On Ypsolopha micromoths (Lepidoptera, Ypsolophidae) associated with Adesmia shrubs (Fabaceae) in the arid western slope of the central Andes

Abstract

Ypsolopha Latreille, 1796 (Lepidoptera, Ypsolophidae) is a genus comprised mostly of Holarctic micromoth species with a fairly broad range of larval hosts (e.g. Aceraceae, Rosaceae, and Fagaceae). The only previous record of herbivory on a representative of the South American genus Adesmia DC. (Fabaceae) was based on the discovery of Ypsolopha moltenii Vargas, 2018 larvae feeding on Adesmia verrucosa Meyen in the Andes of northern Chile. Further surveys revealed Adesmia atacamensis Phil. as another host for Y. moltenii, and Adesmia spinosissima Meyen as the single host of Ypsolopha sp. The genetic distance between DNA barcodes of the two micromoth species was 7.9–8.1% (K2P). These results suggest narrow host ranges for Adesmia-feeding Ypsolopha and highlight the need to further explore the taxonomic diversity of these micromoths in other South American environments.