Philodoria, Walsingham, 1907

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 : 109

Philodoria sp. B near P. sciallactis

Fig 24H .

Material examined. 1 (sex unknown), Kokee, Kauai, 13.vii.2015 (stored), C.A. Johns leg., host: Lipochaeta acris [= L. connata var. acris ], 15.vi.2015, CJ483 (abdomen missing) in BPBM. What remains of the specimens was mounted by placing two forewings without mountant under a coverslip and a 3/4 hindwing in capsule ( Fig. 24H ). The head, antenna, thorax, and legs were sacrificed for molecular analysis and the abdomen is missing.

Diagnosis. The forewing pattern is similar to P. sciallactis (Meyrick) , but is distinguished by the round ds 2 and brown dp 1 and dp 2 meeting at median line ( Fig. 24H ).

Male and female genitalia Unknown.

Distribution. Kauai.

Host plants. Asteraceae : Lipochaeta connata var. acris (Sherff) R.C.Gardner.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. Judging from forewing characters, we consider this species as a unique species. But because parts of its body are missing, we tentatively call it Philodoria sp. B near P. sciallactis . We hope that future studies will search Lipochaeta acris plants at Kokee, Kauai, so that additional specimens can be obtained.

Figures

FIGURE 24. Adults of Philodoria species. A P. lipochaetaella, specimens originally described as Parectopa lipochaetae Swezey, 1946, syntype male B P. sciallactis (Meyrick, 1928) lectotype male C Paralectotype male D Paralectotype female E Male left forewing of specimen CJ164, host: Melanthera kamolensis, Maui F Same specimen, right forewing G Male right forewing of specimen CJ189, host: Melanthera kamolensis, Maui H Philodoria sp. B nr. P. sciallactis (specimen CJ483, sex unknown) right forewing, host: Lipochaeta acris, Kauai. Scale bar 1 mm.