Revision of the Hawaiian endemic leaf-mining moth genus Philodoria Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): its conservation status, host plants and descriptions of thirteen new species
Author
Kobayashi, Shigeki
0000-0002-1336-4730
crossroad1994@hotmail.co.jp
Author
Johns, Chris A.
0000-0002-1749-3847
Author
Kawahara, Akito Y.
0000-0002-1749-3847
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-03-17
4944
1
1
175
journal article
7393
10.11646/zootaxa.4944.1.1
8adfa0f6-06a7-44b5-a3be-351d0bdc7a62
1175-5326
4681813
380D2F75-D4F9-4974-97E2-25E0C62CB3B0
Philodoria keahii
Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara
,
sp. n.
Figs. 20D–F
,
50G
,
51E
,
52E
,
59H
,
91H, I
.
Philodoria
sp. 13;
Johns
et al
. 2018
: fig. 2.
Type
locality.
Kauaula (Maui).
Etymology.
The specific epithet,
keahii
is named after Keahi Bustamente, a native Hawaiian and plant and invertebrate conservation biologist that discovered a larva of this moth feeding on its host plant.
Type material.
Holotype
♂,
Kauaula
,
Maui
,
17.viii.2014
(stored),
C.A. Johns
leg., host:
Remya mauiensis
,
31.vii.2014
, CJ380 / SK758♂ in
BPBM
.
Paratype
2♀
, same locality and data as
holotype
, 9&
16.viii.2014
(stored), CJ332 / SK
756♀
, CJ377 / SK
757♀
in
BPBM
.
The
holotype
mounted as a dry pinned specimen with three wings placed under a coverslip without mountant (1/2 of right forewing and 2/3 of two hindwings).
Diagnosis.
The forewing pattern is similar to that of
P. pittosporella
(Swezey)
, but it is distinguished by its forewing which has a fuscous patch at 3/4 and rather narrowing dorsal streaks (
Fig. 20F
). Genitalia similar to that of
P. touchardiella
(Swezey)
, but it is distinguished from the latter by its short tegumen and saccus.
Description: Adult
(
Fig. 20D–F
). Forewing length
2.4 mm
in
holotype
, 2.7, 3.0 mm in two
paratypes
. Head and frons white; maxillary palpus white with dark brown scales at apex; labial palpus white with dark brown scales at apx. Antenna dark brown, bellow white about 3.0 mm long in
holotype
, 4.0 mm in
paratype
(SK757). Thorax brown. Forewing ocherous with three outwardly oblique white streaks:
ds
2
at about 1/2,
ds
3
at 2/3; a white band from base to 1/2 along dorsal margin, connecting
ds
2
;
cs
3
at 4/5; apical portion pale orangish brown with three costal white lines
(a, b, c
) at apical cilia; a fuscous spot at apex (
as
); a fuscous patch at 3/4; cilia fuscous,
bl
1
of terminal cilia orangish brown, tornal cilia interruputed with a white line. Hindwing and cilia grayish fuscous.
Male genitalia
(
Figs. 50G
,
51E
,
52E
) (n=1). Capsule
570 µm
. Tegumen 0.7–0.8 x length of valva; valva
430 µm
long, tapering along costal margin from basal 2/5 to apex, slightly narrowing at 2/3 and rounded at apex (
Fig. 50G
). Saccus short and triangular in ventral view (
Fig. 51E
). Phallus
460 µm
long and nearly straight, slightly widening at phallobase with small coecum; cornuti in vesica indistinct (
Fig. 52E
).
Female genitalia
(
Fig. 59H
) (n=2).
1200 µm
long. Ostium bursae large; antrum cup-shaped with a pair of broad lateral lobes; lamella antevaginalis
130–140 µm
, weakly sclerotized, slightly indented near the posterior margin, widening toward anterior margin of A7. Ductus bursae slender and long, middle part weakly sclerotized, round and flat; terminus of ductus bursae tubular, biforked. Corpus bursae
610 µm
, pyriform; anterior end of corpus bursae weakly sclerotized; paired rows of longitudinal, partly sclerotized wrinkles.
Distribution.
Maui.
Host plants.
Asteraceae
:
Remya mauiensis
Hillebr
, a plant species known only from Maui (
Fig. 69A, B
).
Biology.
(
Fig. 91H, I
). Larvae at first form a very slender linear mine (
Fig. 91I
), that gradually becomes an elongate blotch mine (
Fig. 91H
). One mine per leaf. Pupation occurs in the white cocoon outside of the mine on the abaxial leaf surface (
Fig. 91H
). Mines are very difficult to find and appear rare. When we visited the plant population in Ulupalakua Ranch in
July 2014
, we found less than 10 mines that were active or inactive after searching more than 50 plants.
Remarks.
There is another population of
Remya
further east of Kauaula, but we did not investigate these plants. We also investigated outplanted individuals of
R. montgomeryi
and wild individuals of
R. kauaiensis
on Kauai Island (both species are endangered), but did not find any signs of
Philodoria
mines.