Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes Hoare

Hoare, Robert J. B. & Nieukerken, Erik J. van, 2013, Phylogeny and host-plant relationships of the Australian Myrtaceae leafmining moth genus Pectinivalva (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae), with new subgenera and species, ZooKeys 278, pp. 1-64 : 33-37

Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes Hoare sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype. ♂, 27.36S, 151.59E, Leslie St., Toowoomba, Queensland, emg. 8.x.1995, Eucalyptus pilularis , R.J.B. Hoare, I.F.B. Common. Paratypes. 6♂, 4♀, same data as holotype, emg. 3-10.x., 9.xi., 13.xii.1995, slides 11330, 12066 (anic); 5♂, 4♀, 27.36S, 151.59E, J.E. Duggan Park, Leslie St., Toowoomba, Queensland, 6.vii.2000, emg. 11.viii.-27.ix.2000, Eucalyptus pilularis , R.J.B. Hoare, C. van den Berg, bred in NL, slide EJvN3548 (rmnh); 4♂, 2♀, McAfee’s Lookout, Brisbane Forest Park, Queensland, emg. 1-10.x.1995, Eucalyptus carnea , R.J.B. Hoare, slides 11262, 11263 (anic).4♂, 3♀, Lisarow, N.S.W., emg. ix.1954, ix.-x.1955, x.1956, Eucalyptus acmenoides ,K.M. Moore; 1♀, Mollymook, N.S.W., 21.xii.1996, emg. 28.i.1997, Eucalyptus pilularis , R.J.B. Hoare.

Description.

Male (Fig. 10). Wingspan 5.2-5.7 mm. Head capsule (Figs 21, 22): labial palpi distinctly shorter than galeae; maxillary palpi with ratio of segments from base approximately 0.4: 0.3: 0.4: 1.4: 1.0; interocular index 0.69; scape slightly expanded posteriorly into a setose ‘bump’; 1st 2 flagellar segments of antenna fused and narrower than remaining segments so that base of flagellum appears slightly invaginated posteri orly. Frontal tuft black, collar white; eyecaps white, black-bordered posteriorly beneath; antennae shining grey, ca. 42 segments. Thorax and forewing entirely blackish brown; a row of long blackish androconial scales projecting from dorsum; cilia shining dark brown, cilia-line indistinct. Hindwing rather broad, dark brown, with a small narrow androconial pocket basally; cilia shining blackish. Underside: forewing dark brown, costa black with a knob of black granular scales at base forming retinaculum; hindwing dark brown with blackish lamellate scales along basal ½ of costa. Wing venation as in Fig. 35. Legs: fore-tibia thickened above with blackish scales. Abdomen shining blackish.

Female (Fig. 11). Wingspan 5.0-5.2 mm. Head: frontal tuft brownish, collar white; eyecaps shining white, unmodified, antennae shining grey, ca. 24 segments, basal flagellar segments unmodified. Thorax and forewing paler than in male, yellowish overlain more or less extensively with brownish fuscous scales, leaving following markings yellow: a diffuse streak just beneath costa reaching ½ way along wing and diffuse opposite spots on costa and tornus at 2/3, cilia grey with moderately distinct cilia-line. Hindwing narrower than in male, grey; cilia grey. Underside: forewing shining dark brown; hindwing shining grey. Wing venation as in Fig. 34. Legs unmodified. Abdomen shining dark grey, paler beneath.

Male genitalia (Figs 49-51, 64, 65). Capsule ca. 370 μm long. Vinculum with slight anterior excavation; lateral arms inconspicuously forked apically, the caudal bifurcations from each side uniting to form straight bar along base of tegumen. Tegumen narrow, lateral corners produced anteriorly into distinct ‘shoulders’. Uncus small, boat-shaped. Gnathos central element long, spatulate. Valva (Fig. 50) ca. 245 μm long, reaching well beyond tegumen, strongly curved; medial edge smoothly excavated and ending in triangular projection; pectinifer consisting of 12 broad, blunt elements; dorsal surface towards apex with long setae. Juxta consisting of paired plate-like sclerites. Aedeagus (Fig. 51, 65) ca. 455 μm long; a spine-like process projecting from apex on right in ventral view; vesica with ca. 20 rather large cornuti, the 2 apical ones with very broad bases; sclerotized tube supporting cathrema very long, 2/3 length of aedeagus.

