Hyposmocoma ekemamao Schmitz and Rubinoff

Schmitz, Patrick & Rubinoff, Daniel, 2009, New species of Hyposmocoma (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae) from the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands of Laysan, Necker, and Nihoa, Zootaxa 2272, pp. 37-53 : 41-43

Hyposmocoma ekemamao Schmitz and Rubinoff , sp. nov. Figs. 2 , 13, 21, 27

Material examined. Holotype ɗ (dissected, slide PS138): [1] ‘H[ AWAI]I: Laysan, Guano Rock | “purse” case, IX-15 -[20]07 | em[ergence]. XI-15 -[20]07, #DR 07I2 H | leg[it]. C[indy]. Rehkemper’; [2] ‘ HOLOTYPE | Hyposmocoma | ekemamao | Schmitz and Rubinoff’. Specimen in good condition except for broken antennae and labial palpi. Deposited in the UHIM. Paratype: 1 Ψ (dissected, slide PS139), from Laysan Island, Hawaii, USA; HI, Laysan, Guano Rock, “purse” case, III-27 -[20]08, em. IV-17-08, #DR07C24C, leg. C[ynthia]. King’. Deposited in the UHIM.

Diagnosis. Hyposmocoma ekemamao is a relatively large beige species (wingspan between 10.0 and 10.5 mm). It could be confused in the NWHI only with H. mokumana which is also mostly beige, but has more contrasting markings, is larger, and occurs only on Necker Island.

Description. Male (n=1) ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 10.0 mm (holotype). Head mostly pale beige on occiput becoming off-white on vertex and frons. Base of haustellum with pale-beige scales. Maxillary palpus reduced. Thorax and tegula with dark-brown-tipped pale-beige scales; metascutellum pale beige. Foreleg coxa pale beige; femur gray brown; tibia and tarsomeres gray brown with pale-beige ring at middle and apex of tibia, and apex of tarsomeres I, II, and V. Midleg as foreleg, spurs pale beige. Hindleg as midleg, pale-beige rings at apex on tarsomeres I–V. Forewing mostly pale beige with dark-brown-tipped scales sometimes dense enough to appear as dark-brown area, with dark-brown markings as a median patch above midline reaching costal margin, line starting from bottom of patch undulating anteriorly along midline, and postmedian spot separated from apex of line by the pale-beige area. Hindwing and fringe off-white. Subcostal brush absent. Abdomen dorsally pale beige; ventrally off-white, with tuft of off-white long scales on each side of genitalia. Sclerotized hook of sternum VII absent. Genital flaps rounded, elongated and thin, arising on both sides at apex of sclerotized sternum VIII.

Male genitalia (n=1) (Fig. 13). Right uncuslike process sickle shaped, very long, about 6 X length of left process, slightly twisted. Tegumen wide, heavily sclerotized, dorsoventrally flattened. Valvae symmetrical, with long arms medium width, bent upward at right angle and enlarged postbasally in middle, adorned with setae disposed comblike along dorsal margin, distally with five sclerotized spurlike setae on left valva, the outer seta being thinner than the other four distant larger setae of same length, and only one thin spurlike seta on right valva. Phallus stout, blunt tipped, heavily sclerotized, open ventrally, and bent downward at right angle at about 2/3 of length; vesica without spines or cornuti. Anellus with two symmetrical lobes, thin until apex, both adorned with small setae, with long setae on apex.

Female (n=1) ( Fig. 27 ). Wingspan 10.5 mm. Frenulum with 3 acanthae. Head mostly covered with smooth cream-colored scales. Labial palpus recurved, first two segments pale beige, third segment dark brown with some pale-beige scales. Antennal flagellum dark brown, pale-beige ring at apex on first 8 flagellomeres; scape dark brown with pale-beige ring apically, antennal pecten absent. Forewing background creamy with fewer dark-brown-tipped scales than male, thus cream areas appearing scattered on forewing, dark-brown markings less contrasting than in males. Otherwise externally like males.

Female genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 21 ). Papillae anales short, lightly sclerotized and setose, slightly longer than wide. Anterior and posterior apophyses thin and straight, posterior apophyses about 3 X length of anterior apophyses. Ostium bursae heavily sclerotized, externally protruding, snailshell shaped curled to the left, with base of same girth. Ductus bursae long and thin. Corpus bursae oval and elongate, with light scobination; signum absent. Inception of ductus seminalis enlarged, cylindrical, situated at posterior end of corpus bursae. Apical margin of tergum VIII without medial emargination.

Larval case (n=18). Purse-shaped, 4.1–7.0 mm in length, smooth and cylindrical, bulged and flat in middle, with growth lines starting at middle and extending laterally toward two entrances; background color shiny dark brown.

Etymology. The name of H. ekemamao , from the Hawaiian, eke, bag, refers to the purselike case of this species, and mamao, remote, refers to the remote position of Laysan in the NWHI chain.

Biology. Adults were reared from case-making larvae. Larvae were collected on the ground during the day on the island of Laysan in September away from shoreline.

Distribution. Known only from the NWHI of Laysan where it is presumed to be endemic.

Remarks. The case collected by Fullaway (1914) on Laysan Island may belong to this species. On the right valva of the single available male the presence of a socket near the thin spurlike seta could indicate another spurlike seta, which was lost before dissection.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Holotypes of Hyposmocoma spp., adult males. 1. H. laysanensis; 2. H. ekemamao; 3. H. opuumaloo; 4. H. mokumana; 5. H. nihoa; 6. H. kikokolu; 7. H. menehune; 8. H. papahanau.

FIGURES 27 – 28. Paratypes of Hyposmocoma spp., adult females. 27. H. ekemamao; 28. H. opuumaloo.

FIGURES 20 – 26. Female genitalia of Hyposmocoma spp., ventral aspect 20. H. laysanensis (slide PS 124); 21. H. ekemamao (slide PS 139); 22. H. opuumaloo (slide PS 134); 23. H. mokumana (slide PS 126); 24. H. nihoa (slide PS 133); 25. H. kikokolu (slide PS 127); 26. H. menehune (slide PS 136).