Calicotis latebrifica Terada, 2016

Sohn, Jae-Cheon, 2023, Report of fern spore-feeding Calicotis latebrifica Terada, 2016 (Lepidoptera, Stathmopodidae) new to Korea, Journal of Species Research 12 (2), pp. 150-153 : 151-152

Calicotis latebrifica Terada, 2016 ( Figs. 1A - D, 2A, B )

ḆṆŅnj나®

Calicotis latebrifica Terada, 2016: 137 . Type locality:

Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Kikai Is.

Description. Habitus ( Fig. 1A) - Head: Vertex lustrous, pale yellowish gray; frons and occiput lustrous, white. Labial palpus slender, white, intermixed with yellowish gray scales laterally. Antenna 4/5 as long as forewing, lustrous, pale yellowish gray. Thorax: Tegula white, intermixed with yellowish gray scales on basal half; mesonotum white. Forewing length ca. 4.2 mm, lustrous, white, tinged with dark brown on basal half of costa; median band, oblique, dark yellowish brown; tornal blotch dark yellowish brown; cilia pale fuscous. Hindwing very narrow, fuscous in distal half, pale gray in basal half; cilia pale fuscous. Male genitalia ( Fig. 1B) - uncus stout, round apically, with downward, stiff setae dorsolaterally. Gnathos tongue-shaped, as long as uncus, narrowly-round apically. Tegumen narrow. Valva subrectangular in basal half, digitiform and densely setose in distal half; dorsal margin of costa convex in basal 1/6; sacculus sclerotized, round apically. Phallus ( Fig. 1C) stout, with apical patch of stimuli; cornutus absent. Female genitalia ( Fig. 1D) - sternite VIII shield-shaped, concave distally, with sclerotized area and long setae along distal margin. Papillae anales tongue-shaped, slightly protruding dorsoapically, setose. Surrounding area of ostium bursae emarginated in bowl-shape. Ductus bursae short, dilated to corpus bursae; ductus seminalis long, dilated basally. Corpus bursae obovate, with signum on caudal 1/3; signum crescentiform.

Material examined. 1♂, Jeju Prov., Is. Chujado, 4 vi 2015, genitalia slide no.: SJC-1337, GJUE ; 3$, Jeju Prov., Chuja-myeon, Is. Sangchujado, Daeseo-ri, Mt. Bonggeulresan , 24 vii 2018 (JC Sohn), larvae on Dryopteris nipponensis Koidz. , adults emerged on 7-12 viii 2018, genitalia slide no.: SJC-1350, GJUE & NIBR .

Distribution. Korea (new record), Japan.

Host plants. Dryopteridaceae - Cyrtomium falcatum (L. f.) C. Presl; C. fortunei J. Sm. ; Dryopteris nipponensis Koidz. (this study; Terada, 2016).

Remarks. This species differs from another fern sporeassociated stathmopodid species in Korea, Cuprina fuscella Sinev, 1988 in having whitish body and wings and ventrally-ciliate antennae. The larvae construct sheet-like shelters with spore debris and silk ( Fig. 2A ) on the underside of fern leaves. They feed on fern sporangia within their shelter and by doing so, expand it to include intact sori ( Fig. 2B ). When fully matured, they pupate within their nests.

Figures

Fig. 2. Larval shelters of Calicotis latebrifica Terada, 2016. A. shelters on Dryopteris nipponensis Koidz., B. an expanded shelter, scale bar=5 mm.