Female genitalia (Fig. 76, 89-91). Total length ca. 640 μm. T9 with ca. 10-11 setae on each side. Apophyses posteriores slightly longer than anteriores; apophyses anteriores curved inwards. Segment 7 produced laterally into 2 small evaginations either side of apophyses anteriores. Lateral sclerites of vestibulum broad, their apices associated with a pair of roughened irregular sclerotizations in centre of vestibulum. Ductus bursae strongly folded. Ductus spermathecae with ca. 3-4 poorly defined convolutions. Corpus bursae rounded; a field of concentrically arranged pectinations in posterior ½ on one side; signum a pair of concentric ovals of fence-like spines.

Larva. Appearing translucent whitish or yellowish in mine, becoming dull purplish white on vacating. Head as in Fig. 107; length of head ca. 345 μm; width ca. 270 μm. Thorax: prothoracic sternite (Fig. 112) narrow, I-shaped. Chaetotaxy and spinosity: T2 with 10 pairs of setae (L3 absent); otherwise as described for subgenus Casanovula . Anal rods slightly forked posteriorly.

Biology.

Host plants: Eucalyptus pilularis Smith, Enteucha carnea R. Baker, Enteucha acmenoides Schauer and probably Enteucha saligna Smith (see below) ( Myrtaceae ). Egg: on upperside of leaf. Mine (Fig. 119): commences as a tight spiral around the egg, causing a raised red-brown spot on the leaf about 3-5 mm in diameter; later broadens into a more or less contorted linear gallery with black frass leaving narrow clear margins; exit-hole on leaf underside, a crescentic hole. Often several mines to a leaf. Cocoon: reddish brown. Occupied mines were collected on 17 and 20 July 1995, and 21 Dec 1996, and have also been recorded in January, March, April, June and August (Moore 1966).

Diagnosis.

The male of Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes resembles those of Pectinivalva (Menurella) funeralis (Meyrick), Pectinivalva (Menurella) libera (Meyrick) and Pectinivalva (Menurella) 119. It can be distinguished from all of these by its black head-tuft. The brown and yellow wing pattern of the female is distinctive amongst known species (although the females of Pectinivalva (Menurella) funeralis and Pectinivalva (Menurella) libera are unknown). The unusual larval mine of Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes appears to be diagnostic.

Distribution.

N.S.W, Southern Queensland.

DNA barcode.

RMNH.INS.23548, Genbank KC292483.

Derivation.

The specific name (an adjective) is derived from the Greek skotodes, meaning either ‘dark’ or ‘dizzy’. It refers both to the blackish coloration of the adult male moth, and to the habit of the young larva, which mines in tight circles.

Remarks.

The two female paratypes reared from mines on Eucalyptus carnea collected near Brisbane have a sparser scattering of brown scales on the yellow ground colour than the females reared from Enteucha pilularis . However, no other differences have been observed between specimens from these two host-plants, and the mines also appear to be identical.

This species was first collected by K.M. Moore, who described and illustrated the mine (Moore 1966: figs 15, 15A). There are specimens in the anic (here designated paratypes) reared by him in the 1950's. The host-plant is indicated on the labels only by a rearing number; mines from his herbarium with the corresponding number are all in leaves of Eucalyptus acmenoides . He also recorded mines on Enteucha saligna , but no specimens reared from this host-plant have been located. Moore referred to this species as ' Nepticula sp. 3' and regarded it as related to Nepticula gilva Meyrick. He was probably misled by the wing-pattern of the female of Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes , which bears some resemblance to that of Pectinivalva (Pectinivalva) gilva : he would not have seen the type specimen of Pectinivalva (Pectinivalva) gilva in the BMNH. The two species are not closely related and belong to different subgenera of Pectinivalva .