Dishkeya tarapotica, Stonis & Diškus & Orlovskytė, 2025

Characteristics of Dishkeya tarapotica sp. nov. expanding and refining the taxonomic concept of the genus Dishkeya

It has long been known that one of the striking characteristics of Tischeriidae is the presence of long antennal sensilla (s. trichodea) in males, usually about three times the diameter of the flagellum but sometimes reaching up to four to five times its diameter. In contrast, such elongated sensilla have not been reported in females of this family. We measured the female sensilla of Dishkeya tarapotica sp. nov. and found that these sensilla are 3.5 times longer than the width of the flagellum. The discovery of long sensilla trichodea in females of this newly described species represents a remarkable phenomenon not previously documented within Tischeriidae . This naturally raises the question: are these long female sensilla a unique feature of the new species, or might they represent an overlooked diagnostic trait of the genus Dishkeya ? To investigate this, comparative material from the type species D. gouaniae (collected in Honduras) and additional specimens of other species were examined. The results showed that females of D. gouaniae also possess sensilla that are 2–2.5 times longer than the width of the flagellum—that is, relatively long sensilla, though shorter than those in D. tarapotica sp. nov. Meanwhile, males of D. gouaniae have sensilla measuring 4–4.5 times the width of the flagellum. For comparison, sensilla trichodea in males of Astrotischeria andina Diškus & Stonis are equal in length to the width of the flagellum; in males of Tischeria neokristenseni Diškus & Stonis , they are 4.8 times longer; in males of Coptotriche asiana Diškus & Stonis , 2.5–3 times longer; in males of Gnathitischeria atitlani Diškus & Stonis , 3.5–3.7 times longer; and in males of Rytietia uncinata Diškus, Xu & Dai , 1–1.3 times longer. However, females of none of these species have sensilla trichodea on their smoothly scaled antennae—at least not ones prominent enough to be noticed without descaling the flagellum. Unfortunately, females of Dishkeya gothica and D. ursipedella (with males of the latter possessing sensilla trichodea approximately 3.5 times the width of the flagellum) have not yet been discovered, and females of D. bifurcata from the USA were not available for examination in this study.

Nevertheless, the presence of sensilla trichodea in females of two Dishkeya species (out of the five currently known)—especially the exceptionally long sensilla in the newly described D. tarapotica sp. nov. —allows us to suggest that long sensilla trichodea in females, although an atypical character for most Tischeriidae , represent an important diagnostic character of the genus Dishkeya .

Regarding the female genitalia, D. tarapotica sp. nov. exhibits relatively large ovipositor lobes. Therefore, we update the diagnosis of the genus Dishkeya by stating that ovipositor lobes range from small to medium-large, rather than only small as previously described. The concept of the genus Dishkeya can also be expanded based on novel traits observed in D. tarapotica sp. nov.: i) the female genitalia possess thickenings caudal or ventral to the inner prela; ii) the male genitalia exhibit variously developed carinae, which can be extremely long—exceeding the lateral processes of the phallus in D. tarapotica sp. nov. —and iii) the lateral processes of the phallus can bear large spines. On the other hand, both female and male genital structures—specifically the pseudognathos formed by modified socii, the uncus with slender lateral processes, the elaborated valva, the relatively large vinculum, and the wide phallus with well-developed lateral processes and prominent, long carinae, as well as the distinctly short corpus bursae in the female genitalia with a hardened and spinose neck—conform well to the established concept of Dishkeya . The strikingly branched leaf mines of D. tarapotica sp. nov. also remain fully consistent with the genus, clearly fitting its diagnostic description: unlike the majority of Tischeriidae , which possess round, irregular, or elongated blotch-like leaf mines, Dishkeya species have mines ranging from linear-slightly branched to greatly branched.