Philodoria lipochaetaella ( Swezey, 1940 )

Kobayashi, Shigeki, Johns, Chris A. & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2021, Revision of the Hawaiian endemic leaf-mining moth genus Philodoria Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): its conservation status, host plants and descriptions of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4944 (1), pp. 1-175 : 103-104

Philodoria lipochaetaella ( Swezey, 1940)

Figs. 23D–G , 24A .

Parectopa lipochaetaella Swezey, 1940: 464 .

Philodoria lipochaetaella ( Swezey, 1940) ; Zimmerman 1978a: 681, figs. 439, 442, 449, 455.

Type locality. A gulch above Lahaina (Maui) .

Type material. Lectotype ♂, Gulch above Lahaina, Maui, 28.viii.1929, O.H. Swezey Collector, host: Lipochaeta larvarum , | Holotype Parectopa lipochaetaella Swezey |Type no. 4260 in BPBM . Paralectotype 7 (1♂, 2♀, 4 sex unknown): 1♂, 1♀, 1 (sex unknown), same mount of lectotype in BPBM, 1♀, 3 (sex unknown), same data and locality as lectotype, SK 700♀ | BPBM34187 . Four paralectotypes missing. This species was described from 12 specimens from Maui. Zimmerman (1978a) designated Type no. 4260 (upper right of four syntypes) on a mount as lectotype ( Fig. 23E ), and the remaining syntypes are paralectotypes ( Fig. 23D, F, G ) .

Diagnosis. Very similar to P. sciallactis (Meyrick) , but can be distinguished by its round valva ( Zimmerman 1978a: fig. 449).

Redescription: Adult ( Figs. 23D–G , 24A ). Wingspan 5–6 mm in type series; forewing length 3 mm in lectotype, 2.5–3.0 mm in paralectotype. Head and frons white; maxillary palpus white; labial palpus white with a black spot externally at apex of second, and third segments. Antenna white beneath, ringed with fuscous above. Thorax white. Forewing pale ocherous with white patches: a narrow white median line at basal half of fold; widely white basal patch (ds 1 + ds 2) extending inwardly and outwardly oblique to meet cs 1 at middle; a dorsal patch (ds 3) from 1/2 to 3/4, almost connecting with cs 2 and cs 3; three outwardly oblique costal ones (cs 1–3), cs 1 from base to 1/2, cs 2 at 3/4, cs 3 at 4/5; three white costal spots (a, b, c) near apex; apical portion white centered with a patch of pale blue scales (as); all white areas with a few marginal fuscous scales; cilia white with basal line of fuscous scales and a fuscous line near scale tips. Hindwing and cilia pale gray. Legs white, fore and middle legs and posterior tarsi with black spots. Abdomen white, anal tuft pale ocherous to white.

Male genitalia. See Zimmerman (1978a, fig. 449). Tegumen 0.7–0.8 x length of valva; valva digitiform and slightly narrowing at middle, rounded at apex, slightly curved toward dorsal side, similar to P. hauicola . Saccus slender and needle-shaped in ventral view. Phallus not examined.

Female genitalia. The female genitalia are very similar to that of P. sciallactis . See Zimmerman (1978a, fig. 455).

Distribution. Maui ( Swezey 1940 b).

Host plants. Asteraceae : Lipochaeta lavarum (Gaudich.) DC. ( Swezey 1940 b) . Lipochaeta could not be found during our surveys of West Maui.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. We could not find the male specimen and male genitalia slide no. Z-I-27-61-3 of Zimmerman’s figs. 449 and 451. Swezey (1940, 1946) described this species twice from two series, collected from the same locality and same host plant in 1928 and 1929. Zimmerman (1978a) placed Parectopa lipochaetae Swezey, 1946 (= the specimens series in 1928) in synonymy with P. lipochaetaella , but P. lipochaetae is synonymous with P. sciallactis based on the male genitalia. Zimmerman (1978a) also noted in his taxonomic key that P. sciallactis has a subbasal oblique white costal streak (cs 1) which continues along the costa to or close to the wing base and the second oblique white costal streak (cs 2) is discontinued distinctly across wing. However, the forewing alone cannot be used to distinguish the two species. We treat the type series from 1929 and the male specimens that have a rounded valva as P. lipochaetaella .

Figures

FIGURE 23. Adults of Philodoria species. A P. marginestrigata (Walsingham, 1907) paralectotype male (BPBM 34197), B P. marginestrigata (Walsingham, 1907) Lectotype female, left wings, C Same specimen, right wings, D P. lipochaetaella (Swezey, 1940) paralectotype male, one of four cotypes on the same mount (upper left specimen on mount), E Lectotype male (upper right specimen on mount), F Paralectotype female (lower left specimen on mount), G Paralectotype (sex unknown, lower right specimen on mount). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 24. Adults of Philodoria species. A P. lipochaetaella, specimens originally described as Parectopa lipochaetae Swezey, 1946, syntype male B P. sciallactis (Meyrick, 1928) lectotype male C Paralectotype male D Paralectotype female E Male left forewing of specimen CJ164, host: Melanthera kamolensis, Maui F Same specimen, right forewing G Male right forewing of specimen CJ189, host: Melanthera kamolensis, Maui H Philodoria sp. B nr. P. sciallactis (specimen CJ483, sex unknown) right forewing, host: Lipochaeta acris, Kauai. Scale bar 1 mm.