Clasping structures of the valva in Tortricinae (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) with the description of a new Eu1iinigenus

Evolutionary trends in the structure of Tortricidae valva are discussed. In some Euliini the distal part of the valva is armed with sclerites whose function is to clasp the female during copulation. This apomorphy is the complication rather than the simplification of a structure. A new genus of Euliini, viz., Hasteulia, and two new species, H. emmeles and H. romnulca, are described from Ecuador. Hasteulia is characterised by dentate sclerites at the terminal portion of the valva disc and by the very slender termination of the gnathos. Key words: Tortricidae, Euliini, Evolution, Valva, Hasteulia n. gen., Ecuador.Evolutionary trends in the structure of Tortricidae valva are discussed. In some Euliini the distal part of the valva is armed with sclerites whose function is to clasp the female during copulation. This apomorphy is the complication rather than the simplification of a structure. A new genus of Euliini, viz., Hasteulia, and two new species, H. emmeles and H. romulca, are described from Ecuador. Hasteulia is characterised by dentate sclerites at the terminal portion of the valva disc and by the very slender termination of the gnathos. Key words: Tortricidae, Euliini, Evolution, Valva, Hasteulia n. gen., Ecuador.Evolutionary trends in the structure of Tortricidae valva are discussed. In some Euliini the distal part of the valva is armed with sclerites whose function is to clasp the female during copulation. This apomorphy is the complication rather than the simplification of a structure. A new genus of Euliini, viz., Hasteulia, and two new species, H. emmeles and H. romulca, are described from Ecuador. Hasteulia is characterised by dentate sclerites at the terminal portion of the valva disc and by the very slender termination of the gnathos. Key words: Tortricidae, Euliini, Evolution, Valva, Hasteulia n. gen., Ecuador

Tortricid Moths Reared from the Invasive Weed Mexican Palo Verde, Parkinsonia aculeata, with Comments on their Host Specificity, Biology, Geographic Distribution, and Systematics

As part of efforts to identify native herbivores of Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia aculeata L. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae), as potential biological control agents against this invasive weed in Australia, ten species of Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) were reared from Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela: Amorbia concavana (Zeller), Platynota rostrana (Walker), Platynota helianthes (Meyrick), Platynota stultana Walsingham (all Tortricinae: Sparganothini), Rudenia leguminana (Busck), Cochylis sp. (both Tortricinae: Cochylini), Ofatulena duodecemstriata (Walsingham), O. luminosa Heinrich, Ofatulena sp. (all Olethreutinae: Grapholitini), and Crocidosema lantana Busck (Olethreutinae: Eucosmini). Significant geographic range extensions are provided for O. duodecemstriata and R. leguminana. These are the first documented records of P. aculeata as a host plant for all but O. luminosa. The four species of Sparganothini are polyphagous; in contrast, the two Cochylini and three Grapholitini likely are specialists on Leguminosae. Ofatulena luminosa is possibly host specific on P. aculeata. Host trials with Rudenia leguminana also provide some evidence of specificity, in contrast to historical rearing records. To examine the possibility that R. leguminana is a complex of species, two data sets of molecular markers were examined: (1) a combined data set of two mitochondrial markers (a 781-basepair region of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and a 685-basepair region of cytochrome c oxidase II) and one nuclear marker (a 531-basepair region of the 28S domain 2); and (2) the 650-basepair “barcode” region of COI. Analyses of both data sets strongly suggest that individuals examined in this study belong to more than one species

Visual cues of oviposition sites and spectral sensitivity of Cydia strobilella L.

We investigated whether the spruce seed moth (Cydia so-obilella L., Tortricidae: Grapholitini), an important pest in seed orchards of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), can make use of the spectral properties of its host when searching for flowers to oviposit on. Spectral measurements showed that the flowers, and the cones they develop into, differ from a background of P. abies needles by a higher reflectance of long wavelengths. These differences increase as the flowers develop into mature cones. Electroretinograms (ERGs) in combination with spectral adaptation suggest that C. strobilella has at least three spectral types of photoreceptor; an abundant green-sensitive receptor with maximal sensitivity at wavelength lambda(max) = 526 nm, a blue-sensitive receptor with kr a = 436 nm, and an ultraviolet-sensitive receptor with lambda(max) = 352 nm. Based on our spectral measurements and the receptor properties inferred from the ERGs, we calculated that open flowers, which are suitable oviposition sites, provide detectable achromatic, but almost no chromatic contrasts to the background of needles. In field trials using traps of different spectral properties with or without a female sex pheromone lure, only pheromone-baited traps caught moths. Catches in baited traps were not correlated with the visual contrast of the traps against the background. Thus, visual contrast is probably not the primary cue for finding open host flowers, but it could potentially complement olfaction as a secondary cue, since traps with certain spectral properties caught significantly more moths than others

On the generic groups Saphenista and Cochylis (Tortricidae)

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