Hyposmocoma wailua, Schmitz & Rubinoff, 2011

Schmitz, Patrick & Rubinoff, Daniel, 2011, The Hawaiian amphibious caterpillar guild: new species of Hyposmocoma (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) confirm distinct aquatic invasions and complex speciation patterns, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 162 (1), pp. 15-42 : 27-30

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00676.x
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5491885
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039F87D7-FF9D-8412-FCEA-FB4F23A40062
treatment provided by	Valdenar
scientific name	Hyposmocoma wailua
status	SP. NOV.

Treatment

HYPOSMOCOMA WAILUA SCHMITZ & RUBINOFF SP. NOV. ( FIGS 1F View Figure 1 , 2C View Figure 2 , 10 View Figure 10 , 11F View Figure 11 )

Material examined: HOLOTYPE ♂: [1] ‘H[ AWAI]I: Kauai, N. Fork of Wailua river | N 22.06269°, W 159.46791° | elev[ation]. 1186 f[ee]t, ‘bugle’ case, II-23 -[20]09 | em[ergence]. IV-20-[20]09, #DR09B4B | coll[ectors]. P[atrick]. Schmitz, D [aniel]. Rubinoff, M [ichael]. San Jose’; [2] GoogleMaps ‘ HOLOTYPE | Hyposmocoma | wailua | Schmitz and Rubinoff’. Specimen in perfect condition. Deposited in the UHIM .

PARATYPES: 6 ♂, 7 ♀, from Kauai Island , Hawaii, USA ; 1 ♂, with same data as holotype ; 5 ♂, 7 ♀, with same data as holotype except date of emergence: 2.iii.2009 (1 ♂), 2.iv.2009 (1 ♀), 3.iv.2009 (1 ♂), 6.iv.2009 (1 ♂, 1 ♀), 7.iv.2009 (1 ♂, dissected PS200, 1 ♀), 9. iv.2009 (2 ♀), 10.iv.2009 (1 ♀, dissected PS201), 13.iv.2009 (1 ♀), 20.iv.2009 (1 ♂). Deposited in BPBM, UHIM, and USNM .

Diagnosis: Hyposmocoma wailua is a relatively small uniform greyish-blue species with metallic blue iridescences. Adults can be easily distinguished from the closest looking species, H. kamakou sp. nov., by the broad valvae and differences in shape and length of the sclerotized spur-like setae in male genitalia, and distinct sclerotized ring and minute sclerotized point on abdominal segment VII in males. The larvae of these two species have easily distinguished case types ( Fig. 2A, C View Figure 2 ).

Description: Male (N = 7) ( Figs 1F View Figure 1 , 10 View Figure 10 ). Wingspan 7.9– 9.3 mm (holotype: 8.1 mm). Head with greyish-blue scales converging to occiput becoming off-white on vertex and frons. Haustellum with greyish-blue scales. Maxillary palpus reduced. Labial palpus recurved with greyish-blue scales dorsally and offwhite scales ventrally. Antenna flagellum darkish grey; scape with greyish-blue scales and off-white ring at apex; antennal pecten present with three to six thin setae. Thorax greyish-blue; metascutellum greyish-beige. Foreleg greyish-blue. Midleg as foreleg, but also with inconspicuous off-white ring on apex and middle of tibia, and tarsomeres I–II, spurs pale beige. Hindleg as midleg, but ground colour pale greyish blue. Forewing greyish blue with some scattered off-white scales; inconspicuous dark greyishblue markings appear where scales are dense enough as a submedial patch under midline and a postmedial spot on midline; off-white markings as a small notch subapically on costal margin and another opposite on inner margin. Hindwing silver grey. Subcostal brush absent. Abdomen dorsally uniform silver grey with metallic blue iridescence; ventrally off-white, with tuft of long pale beige to dark-brown scales on each side of genitalia. Sclerotized hook arising from distinct sclerotized ring on the right side of tergum VII, large with pointed apex; minute sclerotized point on the left side. Genital flaps on sternum VIII, rounded, broad, and thin.

Male genitalia (N = 1) ( Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ). Uncus-like processes attached to tegumen, right process elongate and flattened on entire length, curved ventrally, apically pointed, about eight ¥ length of left process. Tegumen wide, heavily sclerotized, dorsoventrally flattened. Valvae symmetrical, with long and slender arms, enlarged apically, bent upward in the middle, adorned with setae arranged comb-like along dorsal margin, with three sclerotized spur-like setae of same length on each valva, minute and apically rounded on right valva, large and claw-like on left valva, being nine ¥ length of those on right valva. Phallus large, heavily sclerotized, slightly bent to the right, blunt tipped, with large bulbous base; vesica without spines or cornuti. Anellus with two lobes, thin, angled upward, both adorned with small setae until apex, left lobe bulbous apically.

Female (N = 7). Wingspan 8.0– 9.4 mm. Frenulum with three acanthae. Antennae slightly thinner than that of male. Otherwise externally like males.

Female genitalia (N = 1) ( Fig. 11F View Figure 11 ). Papillae anales slightly longer than large. Apophyses thin and straight, with posterior apophyses very long, about three ¥ length of anterior apophyses. Ostium-bearing process heavily sclerotized, snail-shell shaped, with broad base. Ductus bursae long and of small girth. Corpus bursae oval and elongate, and with light scobination; signum absent. Inception of ductus seminalis very enlarged, cylindrical, situated behind of corpus bursae. Apical margin of sternum VII with no emargination medially.

Larval case (N = 95) ( Fig. 2C View Figure 2 ). Cone-shaped structure, 5.0–6.0 mm in length, very small, decorated with dark brown and black bits of sand woven with silver silk filaments; uniform coloured; aperture of case width covered with a flat and bare operculum, unlike cone case type species where the aperture is often obscured by attached pebbles and frass, can be closed tightly by the larvae with its mandibles from the inside; each lateral side of aperture adorned with distinctive horns; case unadorned with pebbles, lid is clearly visible; background colour ranging from pale grey to slate grey.

Etymology: The name H. wailua is derived from the Wailua river on the island of Kauai where this species can be found.

Biology: Adults were reared from amphibious casemaking larvae. Case-bearing larvae were collected during the day on rocks in the Wailua river on the island of Kauai in February.

Distribution: Known only from the upper reaches of the Wailua river on the island of Kauai where it is presumed to be endemic.

Remarks: This aquatic species has the smallest conecased larva. Initially this cone case species was mistaken for a variation of the typical bugle-cased species, H. eepawai , we found in Kawaikoi stream on west Kauai. However, careful rearing and systematic analysis revealed that there are two different and distinctive cone case type species, H. wailua and H. uhauiole , in the Wailua river occurring together in large numbers on the same rocks. However, for some reason H. wailua is not also found in the Uhau‘iole stream whereas both the cone-cased H. uhauiole and the burrito-cased H. ipowainui occur in both the Wailua and Uhau‘iole streams. Although it is possible that our collecting has failed to discover H. wailua in Uhau‘iole stream, we have made repeated trips and collected hundreds of larvae. It therefore now seems more likely that different aquatic species may have significantly different sensitivities to habitat conditions or water quality.