and one lateral) are present on each segment of A2–6; two pairs (one dorsal and one lateral) are present on segments A7–8 (Figs 15, 17–19). Cremaster (Figs 21– 24) with two pairs of hook-shaped processes; outer process ca. 2× bigger than inner process; bases of inner processes partially superimposed to outer processes (Patočka & Turčáni 2005; Triberti 2007a).

Host plant(s). Many species of Rosaceae. Malus domestica Borkh. in the Canary Islands (Figs 29, 30). De Prins & De Prins (2013) provide a full list of its host plants.

Mine. Abaxial (Figs 25–28), tentiform, parenchymal tissues are consumed in spots (Fig. 27), strongly contracted between two veins (Figs 25, 26), narrow, as long as ca. 20 mm with several longitudinal wrinkles of different length when the mine is fully developed (Fig. 26). The pupa protrudes from the mine before the emergence of the adult (Fig. 28).

FIGURES 03–06. Phyllonorycter mespilella, genitalia. 0 3, male genitalia, gen. prep. De Prins 3804♂. An arrow indicates the asymmetrical basal process of valva with a straight spine. 0 4, female genitalia, gen. prep. De Prins 3805♀. 0 5, same preparation, segment 8, an arrow indicates ostium bursae enringed by sclerotization. 0 6, same preparation, corpus bursae with signum. Scale bar 200 µm.

FIGURES 07–12. Phyllonorycter mespilella, adult male and pupa. 0 7, male genitalia. 0 8, same preparation, with enlarged basal process, valva and aedoeagus. 0 9, pupa, dorsal view with mapped latero-dorsal bulbous expansion on A1. 10, pupa, ventral view. 11, pupa, head, ventral view. 12, cocoon cutter, dorsal view. Scale bar as indicated.

Distribution. Central southern Europe, North Africa, Canary Islands: Lanzarote (Triberti 2007: 177), La Palma (this paper) (Fig. 40), and North America. See De Prins & De Prins (2013) for a full list of the distribution records.

Remarks. Triberti (2007a: 177) provided the label data for two specimens (male and female) of P. mespilella collected by E. Arenberger in Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen. The mines were collected on Pyrus sp. 10–15.i.1991, the adults emerged on 5.iv.1991; the depository of these specimens is ZMHB. These specimens indicate that P. mespilella invaded the eastern island of the Canary archipelago more than twenty years ago, although its occurrence remained unreported. Two specimens of P. mespilella from Lanzarote, examined by Triberti (2007a), and 11 specimens from La Palma, discussed below, are the only records of this species from the Canary Islands. Because of the frequent air transport between Europe and both the eastern (Lanzarote) and the western (La Palma) islands, P. mespilella may have been independently introduced to the two islands.

Examined specimens collected in the Canary Islands. 5♂, 6♀, Canary Islands, La Palma, 2 km S Barlovento, 270 m, 28°49’N 017°46’W, mine 31.x. 2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins; ex l. Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae), 25–27.xi.2007. Gen. Prep. De Prins 3804♂, 3805♀, in JWDP.

In addition to genitalia examinations, a DNA barcode (GRPAL 043-10) was obtained from the male specimen of P. mespilella collected in the Canary Islands, La Palma, 2 km S Barlovento, 270 m, 28°49’N 017°46’W, mine 31.x. 2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins; ex l. Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae), 25–27.xi.2007 (Fig. 41). The resultant 658 bp sequence of COI was identical to four other sequences from P. mespilella, three collected in France (GRPAL 186-11, 992-12, 229-11) and one (B01 mespi) in the Czech Republic (see BOLD; www.barcodinglife.org). This result confirms the identification of our specimen, but does not firmly establish its origin, because no sequences from Spanish populations are available.