Vespina nielseni Kozlov, 1987

Hirowatari, Toshiya, Yagi, Sadahisa, Ohshima, Issei, Huang, Guo-Hua & Wang, Min, 2021, Review of the genus Vespina (Lepidoptera, Incurvariidae) with two new species from China and Japan, Zootaxa 4927 (2), pp. 209-233 : 212-215

Vespina nielseni Kozlov, 1987

( Figs 1 A–C, 2A–C, 3A–C, 13E, F)

Vespina nielseni Kozlov, 1987: 16 ; Kozlov, 1996: 56; Okamoto & Hirowatari, 2000: 511; Okamoto & Hirowatari, 2004: 175; Lee et al., 2007: 113; Niimi & Murase, 2012: 102; Hirowatari, 2013: 112.

Vespina sp.: Oku 2003: 5.

Material examined: (Additional material to Okamoto & Hirowatari, 2000). Japan: [Honshu] 1 ♂, Mt. Goyo, Hikoroishi, Iwate Pref., larvae 15.x.2016, emerged 11.i.2017, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus serrata , genitalia slide no. SY482, Sample ID SaY96 ( ELKU); 1 ♀, Chokai, Toshi, Nikaho, Akita Pref., larva 23.ix.2017, emerged 14.iii.2018, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus crispula (ELKU) ; 1 ♀, same data, emerged 19.iii.2018 ( ELKU); 1 ♀, Mizuho, Hakuba, Kita-azumi, larva 2.x.2018, emerged 26. xii. 2018, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus dentata (ELKU) ; 1 ♂, Aoyagi, Chino, Nagano Pref., larva 14.x.1999, emerged 23. iv. 2000, N. Hirai. Host plant: Castanea crenata (OPU) ; 2 ♂, Kitayama, Chino, Nagano Pref., larvae 15.ix.2017, emerged 1.i.2018, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus crispula (ELKU) ; 1 ♀, same data, emerged 12.i.2018 ( ELKU); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same locality & collector, emerged 27.xii.2017. Host plant: Castanea crenata , genitalia slide no. SY481, Sample ID SaY95 (♂) ( ELKU); 1 ♂, Hirano, Yamanakako, larva on Fagus crenata 24.x.2016, emerged 3.i.2017, S. Yagi ( ELKU); 1 ♀, Misawa, Toyone, Aichi Pref., larva 21.x.2007, emerged 25.v.2008, N. Hirano. Host plant: Quercus serrata (ELKU) ; 1 ♂, Misawa, Toyone, Kita-shitara, Aichi Pref., larva 18.ix.2017, emerged 14.iii.2018, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus serrata (ELKU) ; 1 ♂, same data, emerged 19.iii.2018 ( ELKU); 1 ♀, Ikuma (Kamitonda), Wakayama Pref., 22.v.2004, T. Saito. ( OPU). [Shikoku] 1 ♀, Kinsha-Lake, Iyomishima, Ehime Pref., larva 23.ix.1999, emerged 24.iii.2000, H. Okamoto. Host plant: Quercus sp. ( OPU); 1 ♂, 2 ♀, same label, emerged 20.iv.2000 ( OPU) [Tsushima Is.] 1 ♀, Mt. Asaji, Mitsushima, Tsushima Is., Nagasaki Pref., larva 2.x.2018, emerged 26. xii.2018, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus variabilis (ELKU) . [Kyushu] 1 ♂, Hikosan, Soeda, Tagawa, larva 8.x.2016, emerged 30.vii.2017, T. Hirowatari. Host plant: Quercus crispula , genitalia slide no. SY481, Sample ID SaY95 ( ELKU); 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Meisuinitaki, Mt. Kuro, Yufu, Oita Pref., 13.vi.2015 (L. T.), S. Yagi ( ELKU); 1 ♀, Tano, Kokonoe, Kusu, Oita Pref., larva 2.x.2017, emerged 27.xii.2017, S. Yagi. Host plant: Quercus dentata (ELKU) ; 1 ♀, Chojyabaru, Kusu, Oita Pref., larva x.2015, emerged 18.xi.2015, T. Kawano. Host plant: Quercus serrata (ELKU) ; China: 1 ♀, Moxi, Sichuan, 22.vi.2016 (L. T.), M. Wang, genitalia slide no. SY484, Sample ID SaY98 ( HUNAU).

Diagnosis. Distinguished from the other species by a small triangular creamy-white tornal spot on the forewing. In the male genitalia, the apical half of the valva is slender and the sacculus is slightly expanded. The phallus is short and stout, 1.2 × as long as valva, with a large spine-like subapical carina penis. In the female genitalia, the corpus bursae is elongate and ellipsoidal; the signum is present, nearly heart-shaped with the anterior portion pointed.

Description. See Okamoto & Hirowatari (2000) for detailed description.

Barcode data. DNA barcodes of the four specimens were generated ( Table 1). The intraspecific pairwise distances between the Japanese V. nielseni specimens (SaY95, SaY96, SaY97) were small (0.15–0.30%); additionally, a single female specimen (SaY98) from China also showed small pairwise distances from the Japanese specimens (1.07–1.38%). Therefore, they were concluded to be the same species, supported by observation of morphological characteristics such as the shape of the signa in the genitalia, even though these specimens show paraphyly with low support in the ML tree.

Host plants. Fagaceae : Quercus acutissima Carruth , Q. aliena Blume , Q. crispula Blume , Q. dentata Thunb. (new record), Q. serrata Murray , Q. variabilis Blume (new record), and Castanea crenata Siebold & Zucc ..

Biology. Okamoto & Hirowatari (2000) reported that the larvae of this species fed on Quercus aliena , Q. serrata , and occasionally on Q. acutissima . Niimi & Murase (2012) added Castanea crenata (Fagaceae) as a host plant. This species is univoltine in Japan. Adults appear in Honshu and Kyushu during the month of June and are attracted to light. In June 2016 in Jiaozinping (ca. 2,000 m a.s.l.), Luding County, Sichuan, China, we found some circular skeletonized patches on the leaf of a chestnut tree, Castanea crenata , which were considered to be feeding traces made by V. nielseni ( Fig. 13F ).

Distribution. Russia (Far East), Korea, Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu [Tsushima Islands: new record]), China (Sichuan) (new record).

Remarks. In June 2016, we collected a female of this species at Moxi (ca. 1,600 m a.s.l.), Luding County, Sichuan, China, using a light trap ( Fig. 1C ). We identified it as Vespina nielseni by examining the genitalia and via DNA barcoding, as described above. This is the first record of V. nielseni in China.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Adults of Vespina spp. in South and East Asia. A, V. nielseni, male from Japan; B, V. nielseni, female from Japan; C, V. nielseni, female from China; D, V. meridiana sp. nov., female, holotype; E, V. sichuana sp. nov., male, holotype; F, V. sichuana sp. nov., female, paratype. Scale bars: 4.0 mm.

FIGURE 13. Host plants and habitats of Vespina spp. in South and East Asia. A, habitat of V. sichuana sp. nov., Longcangou, Sichuan, China; B, the host plant, Castanopsis fargesii; C, habitat of V. meridiana sp. nov., Kunigami-son, Okinawa Is.; D, the host plant, Morella rubura; E, habitat of V. nielseni, Jiaoziping, Sichuan, China; F, the host plant, Castanea crenata.