Thyrocopa apikia

Medeiros, Matthew J., 2009, A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae), Zootaxa 2202, pp. 1-47 : 14-15

6. Thyrocopa apikia nov. sp.

( Figs. 15, 71)

Holotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Molokai: Pepepae Bog Trail, “Kamakou 4 ”: 1 3 (slide LA 26), 6 Jul 2005, D. Rubinoff ( UHIM).

Paratypes: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Molokai: Kamakou Pres., Pepeopae Trail: 2 3 (slide LA 23), 19 May 2004, no collector listed ( UHIM); Pepepae Bog Trail, “Kamakou 4 ”: 1 3, 6 Jul 2005, D. Rubinoff ( UHIM); Olokui, 914 m: 1 Ƥ (slide MJM 25), 3 Sep 1976, S.L. Montgomery ( BPBM).

Diagnosis: Of Thyrocopa on Molokai, T. apikia is much smaller than T. gigas ; is much bigger than T. minor ; has filiform antennae unlike T. decipiens ; has cilia only on the underside of the male antennae unlike T. geminipuncta and T. subahenea ; and has long bifurcations on the male uncus unlike T. fraudulentella . T. apikia is the only consistently very dark, medium-sized Thyrocopa on Molokai.

Description: Head: Scales brown. Antenna ca. 0.7–0.8x forewing length; dense, short, piliform cilia on ventral side of flagellomere in males, slightly longer and less dense cilia on ventral side of flagellomere in female. Labial palpus brown on second segment, light brown on third; third segment ca. 0.8x length of second. Thorax: Brown. Forewing length 14–16 mm; forewing ground color brown to dark brown to rich purplish-brown; very faintly darker spots sometimes visible in cell. Hindwing light brown; fringe light brown. Abdomen: Brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 71) with apex of uncus deeply cleft; sacculus knobbed and scoopedout in appearance. Female genitalia typical of genus; signum long.

Food plants: Unknown.

Flight period: At least May–Sep.

Distribution: Molokai.

Etymology: “ Apikia ” is a form of a Hawaiian word meaning “deceptive.” The specific epithet refers to the initial confusion of this moth with T. subahenea . The two have similar wing patterns and range, but their genitalia are very different.