Tebenna micalis (Mann, 1857)

Rota, Jadranka, Aguiar, Antonio M. F. & Karsholt, Ole, 2014, Choreutidae of Madeira: review of the known species and description of the male of Anthophila threnodes (Walsingham, 1910) (Lepidoptera), Nota Lepidopterologica 37 (1), pp. 91-103 : 96-98

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Choreutidae

Tebenna micalis (Mann, 1857) Figs 7, 8

Choreutis micalis Mann, 1857: 181.

Material examined.

Funchal, Lido, 1♂, 20.viii.1974, leg. E. Traugott-Olsen, genitalia slide Wolff 4298; same locality, but 50 m, 1♀, 18.x.1997, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); Fajã da Nogueira, 1000 m, 4♂, 2♀, 23.viii.1974, leg. E. Traugott-Olsen, genitalia slide Wolff 4294, Rasmussen 4849; same locality, but 600-1000 m, 2♂, 8.x.1994, leg. O. Karsholt, genitalia slide Hendriksen 5765; same locality, but 700 m, 3♂, 2♀, 18.ix.1997, leg. O. Karsholt; same locality, but 1♀, 500 m, 25.xi.2001, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); same locality, but 1♀, 864 m, la. 14.vii.1998, Helichrysum foetidum , leg. F. Aguiar & J. Jesus (ICLAM); Caniço, 2♂, 12-18.ix.1977, leg. O. Lomholdt & N. L. Wolff (ZMUC); Ponta de São Lourenço, sea level, 9♂, 4♀, 24-27.vi.1993, 1♀, 11.vii.1993, 1♂, 17.ix.1997, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); Machico, sea level, 1♂, 27.vi.1993, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); Achadas da Cruz, 725 m, 3♂, 2♀, 8.vii.1993, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); Porto Moniz, sea level, 1♀, 9.x.1994, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC); Santo da Serra, 700 m, 8♂, 2♀, 26.x.1994, larva on Helichrysum foetidum , leg. O. Karsholt, genitalia slide Hendriksen 5766 (ZMUC); 1♂, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, Jardim da Serra, 1130 m, 22.x.1998, leg. F. Aguiar & J. Jesus (ICLAM); 1♀, Porto da Cruz, Chão das Feiteiras, 1251 m, 12.xi.1998, leg. A. M. F. Aguiar (AMFA); 1♂, 5♀, Santana, Pico, Posto Agrario, 411 m, la. 12.xi.1998, Arctium minus ; same data, but 1♀ 1.vi.1999, leg. F. Aguiar & J. Jesus (ICLAM); 1♂, Boaventura, Vereda da Entrosa, 130 m, 12.ii.2000; 5♂, 3♀, same data, but 175 m, la. 14.ii.2001, Helichrysum melaleucum , leg. F. Aguiar & J. Jesus (AMFA, ICLAM); 1♂, 1♂, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, Levada do Norte, Garachico, 538 m, 26.vii.2001 leg. J. Jesus (ICLAM); 1♀, Machico, Funduras, 605 m, 12.vi.2003, leg. J. Jesus (ICLAM); 1♀, Santana, Achada do Gramacho/ Cais de São Jorge, 267 m, 21.vii.2011, leg. J. Jesus (ICLAM); 1♂, Camacha, Levada dos Tornos, direction Camacha - Monte, 788 m, Cirsium vulgare , la. 13.vi.2013, leg. S. Fontinha (ICLAM).

Host plants.

Arctium minus (Hill.) Bernh., Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Helichrysum foetidum (L.) Cass. and Helichrysum melaleucum Rchb. ( Compositae ).

Remarks.

Larvae have been found in October, November, February, June, and July, and adults have been collected in all months from June to November, at altitudes from sea level to 1250 m. The adult flies during the day and comes to light. This is a widespread species. In addition to being present on Madeira, it occurs on the Canaries, throughout the Mediterranean, from central and eastern Europe throughout southern Asia to China and Japan, as well as possibly on Marianne Islands, Java, and New Zealand ( Diakonoff 1986). It is the only choreutid occurring in the Azores Islands, where it inhabits all larger islands ( Karsholt and Vieira 2005). Male and female genitalia were illustrated by Diakonoff (1986): pls. 46, 47, figs 54-1 and 54-2 (male), pl. 127, fig. 54 (female).

Diagnosis.

With its sub-triangular forewings with black and metallic markings adult Tebenna micalis is unique among Madeiran Lepidoptera (Figs 7, 8). It can be separated from the similar Tebenna bjerkandrella (Thunberg, 1784) by the presence of a subplical black and metallic spot in the forewing in Tebenna micalis ; such a spot is missing in Tebenna bjerkandrella (Diakonoff, 1986).

Molecular results.

The successfully amplified Anthophila threnodes COI haplotype is unique and it differs from the Anthophila alpinella haplotype in 14 bases, and from the Anthophila fabriciana haplotype in 12 bases. In the resulting phylogenetic tree, Anthophila threnodes and Anthophila fabriciana are sister species, but without statistical support (PP or posterior probability = 0.81). Together, they are strongly supported as being the sister group to the North American species Anthophila alpinella (PP = 1).