Hyposmocoma menehune 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 : 49-50

Hyposmocoma menehune Schmitz and Rubinoff , sp. nov. Figs. 7 , 18, 26

Material examined. Holotype ɗ (dissected, slide PS135): [1] ‘H[ AWAI]I: Nihoa , Miller Canyon | “burrito” case, VII-17 -[20]07 | em[ergence]. VII-22 -[20]07, #DR07G5 | leg[it]. D[aniel]. Rubinoff, J[esse]. Eiben’; [2] ‘ HOLOTYPE | Hyposmocoma | menehune | Schmitz and Rubinoff’. Specimen in good condition except for broken antennae and labial palpi. Deposited in the UHIM. Paratypes: 1 Ψ (dissected, slide PS136) from Nihoa Island, Hawaii, USA, with same data as holotype except date of emergence: XI-1 -[20]07. Deposited in the UHIM.

Diagnosis. Hyposmocoma menehune is a relatively small grayish species similar to H. kikokolu although smaller (see above Diagnosis of H. kikokolu ). It differs from H. kikokolu in male genitalia by having the arms of the valvae thinner and longer, with minute spurlike setae on the right valva (these setae are longer in H. kikokolu ), and in female genitalia by having the apical margin of tergum VIII with no medial emargination.

Description. Male (n=1) ( Figs. 7 , 18). Wingspan 7.4 mm (holotype). Head mostly grayish brown with rusty-beige scale tufts on each side at base of occiput. Base of haustellum with off-white scales. Maxillary palpus reduced. Thorax and tegulae mostly gray brown; metascutellum silver gray. Foreleg gray brown with off-white ring at middle and apex of tibia, and apex of tarsomeres I, II, and V. Midleg as foreleg, spurs offwhite. Hindleg as midleg. Forewing mostly covered with gray-brown-tipped gray scales; dark-gray-brown markings as pair of spots medially, disconnected and situated on top of each other, and another small spot postmedially on midline; off-white markings as a small notch subapically on costal margin and another opposite on inner margin. Hindwing and fringe uniformly silver gray. Subcostal brush absent. Abdomen dorsally silvergray; ventrally off-white, with tuft of long scales on each side of genitalia off-white. Sclerotized hook elongated, straight, apically enlarged with blunt apex arising from thin sclerotized ring. Genital flaps membranous, rounded, large, and thin, arising on both sides at apex of heavily sclerotized sternum VIII.

Male genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 18). Right uncuslike process elongate, curved ventrally, blunt apically, about 4 X length of left process. Tegumen wide, heavily sclerotized along margins, dorsoventrally flattened. Valvae symmetrical, long and slender, with same width until apex, bent upward at right angle before middle, adorned with setae disposed comblike along dorsal margin, with three long sclerotized spurlike setae of same length on left valva, first seta thinner and with three minute setae on right valva. Phallus large, heavily sclerotized, slightly pointed apically, with large bulbous base becoming gradually slender until apex; vesica without spines or cornuti. Anellus with two symmetrical lobes, with very thin arms, slightly enlarged from middle and adorned with small setae at apex.

Female (n=7). Wingspan 7.2 mm. Frenulum with 3 acanthae. Head and thorax darker than male with grayish-blue tinge. Antennal pecten made of two thin setae; ground color of forewing light-grayish blue, with markings darker than male, sometimes black, and terminal scales on termen black tipped. Otherwise externally like males.

Female genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 26 ). Papillae anales short. Anterior and posterior apophyses straight and very thin, posterior apophysis about 2.5 X length of anterior apophysis. Ostium bursae heavily sclerotized and very large, externally protruding, snailshell shaped curled to the left, with broad base. Ductus bursae long and of small girth. Corpus bursae oval and elongate, with light scobination; signum absent. Inception of ductus seminalis very enlarged, cylindrical, situated at posterior end of corpus bursae. Apical margin of tergum VIII without medial emargination.

Larval case (n=9). Burrito-shaped, 3.7–4.0 mm in length, similar to that of H. nihoa , but without distinctly curved pointed distal end.

Etymology. In the Hawaiian mythology, menehune represents a legendary race of small people who worked at night and lived far from the eyes of normal humans referring to the nocturnal case-bearing larvae of this species.

Biology. Adults were reared from case-making larvae. Larvae were collected on the ground during the day on the island of Nihoa in July.

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

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 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).