Choreutis japonica ( Zeller, 1877 )

Sohn, Jae-Cheon, 2022, Three species of Choreutidae (Lepidoptera) new to Korea with the first record of Brenthiinae for the country, Journal of Species Research 11 (3), pp. 202-207 : 204-205

Choreutis japonica ( Zeller, 1877)

ṻljâḝệ날ffl나® ( Figs. 1B- F , 2C )

Simaethis japonica Zeller, 1877: 174 . Type locality: Japan.

Anthophila japonica ; Inoue, 1954: 48.

Eutromula japonica ; Arita and Diakonoff, 1979: 18.

Choreutis japonica ; Heppner and Duckworth, 1981: 54.

Description. Head - Vertex and frons dark fuscous, intermixed with pale orange scales laterally. Antenna 2/3 as long as forewing, dark brown, annulated with white. Labial palpus brownish white, with two dark brown rings on 2 nd and 3 rd palpomeres. Thorax - Patagium dark fuscous; tegula brownish black, with pale-yellowish brown fascia basally and at distal 1/4; mesonotum brownish black, with pale-yellowish brown fascia at anterior 1/7 and middle; mesoscutellum pale-yellowish brown. Forewing length 5.2 mm, dark brown, darkened along costa; basal bar pale orange, irrorated with dark brown; antemedian fascia pale yellow; median patch orange, intermixed with dark brown scales; two postmedian fasciae undulate, yellowish orange; subterminal area brownish yellow, intermixed with dark brown scales; cilia pale-brownish gray, tinged with dark brownish gray at apex, middle and tornus. Hindwing dark brown; medial patch triangular, orange; cilia pale-brownish gray, tinged with brownish gray apically, tornally. Female genitalia ( Fig. 2C ) - Papillae anales subrectangular, long-setose. Apophyses posteriores 1.5 × longer than apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae large, oval; lamella postvaginalis subquadrate, spinulate along marginal areas. Ductus bursae narrow, enlarged near corpus bursae; antrum as sclerotized ring. Corpus bursae obovate; signum as scobinate bulge at anterior 1/3. See Arita (1987) for the characteristics of the male genitalia.

Material examined. [ Korea] 1$, Jeju Prov., Is. Sangchujado, Mt. Bongeulesan , 24 July 2018 (larva collected on Ficus electa ), 5 August 2018 (adult emerged), leg. J.- C. Sohn, rearing no. K613, GJUE ; 1$, ditto, 3 May 2019 (larva collected on Ficus electa ), 15 May 2019 (adult emerged), leg. J.-C. Sohn, rearing no. K623, genitalia slide no. SJC-1310, NIBR .

Distribution. Korea (new record), Japan.

Host plants. Moraceae - Ficus erecta Thunb. , F. pumila L. (this study; Arita, 1987).

Remarks. The adult moths were obtained from the larvae captured in the collecting sites and reared in the lab. The larva webbed the leaves of Ficus electa to make a shelter. It fed the inside of its nest and left droppings therein ( Figs. 1C- E ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus (A-B) and life-cycle (C-F) of Choreutidae. A. Litobrenthia japonica (Issiki, 1930), male. B-F. Choreutis japonica (Zeller, 1877): B. female habitus, C. young larva on Ficus erecta, D. mature larva, E. larval shelter, F. emerged adult. Scale bars in A and B=3 mm.

Fig. 2. Genitalia of Choreutidae.A. Litobrenthia japonica(Issiki, 1930), male(a=phallus). B. Litobrenthia japonica(Issiki, 1930), female. C. Choreutis japonica (Zeller, 1877), female. D. Choreutis atrosignata (Christoph, 1888), female.