Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe, 1993

Nasu, Yoshitsugu, 2006, Lopharcha moriutii, sp. nov. and Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae, Chlidanotinae, Polyorthini) from Thailand and Hong Kong, Zootaxa 1369, pp. 55-61 : 59-60

Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe, 1993

Figs. 2 , 5, 6 , 8

Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe, 1993: 404 , figs. 1–15 (adult, wing venation, ď and Ψ genitalia, larva, pupa); Liu & Li, 2002: 27, color pl. 1, fig. 3, pl. 1, fig. 3, pl. 54, fig. 3, pl. 99, fig. 3 (adult, ď and Ψ genitalia); Brown et al., 2005: 511.

Diagnosis. Sexual dimorphism is not pronounced. Wing expanse is 9–12 mm. The species has a bicolored forewing, with the basal 1/3 dark grayish brown and the apical 2/3 brownish ( Fig. 2 ). The male genitalia are characterized by a long aedeagus, valva with a process on sacculus, and large vinculum ( Figs. 5, 6 ). The female genitalia are characterized by a large rectangular sterigma, a sclerotized ductus bursae and a hornshaped signum with a round top ( Fig. 8 ). The moth is distinguishable from its congeners by these characters.

Material examined. China: Hong Kong, Victoria Peak (400 m), 2ď, 1Ψ, vii.1991, K. Li leg., 1ď, viii.1991, K. Li leg., 1Ψ, viii-ix.1992, A. C. Galsworthy leg., 2ď, v.1993, A. C. Galsworthy leg., 1ď, 2Ψ, vi.1993, A. C. Galsworthy leg., 2Ψ, vii.1993, K. Li leg.; New Territories, 1ď, 2Ψ, 24.ii.2002, M. S. Sterling leg., 2ď, 2002, M. S. Sterling leg. (all BMNH).

Distribution. South China.

Host plant. Lauraceae : Cinnamomum cassia Presl , C. camphora (L.) Presl, C. parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn. ( Liu & Kawabe, 1993) .

Biology. The adult moths are attracted to light. The larvae bore into the twigs of the host plant ( Liu & Kawabe, 1993).

Remarks. Liu & Kawabe (1993) and Liu & Li (2002) gave only simple line drawings of the adult and genitalia of the species. Therefore I augment those illustrations with photographs.

Polylopha is distributed in the Oriental and Australian regions, and seven species have been recorded previously ( Brown et al., 2005). The genus is associated with Annonaceae : P. e p i d e s m a Lower, 1901 (= porpacias Meyrick, 1908) feeds on Polyalthia longifolia (Wall.) Benth. et Hook. (Annonaceae) ( Diakonoff, 1974; Robinson et al., 2001), P. hypophaea Diakonoff, 1974 on “kalak” [ Miliusa horsfieldii Baill. ex Pierre ] ( Diakonoff, 1974), and Lauraceae : the present species on Cinnamomum spp. The genus is closely related to Lopharcha , and the distinguishing character is noted in the remarks for the preceding species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Adults. 1, Lopharcha moriutii Nasu, sp. nov., holotype ♂. 2, Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe Ψ.

FIGURES 3 – 6. Male genitalia and scent organs of eighth segment. 3, 4, Lopharcha moriutii Nasu, sp. nov., holotype, genitalia slide no. YN 1272, dorsal part of left valva ripped by dissecting, 4: eighth segment, a pair of long hairpencils lost by dissecting. 5, 6, Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe, genitalia slide no. BMNH 27583, 6, eighth segment. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 8. Female genitalia. 7, Lopharcha moriutii Nasu, sp. nov., paratype, genitalia slide no. YN 1273. 8, Polylopha cassiicola Liu & Kawabe, genitalia slide no. BMNH 27584. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.