Discovery of a new gall-inducing species, Aciurinaluminaria (Insecta, Diptera, Tephritidae) via multi-trait integrative taxonomy.

Integrative taxonomic practices that combine multiple lines of evidence for species delimitation greatly improve our understanding of intra- and inter-species variation and biodiversity. However, extended phenotypes remain underutilized despite their potential as a species-specific set of extracorporeal morphological and life history traits. Primarily relying on variations in wing patterns has caused taxonomic confusion in the genus Aciurina, which are gall-inducing flies on Asteraceae plants in western North America. However, species display distinct gall morphologies that can be crucial for species identification. Here we investigate a unique gall morphotype in New Mexico and Colorado that was previously described as a variant of that induced by Aciurinabigeloviae (Cockerell, 1890). Our analysis has discovered several consistent features that distinguish it from galls of A.bigeloviae. A comprehensive description of Aciurinaluminaria Baine, sp. nov. and its gall is provided through integrative taxonomic study of gall morphology, host plant ecology, wing morphometrics, and reduced-representation genome sequencing.

Immature Stages and New Host Plant Records for Three Species in the "Taygetis Clade" of Euptychiina in Southeastern Peru (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae).

We report here the immature stages and natural host plants for three species in the so-called "Taygetis clade" of the nymphalid butterfly subtribe Euptychiina, Taygetis echo (Cramer, 1775), Taygetis sosis Hopffer, 1874, and Pseudodebis valentina (Cramer, 1779). The study was carried out at Finca Las Piedras in Madre de Dios department, Peru. Taygetis echo was observed utilizing a species of herbaceous bamboo, Olyra latifolia L. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae), T. sosis was found feeding on another species of herbaceous bamboo, Pariana lunata Nees (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae), and P. valentina was found utilizing a species of woody bamboo, Guadua weberbaueri Pilg. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae). We describe and provide photos of the immatures and host plants, as well as illustrations of the head capsules for each of these three species.

Immature stages, new host plant records and shelter structures of Troyus phyllides (Röber, 1925) and Thoon ponka Evans, 1955 in the Peruvian Amazon (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae: Hesperiini).

We describe here for the first time the complete immature life cycles and shelter structures of two Neotropical skipper butterflies in the subtribe Moncina, Troyus phyllides (Röber, 1925) and Thoon ponka Evans 1955, along with new natural host plant records for these species at Finca Las Piedras, Madre de Dios, Peru. Four eggs and a preantepenultimate larva of T. phyllides, as well as three eggs of Thoon ponka were collected in nature and each passed through five larval instars to adulthood. Troyus phyllides fed on a herbaceous species, Lasiacis ligulata Hitchcock & Chase (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae), while T. ponka fed on two congeneric herbaceous bamboo species, Pariana lunata Nees and Pariana sp. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae). We present photos of all immature stages and host plants, as well as illustrations of the shelter structures and the head capsules for each of these two species.