Male (Fig. 1). Forewing length 7.1–7.5 mm. Head. Vertex mostly pale yellow, creamy white behind antenna; frons creamy white; occiput creamy white behind vertex, yellowish-brown behind eye; ocellus present. Labial palpus porrect; first segment creamy white; second segment triangular in lateral view due to forward projected scales, outer surface yellowish-brown, inner surface creamy white; third segment upturned, mostly creamy white with scattered yellowish-brown scales. Antenna with scape and pedicel creamy white, flagellum creamy white dorsally and single transverse stripe of creamy white scales ventrally on each flagellomere. Thorax. Mostly creamy white dorsally, with scattered pale yellow scales; tegula yellowish-brown. Foreleg mostly brownish-grey with scattered creamy white scales; mid-leg mostly creamy white with scattered brownish-grey scales; hind leg creamy white. Forewing upper surface mostly yellowish-brown with scattered creamy white, pale yellow and blackish-brown scales on basal three quarters; dorsal band extended from base to about three quarters of forewing length, pale yellow, anterior margin with three scallops, the outer expanded by a patch of creamy white scales; a yellowish-brown band with poorly-defined anterior margin lines the dorsal band from base to just before the third scallop; apical area mostly pale yellow with scattered yellowish-brown and blackish-brown scales; lower surface brownish-grey; fringe with narrow creamy white scales with blackish-brown or yellowish-brown tip. Some specimens with a blackish-brown, instead of yellowish-brown, band lining the dorsal band. Hind wing upper and lower surfaces and fringe brownish-grey. Abdomen. Mostly brownish-grey with scattered creamy white scales. Segment VIII with well-developed pleural lobes and pair of coremata. Male genitalia (Fig. 2). Uncus absent. Tegumen a narrow, sclerotised transverse band; with pair of ventral pedunculi, each broadly fused to the respective arm of the vinculum; with pair of teguminal processes slightly longer than pedunculi, widely separated dorsally, ventrally fused near the middle. Anal cone mostly membranous, with slightly sclerotised ventral longitudinal patch slightly shorter than teguminal processes. Gnathos absent. Saccus continuous with vinculum, about three times the length of the ventral pedunculi of the tegumen; posterior two-thirds a triangular, concave plate, anterior third finger-like. Juxta triangular, about 0.25x length of saccus. Valva semicircular, about 1.2x length of saccus, maximum height about half length; ventral margin nearly straight, slightly convex near middle; apex and dorsal margin rounded; inner wall with sacculus reaching the convex part of the ventral margin of the valva, with a cluster of spiniform setae in distal area; outer wall with broad membranous area with outline similar to that of valva. Phallus slightly longer than valva, mostly needle-like, with bulbous base and pointed tip, vesica without cornuti; bulbus ejaculatorius semicircular, similar in size to base of phallus.

Figure 1.  

Habitus of Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. A Holotype, dorsal; B Holotype head, lateral; C Holotype head, anterior; D Paratype male, dorsal; E Paratype female, dorsal; F Paratype female, dorsal; G Paratype female, dorsal. Scale bars 1, 0.5, 0.5, 1, 1, 1, 1 mm, respectively.

Figure 2.  

Male genitalia of Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. A Male genitalia, lateral, left valva removed; white arrow indicates juxta; B Saccus and valvae, unrolled, ventral; bottom right rectangle: juxta, ventral; C Tegumen and anal cone, unrolled, dorsal; D Phallus, lateral. Scale bars 0.1 mm.

Female (Fig. 1). Forewing length 7.1–7.6 mm. Similar to male, but head and thorax more yellowish-brown and lighter and more variable forewing pattern, with dorsal band of forewing poorly differentiated. Female genitalia (Fig. 3). Papillae anales slightly sclerotised, with scattered setae. Posterior apophyses straight, about 1.7x length of papillae anales. Tergum VIII a transverse stripe with small triangular expansion in the middle of anterior margin and setae on posterior margin. Anterior apophyses slightly longer than posterior apophyses, mostly straight, slightly curved near base, with ventral branch extended to the anterior tip of the respective part of the lamella postvaginalis. Lamella postvaginalis a pair of triangular sclerites with setae on posterior margin. Sternum VII with slightly upcurved posterior projection arising from the middle of the posterior margin between two small excavations; length about 1.7x basal width. Ostium bursae at the tip of the posterior projection of sternum VII. Ductus bursae with well-sclerotised, upcurved posterior half, about twice the length of posterior projection of sternum VII; anterior half membranous, straight. Corpus bursae elongated, pear-shaped, membranous, without signa.

Figure 3.  

Female genitalia of Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov., lateral view; upper left rectangle: sterigma, ventral view. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. is recognised. based on genitalia morphology. The male lacks a gnathos and basal hook-like processes of the phallus ("lateral hooks" of Baraniak (2007)), has a triangular juxta and a cluster of spiniform setae on the sacculus near the convex part of the ventral margin of the valva and the female has the posterior projection on sternum VII arising between two small excavations. The forewing pattern of P. copaquillaensis sp. nov. is variable and closely resembles that of P. xylostella (Landry and Hebert 2013; figs. 10–16). Although the forewing of some specimens of P. copaquillaensis sp. nov. is more yellowish than that of P. xylostella, much of the variation overlaps between the two species. However, differences in genitalia morphology allow accurate identification. Unlike P. copaquillaensis sp. nov., P. xylostella has a gnathos and a pair of basal hook-like processes on the base of the phallus, lacks a juxta and has a cluster of spiniform setae on the sacculus near the base of the valva and offset from the margin in the male (Fig. 4) and the posterior projection on sternum VII arises between two markedly raised folds in the female (Fig. 5). The forewing pattern of P. copaquillaensis sp. nov. also closely resembles that of P. australiana (Landry and Hebert 2013; figs. 3–9). However, the two species can be separated using the same characteristics of the male and female genitalia that allow the separation of P. xylostella.

Figure 4.  

Male genitalia of Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) showing differences with Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. A Male genitalia, lateral, left valva and phallus removed; black arrow indicates cluster of spiniform setae in the sacculus near the base of the valva; B Phallus, dorsal; black arrow indicates one of the two basal hook-like processes; C Tegumen, gnathos and anal cone, dorsal; black arrow indicates gnathos. Scale bars 0.1, 0.1, 0.12 mm, respectively.

Figure 5.  

Female genitalia of Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) showing differences with Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov., lateral view; right rectangle: sterigma, ventral view. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality.

Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality, the Copaquilla Ravine, at about 3100 m elevation on the western slope of the Andes of northern Chile (Fig. 6).

Figure 6.  

Type locality of Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov., the Copaquilla Ravine, at about 3100 m elevation on the western slope of the Andes of northern Chile.

Neuontobotrys lanata (Walp.) Al-Shehbaz (Brassicaceae) is the only host plant currently documented for P. copaquillaensis sp. nov. (Fig. 7). The distribution range of N. lanata extends from southern Peru to central Chile (Al-Shehbaz 2006). Larvae of P. copaquillaensis sp. nov. feed on the flowers of this plant.

Figure 7.  

Neuontobotrys lanata (Walp.) Al-Shehbaz (Brassicaceae), the host plant of Plutella copaquillaensis sp. nov. in the Andes of northern Chile.