Asturodes Amsel (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae): Three New Species from the Western Hemisphere and Food Plant Records from Area de ConservaciÓn Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Researchers have identified three new species of the Neotropical moth genus Asturodes (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica, bringing the total to four recognized species. A key discovery was a unique petaloid scale structure in the male genitalia's androconial organs, previously undescribed in Pyraloidea. The study also documented larval food plant records for three species, all associated with Rhamnaceae, contributing to a long-term inventory of ACG caterpillars, their hosts, and parasitoids, which includes DNA barcoding for species identification.

Solis, M. A., Phillips-Rodríguez, E., Hallwachs, W., Dapkey, T., & Janzen, D. H. (2020). Asturodes Amsel (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae): Three New Species from the Western Hemisphere and Food Plant Records from Area de ConservaciÓn Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 122(1), 147. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.122.1.147