Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 10, 2001
Publication Date: N/A
Interpretive Summary: The larvae of many species of leafrollers (the moth family Tortricidae) are economically important pests of agricultural commodities. Many species of leafrollers that are restricted to Chile and Argentina have widened their host plant ranges to become pests of cultivated fruit crops in that region, such as citrus, grapes, kiwi fruit, peaches, and others. In order to enhance our ability to detect and exclude these pests from the U.S., it is imperative to describe, illustrate, and name these species. This paper examines two closely related genera of leafrollers from Chile and Argentina. The information and illustrations included in this work will be valuable to those involved in pest detection in Chile and Argentina, and in the inspection of commodities arriving from this region of South America.
Technical Abstract:
Rebinea Razowski and Eliachna Razowski, two formerly monotypic genera known only from males, are redescribed based on substantially more material (320 specimens), including both sexes. As presently defined, Rebinea is still considered monotypic, with a single variable species, R. erebina (Butler, 1883), and its synonym, Arotrophora balsamodes Meyrick, 1931. It is possible that two (or more) species are concealed within the variation, bu we were unable to separate them using traditional morphological characters. Eliachna is represented by three species: E. chileana Razowski 1999, E. digitana Brown and McPherson, new species, and E. hemicordata Brown and McPherson, new species. Both genera are restricted to south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, ranging from coastal lowlands (5 m) to middle elevations (1200-1700 m) at the southern end of the Andes. A phylogenetic analysis of the four species (plus two out-group species) provides support for the sister relationship of Rebinea and Eliachna based on the following synapomorphies: (1) extremely elongate labial palpi (length 3-4 times the horizontal diameter of the compound eye); (2) a pair of stout, digitate, submedial processes from the dorsum of the transtilla; (3) a deep, rounded excavation near the mid-venter of the valva; and (4) a pair of semicircular, lateral flanges from the posterior edge of the sterigma.
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