Phyllocnistis triandricola, Voith & Aarvik & Berggren & Bengtsson & Hellberg & Mutanen & Slagsvold & Wieser, 2023

Remarks on Phyllocnistis asiatica View in CoL

Examined material. 1♀, DENMARK, LFM , Hyde Skov , ex pupa 17.IX.1980, genitalia slide BÅB 5072 About BAB , leg. & coll. B.Å. Bengtsson ; 1♂, DENMARK, LFM ; Systofte , 15.VII.2018, genitalia slide RVO 3236, BOLD sample ID: NLON945-21 , leg. & coll. R. Voith ; 1♀ SWEDEN, Skåne, Lund , 22.VIII.2019, genitalia slide RVO 3510, BOLD sample ID: NLON950- 21 ; 1♂, same locality, 20.VII.2011, genitalia slide RVO 3512, BOLD sample ID: NLON954-21 ; 1♀, same locality, 02.VIII.2011, genitalia slide RVO 3509, leg. & coll. B. Å . Bengtsson ; 2♀♀, Sweden , Skåne, Lund, Höje Å , 20.VII.2013, genitalia slide BÅB 7438 About BAB , 7437 About BAB , leg. & coll. B.Å. Bengtsson ; 1♀, AUSTRIA, Kärnten, Lassendorf, STG 10 About STG , 7.VIII.2002, genitalia slide RVO3741, BOLD sample ID: TIPSY389-12 ; 1♀, Obermöschach , 16.VII.2014, genitalia slide RVO 3744, BOLD sample ID: PHLAJ372-14 , KLM Lep 01987, leg. & coll. C . Wieser ; 1♀, UNITED KINGDOM, Cambridgeshire, Wicken Fen , ex larva on Salix alba , 27.VIII.2018, imago 7.IX.2018, BOLD sample ID: NLON859-21 , leg. & coll. R.J. Heckford .

Molecular diagnosis. Ph. asiatica with BIN: BOLD:AAL5482 forms a distinct cluster with the nearest neighbour being BIN: BOLD:ACL6215 (probably an undescribed species) with a

p-distance of 3.56 %. Intraspecific variability of BIN of Ph. asiatica is 1.25 %. In the phylogenetic tree ( Figure 18 View FIGURE 18 ), Ph. asiatica is a sister-species to Ph. saligna , although this association is only poorly supported. Together with Ph. triandricola sp. n., the triplet forms a strongly supported clade (BS=99 %). However, it is likely that this clade includes another undescribed species with BIN: BOLD:ACL6215 not included in our dataset.

Observations on biology. Observations from Lund, S Sweden (Bengtsson obs.) indicates that Ph. asiatica mines narrow leaved Salix alba , both on the upper- and underside of the leaves ( Figure 27 View FIGURE 27 ). Oviposition is on the leaf, and the young larva often mines along the central vein for some time before it enters a stem through the petiole. According to Liška et al. (2018) the larva creates underside mines in leaves, or only short mines in stems. The larva moves to a new leaf in the final mining stage and pupates in a fold at the leaf margin. Sobczyk (2019) reported that he bred the species from Salix alba and S. fragilis L., and that the larva usually mines the underside of the leaf forming a zigzag mine, filling most of it. The frass is deposited in the middle of the mine, forming a visible dark track. It will usually not mine the stem, and when it does, it is only for a short distance. Sobczyk (2019) reported that it has two generations, one in July–beginning of August and one in the autumn. This is similar to observations from South Sweden where it has one generation in July and a second in August/ September where fresh mines have been found as late as 24 September (Bengtsson obs.). The second generation produces imagines which are somewhat darker and more strongly marked than the summer generation. This is shown in the illustrations in Laštůvka et al. (2018). Liška et al. (2018) reported Salix euxina , S. purpurea and S. babylonica L. as additional food-plants.

Distribution. Recorded from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the original account by Martynova (1955). Subsequently found in Slovakia ( Pastorális et al. 2018), Czech Republic ( Liška et al. 2018), Germany ( Sobczyk 2019) and Russia ( Leontiev et al. 2021). In the present work Austria, England, Denmark and Sweden are added. In the BOLD database there are several samples from France, Italy and the Netherlands, some identified as Ph. saligna , belonging to BIN: BOLD:AAL5482 and in our opinion conspecific with Ph. asiatica .