Revision of New World Cosmorrhyncha Meyrick, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), with descriptions of five new species
Author
Brown, John W.
Author
Razowski, Józef
Author
Timm, Alicia E.
text
Insecta Mundi
2020
2020-02-28
753
1
21
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.3702985
f3540a81-fcbe-4ed4-84cf-7947a37b4a0d
1942-1354
3702985
90309AB5-BEC9-4B9C-93CF-F7F7714D345D
Cosmorrhyncha
Meyrick, 1912
Type
species.
Tortrix ocellata
Mabille, 1900
, by original designation.
Taxonomic history.
Cosmorrhyncha
was proposed by
Meyrick (1913)
to accommodate the single species
Tortrix ocellata
Mabille, 1900
from
Madagascar
. In his description, Meyrick incorrectly concluded that his previously described species
Eccopsis acrocosma
Meyrick, 1908
from
Malawi
, was conspecific with
C
.
ocellata
, and he synonymized the two.
Diakonoff (1981)
redescribed the genus, comparing it to
Eccopsis
, and retained the synonymy of the two included species. Apparently based on the superficially similarity among the
types
of the described species,
Powell et al. (1995)
synonymized the Neotropical
Carpocapsa ocelliferana
Walker, 1863
(from
Brazil
) with
Cosmorrhyncha ocellata
and
Cosmorrhyncha acrocosma
in the checklist of Neotropical
Lepidoptera
without comment.
Powell et al. (1995)
also incorrectly transferred the genus from Olethreutini to Grapholitini.
Aarvik (2004)
revised the Afrotropical species of
Cosmorrhyncha
; he was the first to recognize that
C
.
acrocosma
was distinct from
C
.
ocellata
, and he described one species as new.
Aarvik (2004)
did not mention the occurrence of
Cosmorrhyncha
in the New World.
Razowski (2004)
listed the genus in his review of Afrotropical tortricid genera, quoting key elements of
Diakonoff’s (1981)
diagnosis, and likewise mentioned the genus only from the Afrotropical Region.
Brown (2005)
listed five described species under
Cosmorrhyncha
:
C
.
acrocosma
,
C
.
microcosma
Aarvik
,
C
.
ocelliferana
,
C
.
ocellata
, and
C
.
tonsana
(Walker)
, transferring the last to the genus without comment and without noting that it was a new combination. Most recently,
Razowski and Wojtusiak (2012)
described
C. obuduana
Razowski and Wojtusiak, 2012
from
Nigeria
.
Morphology.
Species currently assigned to
Cosmorrhyncha
are extremely similar in facies and nearly indistinguishable from
Neorrhyncha
Aarvik, 2004
(
Aarvik 2004
;
Razowski and Wojtusiak 2012
). All are medium-small, reddish- or grayish-brown moths with a distinct rounded patch of raised silver gray or bluish gray scales near the distal end of the forewing discal cell. Within the group Neopotamiae (sensu
Diakonoff 1981
;
Aarvik 2004
), the genitalia of
Eccopsis
are extremely similar to those of
Cosmorrhyncha
, but the forewing shape, size, and pattern of
Eccopsis
are all dissimilar to those of
Cosmorrhyncha
(many
Eccopsis
are superficially similar to members of the Holarctic genus
Olethreutes
Hübner, 1822
and the pantropical genus
Megalota
Diakonoff, 1966
). Males of
Cosmorrhyncha
have a well-developed roll of secondary sex scales along the anal margin of the hindwing, and this feature is shared with many species of
Eccopsis
,
Olethreutes
, and
Megalota
. In contrast to related and/or similar genera, the labial palpi in
Cosmorrhyncha
and
Neorrhyncha
are elongate, slender, porrect, and somewhat pointed apically, usually orange or reddish brown with a dorsal or subdorsal iridescent bluish or black longitudinal line along the second segment. However, the labial palpi of
C. tonsana
lack this modification, and hence are more similar to those of putative related genera, e.g.,
Eccopsis
and
Megalota
.
The male genitalia of Neotropical
Cosmorrhyncha
are nearly indistinguishable from those of some species of
Eccopsis
, with a broad uncus with a rounded, bifid, spined apex; a broadly hourglass-shaped tegumen with rounded dorso-lateral shoulders; elongate, digitate socii; a short but well-defined subbasal process (“labis” sensu
Diakonoff 1966
) from the costa of the valva; and a valva that is distinctly expanded at the lower edge of the cucullus. Afrotropical species of
Cosmorrhyncha
can be distinguished from
Eccopsis
by the less developed subbasal process of the valva and an elongate dense row of stout setae along the basal edge of the cucullus. The male genitalia of some species of Neotropical
Cosmorrhyncha
can be distinguished from those of
Eccopsis
by the presence of one or more stout spines from the basal one-third of the valva, immediately basad of the cucullus, but these are absent in a few species. Similar to
Eccopsis
and
Megalota
, a small degree of asymmetry is present in the male genitalia of some species of
Cosmorrhyncha
, mostly in the configuration and number of spines on the valva.
