Tuthillia Hodkinson, Brown & Burckhardt

(Figs 21, 64, 74, 80)

Diagnosis: Head and thorax covered in conspicuous hairs (Figs 21, 64). Head as broad as or broader than thorax; vertex rectangular to trapezoidal; genal processes with the outer margin straight and the inner strongly convex from above; occipital sclerite may be developed as a tubercle; lateral ocelli raised on tubercles close to posterior margin of eye; anteorbital tubercles present (Fig. 21). Antenna 1.2–2.2 times the head width; segments 9 and 10 broader; setae on antennae longer than width of segments; segment 3 the longest; segment 10 longer than 9. Forewing somewhat rectangular, broad to very elongate; veins bearing prominent setae much longer than the diameter of veins; Rs long and sinuous; vein M1+2 strongly arched upwards; rs-m crossvein occasionally present; C+Sc and pterostigma somewhat thickened; costal break present. Meracanthus prominent; metatibia without genual spine and with a crown of 8–14 apical spurs; metabasitarsus with 2 apical spurs. Male proctiger densely hairy with broad posterior lobes.

Biology and damages: Tuthillia cognata Hodkinson, Brown & Burckhardt represents a major pest in plantations of Myrciaria dubia, also known as camu-camu (Couturier et al. 1992). Damage includes curling of apical leaves which turn yellow and wither (Burckhardt & Couturier 1988), dessication of buds and terminal leaves preventing plant growth (Couturier et al. 1992); immatures are found inside the leaf-curls producing great amounts of waxy secretions (Burckhardt & Couturier 1988). T. myrcianthis Burckhardt, Queiroz, Marsaro Junior & Wyniger induces irregular blister galls on the adaxial surface of fresh leaves of Myrcianthes pungens . Inside the gall a colony of immatures develops which are covered in long threads of wax (Burckhardt et al. 2012). Specimens of Tuthillia latipennis Hodkinson, Brown & Burckhardt were collected in Colombia on Myrcianthes sp. whose leaves presented deformations as shown in Fig. 74; immatures were found in groups confined to those deformations, covered with threads of wax (field observation).

Host-plants: Myrtaceae (Burckhardt & Queiroz 2012; Burckhardt et al. 2012; NHMB data).

Distribution: Central and South America (Hodkinson et al. 1986).

Remarks: This is the first record of this genus in Colombia.

Examined material: Tuthillia latipennis: Cundinamarca: 8 (male, female), Bogotá, Teusaquillo: Barrio Belalcázar, 4°38'07"N, 74°04'41"W, 2624 m, 14-Feb-2015, Myrcianthes sp. (J. Rodas), UNAB 1478; 12 (male, female), Bogotá, Éxito de la 69, 4°40'17"N, 74°09'08"W, 2544 m, 13-mar-12 (F. Serna), UNAB 1478; 2 (male, female), Bogotá, 4°53'N, 74°08'W, 2603 m, 21-Aug-2012 (L. Zubieta), UNAB 1478.