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Nepticuloidea
Trifurcula peloponnesica Van Nieukerken, 2007
Trifurcula peloponnesica
Diagnostic description:Diagnosis. Trifurcula peloponnesica is externally very similar to the allopatric and much larger T. anthyllidella. In the male genitalia it is easily distinguished by the rounded gnathos and the straight outer margin of the valva. Female genitalia differ from anthyllidella by pointed T8 (truncate in anthyllidella), group of spines in vestibulum in contrast to pectinations only and fewer convolutions in the ductus spermathecae (ca 7.5 against 10). Externally T. peloponnesica may be confused with other pale Trifurcula species in other subgenera, in the area where it occurs, particularly T. (T.) pallidella, which however is overall paler (see NIEUKERKEN et al. 2004b).
Morphology:Description. Male. Forewing length 2.15-2.8 mm, wingspan ca. 4.6-5.7 mm. Head: frontal tuft pale ochreous, mixed with white to almost completely white, collar white, comprising piliform scales; scape white, with some dark tipped scales. Antennae with 33-34 segments. Thorax and forewings cream white, irrorate with brown tipped scales; underside grey. Hindwings white, underside with velvet patch of raised scales; hairpencil on hindwing underside present, but very difficult to distinguish. Abdomen pale grey, anal tufts whitish.
Female. Forewing length 2.25-2.6 mm, wingspan 4.9-5.3 mm. Antennae with 27-33 segments. Hindwing without velvet patch, abdomen without tufts, but with pointed ovipositor; otherwise as male.
Male genitalia. Capsule slightly longer than wide. Vinculum hardly excavated anteriorly. Tegumen produced into pointed pseuduncus. Uncus split lengthwise, pointed. Gnathos with broad rounded central element. Valva basally broad, suddenly narrowed slightly before middle, with narrow conspicuous inner process on dorsal surface, outer margin straight in ventral view; sublateral process relatively long, transverse bar of transtilla short. Aedeagus rather broad and short; vesica with group of long needle like cornuti at anterior right hind side; two large curved cornuti and semi globular group of close set curved cornuti at left side, also some minute cornuti; aedeagus dorsal side distally ending with pointed sclerotized lobe at right side.
Female genitalia. Abdominal tip distinctly pointed. S7 particularly distinctly produced into narrow cuspidate tip, ventrally covered with many setae. T8 approximately triangular, longitudinally split, with ca. 11-12 setae at either side of medial division line. No distinct anal papillae. Anterior and posterior apophyses pronounced, of equal length. Bursa total length ca. 825-840 μm. Vestibulum with pocket of small spines and pectinations. Corpus bursae elongate, slightly narrowed anteriorly; signa 2-3 cells wide, outer margin of incomplete cells with spiny margins. Ductus spermathecae convoluted almost from start, ca. 7.5 convolutions, ending in a globose vesicle.Associations:Hostplant: Anthyllis hermanniae, a small shrub growing in garigue or phrygana vegetations. Egg deposition not observed. Leafmine starting as narrow, relatively straight, gallery with thin broken frass, later frass filling most of gallery, and gallery suddenly enlarging into elongate blotch. Larval exit hole on leaf underside. Larva yellow, feeding with venter upwards.
Distribution:Distribution. Up to now only with certainty from Greece: Peloponnesus, where I found the species everywhere I searched the host. Anthyllis hermanniae occurs on Corsica, very locally on Sardinia, Malta, on the Italian mainland only southern Calabria and the Peninsola Salentina, in Greece on the Peloponnesus, Evvoia, Crete, the Aegean islands, southern Thrace and the west coast of Turkey: Asia Minor plus a few isolated localities in Albania and Montenegro (see map in RIKLI 1946: 480); records for Sicily appear to be incorrect (ILDIS 2005). In Corsica H. Buhr found also leafmines on this plant (SKALA 1937; BUHR 1942), and it is very well possible that they also belong to T. peloponnesica. However, this should be confirmed by reared material. In May 2006, P. Sammut (pers. comm.) searched in vain for mines on Malta.
Life cycle:Larvae found plentiful in February, and a few still in June. Adults in laboratory emerging over long period from March to August.
Citation:This taxonomic description is based on Van Nieukerken (2007).
EOL Text
Trifurcula peloponnesica is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. Up to now only known with certainty from Peloponnesus in Greece. In Corsica, mines have been found that could very well belong to this species.
The wingspan is 4.6–5.7 mm for males and 4.9–5.3 mm for females.
The larvae feed on Anthyllis hermanniae. The mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow and relatively straight corridor that suddenly widens into an elongate blotch. The frass is distributed in a thin, interrupted line at first, almost filling the corridor later. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
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