The female genitalia of
Cosmorrhyncha
are extremely similar to those of
Neorrhyncha
. They also are similar to those of
Eccopsis
, but those of
Cosmorrhyncha
can always be distinguished by the shape of the signum—a straight, somewhat spindle-shaped plate from a weakly rounded base, shared with
Neorrhyncha
. The signum in
Eccopsis
usually bears two spindle-shaped plates or blades. In Afrotropical
Cosmorrhyncha
the posterior margin of sternum 7 is broadly V-shaped; in the Neotropical
C. tonsana
,
C. ocelliferana
, and
C. macrospina
it is more narrowly V-shaped (
Fig. 22–24
); and in the Neotropical
C. albistrigulana
and
C. osana
it is broadly rectangular (
Fig. 25–26
). This shape (V-shaped vs. rectangular or U-shaped) divides New World members of the genus into two groups. However, because females are unknown for three of the seven species, assignment of all species to one of these groups is not possible.
Relationships within Neopotamiae.
On the basis of the nearly indistinguishable forewing shape and pattern, and the signum of the female genitalia,
Cosmorrhyncha
is almost certainly the sister-group to
Neorrhyncha
. However, male genitalia of the two genera are moderately divergent, most likely the result of numerous autapomorphies acquired by
Neorrhyncha
. Based on numerous derived features of the male genitalia (i.e., uncus broad and distally bifid and spined; rounded dorsal shoulders of the tegu- men; valva broadened at the base of the cucullus),
Cosmorrhyncha
+
Neorrhyncha
is the putative sistergroup to
Eccopsis
. Within the context of Neopotamiae, additional related genera include
Paraeccopsis
Aarvik, 2004
,
Megalota
,
Metendothenia
Diakonoff, 1973
,
Geita
Aarvik, 2004
,
Afroploce
Aarvik, 2004
, and
Afrothreutes
Aarvik, 2004
(
Aarvik 2004
)
, all of which share a similar signum. In contrast, the signum of
Neopotamia
Diakonoff, 1973
is very different – a pair of subequal, U-shaped plates (
Diakonoff 1973
;
Razowski and Brown 2018
).
DNA barcodes.
Although all specimens from ACG were successfully sequenced (i.e., 75 of
C
.
tonsana
and 49 of
C
.
albistrigulana
) (
Janzen and Hallwachs 2011
), with few exceptions specimens from elsewhere yielded only short or no sequences. Short sequences were generated for
C. albistrigulana
from
Brazil
(258bp) and
C. ocelliferana
LNAUV
642-16 (290bp), as well as for
C. osana
LNAUV
633 (286bp) and
C. osana
LNAUV
635 (289bp). For a number of specimens, a 200bp segment near the center of the DNA barcode could not be amplified, including two specimens of
C. albistrigulana
(
NGSFT
4202-17 and NGS- FT4203-17), both specimens of
C. macrospina
, and a single specimen each of
C. landryi
(
NGSFT
4199-17) and
C. ocelliferana
(
NGSFT
4208-17) (
Table 1
). All other sequences were trimmed to a length of 654bp. Amplification failure likely was due to specimen age and/or storage in a humid environment, resulting in DNA degradation.
Although single gene trees are a poor substitute for those based on multiple genes and/or morphology, they often are consistent with the distribution of morphological characters at the species level, and hence, possess a degree of phylogenetic signal.
Figure 1
is a neighbor-joining tree of 28
Cosmorrhyncha
sequences, regardless of sequence length, rooted with
Paraeccopsis
and
Eccopsis
. The monophyly of
Cosmorrhyncha
is well supported (i.e., bootstrap support (BS) = 94) in relation to the outgroup taxa, and within the genus,
C. albistrigulana
is portrayed as sister to the remaining species. There is strong support for the monophyly of
C. albistrigulana
(BS = 82),
C. tonsana
(BS = 100), and
C. osana
(BS = 97), but not for
C. ocelliferana
(i.e., two sequences appear to be conspecific, but a third is not). Because the tree is based on sequences of variable length (i.e., missing data), and most of the species are represented by few examples, the relationships portrayed within
Cosmorrhyncha
are not particularly compelling.
Figure 2
is a neighbor-joining tree of 24
Cosmorrhyncha
sequences, rooted with
Paraeccopsis
and
Eccopsis
. In this tree the sequence data for all specimens excludes the 200bp segment that could not be amplified for several specimens. For example,
C. osana
was excluded from the analysis because its short sequences overlap considerably with the 200bp segment that was missing for several specimens. As in
Figure 1
, the monophyly of
Cosmorrhyncha
is well supported (BS = 73) in relation to the outgroup taxa. However, within the genus,
C. tonsana
is portrayed as sister to the remaining species. Although this tree suffers from many of the same shortcomings as the tree in
Figure 1
, the sequences used to generate
Figure 2
are more consistent in length among the sampled taxa. This arrangement, with the other
Cosmorrhyncha
comprising a clade without
C. tonsana
, is consistent with morphology; i.e., the short labial palpi and putative plesiomorphic wing pattern of
C. tonsana
; and it is perhaps the most compelling of the three trees.
