Philodoria pittosporella ( Swezey, 1928 )

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 : 97-98

Philodoria pittosporella ( Swezey, 1928)

Fig. 21D .

Parectopa pittosporella Swezey, 1928: 189–190 .

Philodoria pittosporella ( Swezey, 1928) ; Zimmerman 1978a: 690, figs. 445, 452.

Type locality. Mt. Kaala , above 3000ft (Oahu) .

Type material. Holotype ♂, Mt. Kaala , Waianae range, [above 3000 ft.], Oahu, 1.iii.1925, Swezey Coll., ex cocoon on leaf of Pittosporum , | Holotype | Parectopa pittosporella Swezey Det. by O.H. Swezey | ♂ holotype abdomen sent E.C.Z 11-8-60,| [Type] no. 4264 in BPBM .

Described based on a single specimen from Oahu.

Diagnosis. The forewing pattern is similar to that of P. funkae sp. n., but it is distinguished by its light ocherous brown forewing and orange to light brown apex ( Fig. 21D ). See also the diagnosis of P. keahii sp. n.

Redescription: Adult ( Fig. 21D ). Wingspan 8.5 mm in holotype; forewing length 4 mm in holotype. Head and frons white; maxillary palpus white; labial palpus white, a little brownish externally. Antenna light ocherous brown, whitie at base, about 1.2–1.3x length of forewing. Thorax white. Forewing light ocherous brown with white patches: a large white ds 2 at 1/2, connecting ds 1 at 1/5, distad portion widened to fold, then with an oblique pointed extension continuing 2/3 across wing, another from 3/5 nearly to apex, an extension obliquely towards the end of white costal streak, not reaching it, with a few brown scales at 3/4; an outwardly oblique white cs 3 at 4/5, margined with fuscous scales; a few blue scales at apex; apical portion damaged, cilia gray with three white costal spots (a, b, c). Hindwing and cilia grayish fuscous. Legs grayish fuscous, somewhat banded with white. Abdomen grayish fuscous.

Male genitalia See Zimmerman (1978a: fig. 452). Tegumen oblong, 0.7–0.8 x length of valva; valva tapering along costal margin from basal 1/2 to apex; apical half slender and slightly curved toward inner margin. Saccus short and pointed at apex in ventral view. Phallus straight with small coecum; vesica with well-developed minute cornuti.

Female genitalia Unknown.

Distribution. Oahu ( Swezey 1928).

Host plants. and Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. Zimmerman (1978a) incorrectly reported Pittosporum as the host plant and noted that the larva emerges from its mine to spin a cocoon on the leaf surface. Swezey (1928) noted that the holotype was reared from a cocoon found on a leaf of Pittosporum without mines on the leaves and pointed that Pittosporum was not the actual host plant. We observed leaf mines on Pittosporum on Kauai and Oahu, but it is unclear what insect makes these leaf mines as we have not been successful in finding a mine with a larva. It is likely that this mine is not made by Philodoria , but by another insect.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Adults of Philodoria species. A Wings of P. funkae sp n., holotype female, B Right forewing of holotype shown in A, C Wings of paratype female, D P. pittosporella (Swezey, 1928) holotype male, E P. touchardiella (Swezey, 1928) lectotype female. Scale bar 1 mm.