''Simacauda dicommatias'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Incurvariidae Incurvariidae is a family of small primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera. There are twelve genus, genera recognised (Davis, 1999). Many species are leaf miners and much is known of their host plants, excluding ''Paraclemensia aceri ...

found in South America. It was described by the English amateur

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854 – 31 March 1938) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern microlepidoptera systematics. Life and work Ed ...

in 1931. The larvae are

leaf miners A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths ( Lepidoptera), sawflies ( Symphyta, a paraphyletic group whi ...

and feed within the leaves of Chilean myrtle (''

Luma apiculata ''Luma apiculata'', the Chilean myrtle, ''arrayán'' or ''temu'', is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, native to the central Andes between Chile and Argentina, at 33 to 45° south latitude. Growing to tall and wide, it is a vigo ...

''). In 2020 leaf mines were found at

Trengwainton Garden Trengwainton (, meaning ''farm of eternal springtime'') is a garden situated in Madron, near Penzance, Cornwall, England, UK, which has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1961. The garden is noted for its collection of exotic trees ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

; the first known occurrence in Europe.

Life cycle

;Ovum Eggs have not been observed but are likely to be inserted into the underside of a leaf of Chilean myrtle, preferring new growth towards the end of a stem. ;Larvae The larvae mine the leaves, initially in a long gallery filled with black

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

and often cross the midrib. The mine terminates in a small, irregular blotch often at, or near the edge or tip. Larvae then leave the mine making a larval case from the blotch; it then makes a further two cases from leaves. In Cornwall the species is

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

with tenanted mines found in late March, late June and in the autumn. Larvae have not been found in Argentina or Chile. ;Pupa The larva pupates in the third case which, is away from the feeding area and attached to the underside of a leaf. ;

Imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the ''imaginal'' stage ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in wh ...

''Simacauda dicommatias'' is similar to '' Psychoides filicivora'' and care should be taken when recording either species in Cornwall where both larval foodplants occur.

Food plants

In Cornwall, larvae have been found at twenty-six sites on Chilean myrtle. At one site cases were also found on white Chilean myrtle ('' Luma chequen''), and another on an unidentified

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

, but could be '' Myrceugenia ovata''.

Parasitoids

So far, two

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s have been found in Cornish larval cases. '' Pnigalio soemius'' was reared from a larval case found at Trelissick in December 2020 and '' Enytus apostata'', an

ichneumon Ichneumon may refer to: * ''Ichneumon'' (genus), a genus of wasps * ''Ichneumon'', species of wasps in the family Ichneumonidae * Ichneumon, an alternative name for the Egyptian mongoose * Ichneumon (medieval zoology) In medieval literature, th ...

found in a larval case at

in June 2021.

Distribution

''Simacauda dicommatias'' is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to temperate Andean forests in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. In 2020, larval feeding signs were found in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

; the first known record of this species for the UK and mainland Europe.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q124296283 Incurvariidae Leaf miners Moths described in 1931 Moths of Europe Moths of South America Taxa named by Edward Meyrick

Life cycle

Food plants

Parasitoids

Distribution

See also

References