Figure 3
is a neighbor-joining tree of 23
Cosmorrhyncha
sequences, rooted with
Paraeccopsis
and
Eccopsis
. This tree includes only specimens for which sequences longer than 500bp were analyzed. As a result, only three species of
Cosmorrhyncha
are included (less than half of the recognized Neotropical species), which provides extremely limited insight into relationships among the species of the genus. As in the other trees, the monophyly of
Cosmorrhyncha
is well supported (BS = 97), as is the monophyly of
C. albistigulana
(BS = 87) and
C. tonsana
(BS = 100), and two of the three specimens of
C. ocelliferana
.
Biogeographic implications.
The geographic distribution of
Cosmorrhyncha
is intriguing, with four species from the Afrotropical region, seven species from the Neotropical region, and none from elsewhere. While this Afrotropical-Neotropical connection suggests a Gondwanan origin of the genus, the group is too recent for its distribution to be the result of continental drift (
Fagua et al. 2016
). Several other tortricid genera are found in both the Afrotropical and Neotropical Regions, but most are not restricted to this distribution. For example,
Megalota
is species-rich in the Neotropical and Afrotropical Regions, but also occurs in
Australia
and the tropical regions of Asia, and is absent from typical Gondwanan locales (e.g., Notogea (Australasia) and the Patagonian Province of the Neotropical Region) (
Brown 2009
). For
Megalota
and other genera, the pattern is pantropical rather than Gondwanan. A similarly intriguing pattern is illustrated by
Hystrichophora
Walsingham, 1879
, distributed in the Afrotropical and Nearctic regions (
Agassiz and Aarvik 2014
;
Agassiz 2016
). Because these patterns are almost certainly not the result of continent drift, it is likely that the distributions of these and many other tortricid groups are the result of dispersal.
Figures 1–3.
Neighbor-joining trees.
1)
Tree based on all available sequences of
Cosmorrhyncha
(
n =
28), regardless of sequence length.
2)
Tree based on sequences excluding the the 200bp segment that could not be amplified for several specimens of
Cosmorrhyncha
(
n =
24).
3)
Tree based on all sequences longer than 500bp (
n =
23). [Bootstrap values ≥70 shown at nodes; BOLD process IDs or GenBank accession numbers next to species names.]
While vicariance undoubtedly played a major role in the early evolution and distribution of
Lepidoptera
, dispersal may be responsible for many of the observed distributions of
Lepidoptera
species and genera today (e.g.,
Kergoat et al. 2012
;
Rota et al. 2016
).
Rota et al. (2016)
reported dispersal over large, intercontinental distances in
Choreutidae
: four between Australasia and the Afrotropics, and one each between the Afrotropical and
Oriental
and Nearctic and Afrotropical Regions.
Kergoat et al. (2012)
noted for
Spodoptera
Guenée, 1852 (Noctuidae)
the “… occurrence of two symmetric long-distance dispersal events between the Afrotropical and the Neotropical region, which appear to have occurred in the late Miocene.” However,
Spodoptera
are known to be strong fliers, and hence their observed distributions are more likely to be the result of dispersal.
Frolov (2013)
also invoked a similar trans-Atlantic dispersal for the scarab beetle genus
Stenosternus
Karsch, 1881
(
Coleoptera
:
Scarabaeidae
:
Orphninae
), concluding that “Vicariance of the previously Gondwanan group due to the continent breakup seems the least probable hypothesis in the case of the orphnines.”
Life history.
Adults of
C. tonsana
have been reared from field-collected larvae on
Dialium guianense
(Aubl.) Sandwith (Fabaceae)
(
n =
51 individuals),
Machaerium seemannii
Benth. ex Seem. (Fabaceae)
(
n =
5),
Picramnia latifolia
Tul. (Picramniaceae)
(
n =
3), and “unknown Simarbouaceae” (
n =
6) in
Costa Rica
. Adults of
C. albistrigulana
have been reared from
Dialium guianense
(Fabaceae)
(
n =
45). These records suggest a preference for
Fabaceae
in
Costa Rica
.
Larvae are translucent pale green with a black to dark-brown head capsule and a pale greenish-amber prothoracic shield with a narrow, weakly bilobed, anterior band. They construct a shelter from a single rolled leaf from which they feed and within which they eventually pupate (
Fig. 27–30
). Pupae are typically tortricid with two rows of dorsal spines, and typically olethreutine without a distinct cremaster. The pupal stage lasts 7–8 days, and field-collected larvae reared in captivity rarely produced parasitoids.