Hyposmocoma opuumaloo 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 : 43-45

Hyposmocoma opuumaloo Schmitz and Rubinoff , sp. nov. Figs. 3 , 9 , 14, 22 , 28

Material examined. Holotype ɗ (dissected, slide PS132): [1] ‘H[ AWAI]I: Necker, Flagpole Hill | “cone” case, VI-23 -[20]07 | em[ergence]. VIII-20 -[20]07, #DR07F 3I | leg[it]. C[indy]. Rehkemper’; [2] ‘ HOLOTYPE | Hyposmocoma | opuumaloo | Schmitz and Rubinoff’. Specimen in good condition except for broken antennae and left labial palpus. Deposited in the UHIM. Paratypes: 2 Ψ (dissected, slide PS134), from Necker Island, Hawaii, USA, with same data as holotype except date of emergence: VIII-16 -[20] 07, IX-13 - 0 4. Deposited in the UHIM.

Diagnosis. H. opuumaloo is somewhat similar in wing pattern to H. papahanau . The two species can be easily separated by the presence in H. opuumaloo of a cream area on the inner margin of the forewings and a patch of dark-brown scales at the base of the hindwings. Also, males of H. opuumaloo possess a sclerotized hook on abdominal segment VII. Also, H. opuumaloo is endemic to the island of Necker and H. paphana is found only on the island of Nihoa .

Description. Male (n=1) ( Figs. 3 , 14). Wingspan 9.1 mm (holotype). Head mostly grayish-brown on occiput becoming off-white on vertex and frons. Base of haustellum with white scales. Maxillary palpus reduced. Recurved labial palpus grayish brown dorsally and off-white ventrally, with some sparse grayishbrown scales on second and third segment apically. Antennal flagellum dark brown, with off-white ring at apex on first flagellomere; scape dark brown with off-white scales ventrally and forming ring apically, antennal pecten made of five thin setae. Thorax and tegula dark brown; metascutellum pale beige. Foreleg coxa beige; femur dark brown; tibia and tarsomeres dark brown with off-white ring at middle and apex of tibia, and apex of tarsomeres I, II, and V. Midleg as foreleg, spurs off-white. Hindleg as midleg, but ground color more silver gray, with off-white rings at apex on tarsomeres I–V. Forewing grayish brown, with crescent-shaped band basally and costal margin slightly darker, cream area on inner half of forewing with some dark-brown-tipped off-white scales; dark-brown markings as a wavelike median patch along midline and somewhat fused with upper grayish-brown area, and postmedian spot separated from median patch by cream area; cream markings as notch subapically on costal margin and another opposite on inner margin. Hindwing gray with some dark-brown scales at base of inner margin; grayish-beige fringe. Subcostal brush absent. Abdomen dorsally pale beige; ventrally off-white, with tuft of long off-white scales on each side of genitalia. Sclerotized hook small with indistinct sclerotized ring on segment VII.

Male genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 14). Uncuslike processes with right process elongate, curved ventrally, apically pointed, adorned with small crest mediodorsally at 1/3 of length to apex, about 4 X length of left process. Tegumen wide, heavily sclerotized along margins, dorsoventrally flattened. Valvae symmetrical, forming long and slender arms, as wide as long, bent upward at almost right angle medially, adorned with setae disposed comblike along dorsal margin, with three sclerotized spurlike setae sequentially longer distally on each valva, setae on left valva about 4– 5 X length of smaller setae on right valva. Phallus large, heavily sclerotized, slightly bent to right, blunt tipped, with large bulbous base; vesica without spines or cornuti. Anellus with two symmetrical lobes, thin, angled upward, adorned with small setae until apex, and without longer apical setae.

Female (n=1) ( Fig. 28 ). Wingspan 8.9 mm. Frenulum with 3 acanthae. Head mostly with beige smooth scales. Forewing gray with brown-tipped scales dense enough apically to appear as brown patch; cream to offwhite area on inner half larger basally; with some scattered rusty-brown scales; dark-brown markings as crescent shaped band basally, another along 1/3 length of costal margin, a median patch undulating along midline and a postmedian spot separated from the median patch by cream area; rusty-brown markings as a notch subapically on costal margin and another opposite on inner margin, connected by a thin V-shaped subapical off-white line. Otherwise externally like males.

Female genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 22 ). Papillae anales short. Apophyses thin and straight; posterior apophyses about 2.5 X length of anterior apophyses. 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 with broad U-shaped emargination medially forming a bowl encompassing ostium with patches of dense scales situated laterally.

Larval case (n=113) ( Fig. 9 ). Cone-shaped, 6.7–7.1 mm in length, small and thin, decorated with bits of sand woven with silk filaments; operculum decorated with small pebbles; case background color ranging from gray to brown.

Etymology. From the Hawaiian ō pu’u, cone, and malo’o, dry, referring to the type of case and habitat of this species.

Biology. Adults were reared from case-making larvae. Larvae were collected on the ground during the day on the island of Necker in June. Most species of cone cased Hyposmocoma in the younger and higher Hawaiian Islands are aquatic (Rubinoff 2008), making the dry habitat of this species unusual. Distribution. Known only from the NWHI of Necker where it is presumed to be endemic. Remarks. This species may represent the new species 28 of Zimmerman (1978) collected on Necker Island based on characters like absence of subcostal brush, presence of sclerotized hook, male genitalia, and thornlike larval case.

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 9 – 11. Case types of Hyposmocoma spp., larvae. 9. Cone case type of H. opuumaloo; 10. Purse case type of H. mokumana; 11. Burrito case type of H. nihoa.

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).

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