Refining the Neotropical genus Coptotrichoides (Tischeriidae): discovery of three Serjania-feeding species, including C. criminalis sp. nov., collected under hazardous circumstances

Abstract

This study describes three distinctive new Serjania-feeding species of the enigmatic Neotropical genus Coptotrichoides Diškus & Stonis (Lepidoptera: Tischeriidae), which is trophically associated with host plants of the family Sapindaceae. In addition, new mitochondrial DNA barcode sequences are provided, together with molecular considerations relevant to the generic distinctiveness and phylogenetic placement of Coptotrichoides. Newly generated molecular data from additional material also resulted in the discovery of previously unreported distribution records of several species of the genera Neotischeria Diškus & Stonis and Astrotischeria Puplesis & Diškus in South America. Molecular analyses incorporating the newly obtained Coptotrichoides sequences further confirm the distinctiveness of the genus and again suggest that Coptotrichoides is more closely related to the genus Dishkeya Stonis than to Coptotriche Walsingham and especially to Tischeria Zeller, although this relationship remains insufficiently resolved. The article is illustrated with photographs of male and female genitalia, leaf mines and exuviae as well as a molecular phylogenetic tree and a mitotype network based on mtDNA CO1-5’ sequences.