Systematics, host plants, and life histories of three new Phyllocnistis species from the central highlands of Costa Rica (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae, Phyllocnistinae)

Abstract

Three new species of Phyllocnistis Zeller are described from the central highlands of Costa Rica: Phyllocnistis drimiphaga sp. n., P. maxberryi sp. n., and P. tropaeolicola sp. n. Larvae of all three are serpentine leaf miners. Phyllocnistis drimiphaga feeds on Drimys granadensis (Winteraceae), P. maxberryi on Gaiadendron punctatum (Loranthaceae), and P. tropaeolicola on Tropaeolum emarginatum (Tropaeolaceae). All specimens were collected as larvae or pupae in their mines and reared in captivity. Parasitoid wasps were reared from P. drimiphaga and P. maxberryi. Description of the adults, pupae, and life histories are supplemented with photographs, illustrations, and scanning electron micrographs.