Thyrocopa minor Walsingham

Medeiros, Matthew J., 2009, A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae), Zootaxa 2202, pp. 1-47 : 30-31

21. Thyrocopa minor Walsingham

( Fig. 39 )

Thyrocopa minor Walsingham, 1907b: 496 , plate 14, fig. 13.

Lectotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Molokai: +3000’ [914 m]: 1 Ƥ (slide 3946 BMNH), 5 Jun 1893, Perkins (BMNH), designated by Zimmerman, 1978: figs. 661, 691 (as “ holotype ”).

Thyrocopa minor Walsingham ; Zimmerman, 1978: 988, figs. 661, 691.

Diagnosis: Thyrocopa minor has a short signum; the only congeners on Molokai with with a short signum are T. abusa and T. gigas . T. minor is much smaller than T. gigas , but with only a female known, it cannot be distinguished from T. abusa . However, the female holotype of T. minor has more well defined spots on the wings than T. abusa .

Description: Head: Scales generally very light whitish-brown with a few brown scales. Antenna ca. 0.6x forewing length; female with several very short, piliform cilia on ventral side of flagellomere; male unknown. Labial palpus mottled very light whitish-brown and brown; smooth, long, recurved; third segment ca. 0.8x length of second. Thorax: Very light whitish-brown to brown. Forewing length 9 mm; ground color mottled light brown and brown; discal area clouded with poorly defined brownish spots in cell; curving poorly defined whitish band through the terminal area; dark, evenly spaced spots on distal half of costa and along termen at vein endings. Hindwing brown, anal margin darker, fringe brown. Abdomen: [Single specimen dissected; some of abdominal pelt missing], spines present typical of other Thyrocopa . Male genitalia unknown. Female genitalia typical for genus; signum short.

Food plants: Unknown.

Flight period: The single specimen was collected in June.

Distribution: Molokai. Possibly extinct.

Remarks: It is possible that the holotype of T. minor , collected by Perkins in 1893, is conspecific with T. indecora or T. abusa . The female signum is short, as in T. indecora , and the wing pattern is reminiscent of very small individuals of T. indecora from Oahu. The wing pattern of the holotype of T. minor is quite different from that of T. abusa . Because T. indecora is not known from Molokai, I have not synonymized T. minor with it.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 45. Adults of Thyrocopa. 31. T. indecora, Hawaii Island, forewing = 12 mm; 32. T. kanaloa (holotype), Kahoolawe, forewing = 7 mm; 33. T. kea, Kauai, forewing = 15 mm; 34. T. kea, Kauai, forewing = 20 mm; 35. T. kikaelekea, Hawaii Island, forewing = 10 mm; 36. T. kokeensis (holotype), Kauai, forewing = 8 mm; 37. T. leonina (holotype), Lanai, forewing = 9 mm; 38. T. megas, Maui, forewing = 18 mm; 39. T. minor, Molokai, forewing = 9 mm; 40. T. neckerensis (holotype), Necker, forewing = 7 mm; 41. T. nihoa, Nihoa, forewing = 7 mm; 42. T. peleana (holotype), Oahu, forewing = 18 mm; 43. T. sapindiella (holotype), Oahu, forewing = 10 mm; 44. T. seminatella, Kauai, forewing = 11 mm; 45. T. spilobathra, Oahu, forewing = 8 mm.