Thyrocopa peleana Swezey

Medeiros, Matthew J., 2009, A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae), Zootaxa 2202, pp. 1-47 : 32-33

24. Thyrocopa peleana Swezey

( Figs. 42 , 88 , 98 )

Thyrocopa peleana Swezey, 1932: 200 , plate 13, fig. 3.

Holotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Oahu: Waipio Rdg.: 1 Ƥ (slide Z-70-12 BPBM), 10 Sep 1927, O.H. Swezey. Ex. Pelea , “ex borer tunnel in living tree” ( BPBM).

Paratypes: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Oahu: Waipio Rdg.: 2 3 (slide 150 BPBM), 1 Ƥ (slide #151 BPBM), 10 Sep 1927, O.H. Swezey. Ex. Pelea ( BPBM).

Thyrocopa peleana Swezey ; Zimmerman, 1978: 989, figs. 649, 662, 692.

Diagnosis: Thryocopa peleana lacks the median dorsal ridge of the uncus characteristic of T. usitata ; the more shallowly cleft uncus of T. indecora and T. spilobathra ; the long sacculus of T. megas ; and the cilia surrounding on the flagellomere of T. usitata . It cannot be separated from T. sapindiella .

Description: Head: Scales light whitish-brown. Antenna ca. 0.7–0.8x forewing length; very dense, very short, piliform cilia on ventral side of flagellomere in male, female with short, piliform cilia on ventral side of flagellomere. Labial palpus very light whitish-brown; third segment ca. 0.8x length of second. Thorax: Very light whitish-brown. Forewing length 11–19 mm; ground color very light whitish-brown, with a few dark brown scales scattered throughout; discal area with three to four small, brownish spots in cell. Hindwing very light whitish-brown. Abdomen: Light whitish-brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 88 ) with apex of uncus deeply cleft; sacculus short, tapering to sharp apex, scooped-out in appearance. Female genitalia ( Fig. 98 ) typical for genus; signum long.

Food plants: Pelea (now Melicope ) (Hawaiian = alani). According to Swezey (1954), “the white moths of this species were reared from caterpillars in burrows of the longicorn beetle, Nesithmysus bridwelli Perkins (1920:343) , in Pelea trees on Waipio ridge, Oahu. The larvae feed in decaying wood and on bark around the entrance to the burrows, spinning a sheet-like web to cover the feeding area.”

Flight period: Larvae were collected by Swezey in September.

Distribution: Oahu. Possibly extinct.

Remarks: This species is known from four specimens reared by Swezey. According to Swezey (1932), and reiterated by Zimmerman (1978), T. peleana has been collected from burrows of the native Hawaiian cerambycid Nesithmysus bridwelli Perkins. Larvae were reported to feed on decaying wood in the burrows and on the bark around the entrance, spinning a sheet of web to cover the place where feeding took place. Thyrocopa peleana cannot be separated convincingly from T. sapindiella . Owing to the paucity of material for genetic study, I retain the two as separate.

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.

FIGURES 75 – 89. Male genitalia of Thyrocopa; for all figures, lower left box shows detail of uncus, lower right box shows detail of sacculus. 75. T. elikapekae, Kauai, male genitalia (slide LA 60 UHIM); 76. T. epicapna, Maui, male genitalia (slide LA 81 BPBM); 77. T. geminipuncta, Molokai, male genitalia (slide 07 A 44 BPBM); 78. T. gigas, Molokai, male genitalia (slide LA 33 UHIM); 79. T. indecora, Maui, male genitalia (slide 06 B 14 BPBM); 80. T. indecora, Oahu, male genitalia (slide LA 18 BPBM); 81. T. kanaloa, Kahoolawe, male genitalia (08 A 54 BPBM); 82. T. kea, Kauai, male genitalia (slide LA 59 UHIM); 83. T. kikaelekea, Hawaii Island, male genitalia (slide 05 A 45 BPBM); 84. T. kokeensis, Kauai, male genitalia (slide 21909 BMNH); 85. T. megas, Maui, male genitalia (slide LA 73 UHIM); 86. T. neckerensis, Necker, male genitalia (slide LA 10 BPBM); 87. T. nihoa, Nihoa, male genitalia (slide LA 13 BPBM); 88. T. peleana, Oahu, male genitalia (slide # 151 BPBM); 89. T. seminatella, Kauai, male genitalia (slide 07 A 90 BPBM).

FIGURES 90 – 104. Male and female genitalia of Thyrocopa; for figures of male genitalia, lower left box shows detail of uncus, lower right box shows detail of sacculus. 90. T. subahenea, Molokai, male genitalia (slide 07 A 51 BPBM); 91. T. usitata, Oahu, male genitalia (slide 31570 BMNH); 92. T. vagans, Kauai, male genitalia (slide LA 51 UHIM); 93. T. sp. A, Kauai, male genitalia (slide 31577 BMNH); 94. T. sp. B, Kauai, male genitalia (slide 31578 BMNH); 95. T. sp. C, Kauai, male genitalia (slide MJM 44 BPBM); 96. T. sp. D, Molokai, male genitalia (slide 07 A 37 BPBM); 97. T. sp. E, Molokai, male genitalia (slide 07 A 50 BPBM); 98. T. peleana, Oahu, female genitalia (slide Z- 70 - 12 BPBM); 99. T. kikaelekea, Hawaii Island, female, detail showing bursa with long signum (slide 06 A 62 BPBM); 100. T. abusa, Maui, female, detail showing bursa with short signum (slide 06 A 25 BPBM); 101. T. abusa, Maui, female genitalia, detail showing segments VIII – X (slide 06 A 25); 102. T. gigas, Molokai, female genitalia (slide 07 A 36 BPBM); 103. T. megas, Maui, female genitalia (slide 06 B 25 BPBM); 104. T. seminatella, Kauai, female genitalia (slide 31585 BMNH).