ARS | Publication request: A new species of Acleris (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricini) from high elevations of Costa Rica, feeding on Rubus (Rosaceae)

Submitted to: Journal of Lepidopterists Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 15, 2008
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
Citation: Brown, J.W. 2008. A new species of Acleris (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricini) from high elevations of Costa Rica, feeding on Rubus (Rosaceae). Journal of Lepidopterists Society. 36:341-348.

Interpretive Summary: Caterpillars of the moth family known as leaf-rollers cause billions of dollars in damage annually, feeding on forest, ornamental, and agricultural plants. Successful detection, exclusion, and/or control of these species relies on their accurate recognition. In this paper I describe and illustrate a new species of leaf-roller that attacks blackberries and raspberries in Costa Rica. An ecologically similar species is intercepted frequently at US ports-of-entry on blackberries from Central America. The information presented in this paper will be of interest to those studying the biodiversity of the New World tropics, scientists exploring patterns of species richness in relation to elevation, farmers that grow blackberries and raspberries, and action agencies such as APHIS whose goal is the exclusion of foreign pests.

Technical Abstract: Acleris nishidai, new species, is described and illustrated from the central cordillera of Costa Rica. The new taxon is assigned to Acleris on the basis of the similarity of the male genitalia with other described species of the genus. The female genitalia are relatively unmodified and lack the pronounced lateral lobes of the sterigma characteristic of most Acleris. The new species has been reared from native and cultivated Rubus spp. (Rosaceae) at 3000 m elevation.