Philodoria, Walsingham, 1907

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 : 85

Philodoria sp. 2 of Johns et al. (2018)

Fig. 90 .

Philodoria sp. 2; Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2.

Material examined. 2 (sex unknown), Wahiawa Mts. , Kauai, 18.vi.2013 (stored), host: Hesperomannia lydgateyi, CJ 149. Two adults ( CJ149 /AHE_16) entirely sacrificed for molecular analysis ( Johns et al. 2018, fig. 2) .

Diagnosis. Genetically distinct from P. hesperomanniella sp. n. ( Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2).

Adult. Unknown.

Distribution. Kauai. Host plants. Asteraceae : Hesperomannia lydgateyi C.N.Forbes.

Biology. ( Fig. 90 ). Larvae form a sinuous linear mine along adaxial leaf margin that gradually expands as larvae feed and grow. One or two mines per leaf.

Remarks. Unfortunately, the two known specimens of this species were sacrificed for molecular analysis. DNA data suggest that this is a distinct species. Future surveys should survey the Wahiawa Mountains for this moth so that the morphology of this species can be studied and a formal species name can be assigned.

Figures

FIGURE 90. Mines of Philodoria sp. 2 on its host plant, Hesperomannia lydgateyi, Kauai. A, B Old mine.