New or poorly known Microlepidoptera from the Mascarenes (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae, Bedellidae, Batrachedridae, Carposinidae, Epermeniidae, Gelechiidae, Tineidae, Tortricidae)
Author
Bippus, Maik
text
Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology
2016
2016-12-20
66
2
347
370
https://www.contributions-to-entomology.org/article/view/1910
journal article
10.21248/contrib.entomol.66.2.347-370.1910
0005-805X
5373173
Idiophantis croconota
MEYRICK, 1918
Description
: Wingspan: 13.5–14.5 mm (plate 6: figs 21–23). Forwings are dark brown with a large ochreous yellow dorsal stripe, a black apical dot and whitish longitudinal apical mark.
The abdomen of the male has a coremata on the eight segment. Male genitalia: plate 6: figs 25–25b.
This species was described by a single female specimen from
Antananarivo
/
Madagascar
(
MEYRICK, 1918
) and
had not yet been illustrated, nor recorded outside of
Madagascar
.
Biology
: Hostplants are
Syzygium cumini
(L.) Skeels. and
Syzygium jambos
L. (Alston) (
Myrtaceae
). The larvae (fig. 24b) ties two opposite leafs together and feed inside. The pupae (fig. 24a) are cream-whitish and its reddish eyes are well visible. It pupates between the tied leafs. Pupal stage: 14 days.
Most probably this is an introduced species, both food plants are considered beeing introduced species to the Malagasy region (LAVERGNE, C., 2011).
In
La Réunion
this species does not seem to feed on other endemic
Syzygium
ssp., nor other
Myrtaceae
.
The specimens at light were all collected in
Réunion
,
La Possession
, alt.
400 m
.
Most specimens bred from larvae were collected in the same town at an altitude of
550 m
,
20°55'32"S
/
55°22'46"E
,
one specimen
at an altitude of approximately 20 meters in Saint-Paul
on
Syzygium cumini
.
Material examined
:
23-ix-2013
(e.l.#247-
Syzygium cumini
, St. Paul
, alt.
20 m
),
02-i-2014
(e.l.#122-
Syzygium jambos
),
16-vi-2014
(e.l.#219-
S. jambos
)
,
23-x-2014
,
13-xi-2014
,
14-xi-2014
,
16-xi-2014
(e.l.#289-
S. jambos
, slide RE-1382, male),
21-xi-2014
(e.l.#303-
S. cumini
),
23-i-2015
,
24-i-2015
(slide RE-1520, female),
11-ii-2015
,
15-ii-2015
,
21-ii-2016
(slide RE-1516, female),
21-ii-2015
(slide RE-1589, male),
20-iv-2015
(
2 specimen
), 24-iv-2015,13-v-2015,13-
viii-2015
(e.l.#461B-
S. jambos
),
22-viii-2015
(e.l.#461B-
S. jambos
),
03-xii-2015
(e.l.# 521-
S. jambos
),
06-ii-2016
,
15-ii-2016
(
2 specimen
),
23-iv-2016
,
19-viii-2016
.
Distribution
:
Madagascar
and new record for
La Réunion
.
Parasites
: From
one larva
found on
Syzygium jambos
was bred a
Braconidae,
Wilkensonellos
spec., that might be an undescribed species (determination: Pascal Rousse,
France
). Though it might have parasitized also another species that was bred from the same lot:
Macarostola eugeniella
(VIETTE, 1951) (Gracillariidae)
and for the moment I cannot attribute it with certainty to a species.
Remarks
: I would like to thank Dr. David Lees (BMNH) for allowing me to study the types of several
Idiophantis
species
, including
Idiophantis croconota
(labeled: NMMUK010304534; Abdomen missing;
Idiophantis croconota
MEYR., E. Meyrick
det., in Meyrick Coll.; Meyrick Coll., BM 1938–290;
Antananarivo
,
Madagascar
, M. II;
Holotype
).
Twelve specimens (some raised from larvae) were placed at the same museum in
July 2016
for thanking Mr Lees and the British Museum for their frequent help and efforts.
Two additional specimens were also deposited at the
ZMHB
-
Zoologisches Museum der Humboldt Universität
,
Berlin
in
June 2016
for study to
Dr. Mey
.