Calicotis exclamationis Terada, 2016

Shen, Zong-Yu, Terada, Takeshi & Hsu, Yu-Feng, 2022, The Newly Recorded Fern-spore Feeding Moths in the Genus, Meyrick 1889 (Lepidoptera: Stathmopodidae) from Taiwan, with Notes on Life History of Three Species., Zoological Studies 61 (63), pp. 1-12 : 8-10

Calicotis exclamationis Terada, 2016 ( Figs. 16–22 , 31–34 )

Calicotis exclamationis Terada, 2016: 134 , figs. 180–184. Type locality: Japan.

Material examined: 3ò, 2ñ, Taiwan: New Taipei City, Pinglin, Jianshanhu, ca 500 m, 15 Jan 2018, reared from Neolepisorus fortunei , emg. 19 Feb–9 Mar 2018, Z. Y. Shen Coll. (1ò, Gen. Prep. ZYS-0046, NTNU). 1ò, 1ñ, Taiwan: Yilan, Yuanshan, Siji, ca 700 m, 21 Mar 2018, reared from N. fortunei , emg. 21–23 Apr 2018, Z. Y. Shen, Y. Y. Lu Coll. ( BRMAS). 1ò, Taiwan: New Taipei City, Xindian, Sikanshui, ca 500 m, 22 Mar 2018, reared from N. fortunei , emg. 15 Apr 2018, Z. Y. Shen, Y. M. Hsu, C. J. Chang Coll. ( BRMAS). 1ò, Taiwan: Tainan, Dongshan, Kantoushan, ca 600 m, 18 Sep 2018, reared from Colysis wrightii , emg. 8 Oct 2018, Y. F. Hsu Coll. ( BRMAS). 1ò, 2ñ, Taiwan: Taoyuan, Fuxing, Xuanyuan, ca 850 m, 6 Apr 2019, reared from N. fortunei , emg. 28 Apr 2019, Y. F. Hsu Coll. (1ñ, Gen. Prep. ZYS-0087, NTNU). 2ò, 1ñ, Taiwan: Taoyuan, Fuxing, Sileng, ca 1130 m, 12 Feb 2020, reared from Microsorum brachylepis , emg. 6–21 Apr 2020, Z. L. Chen, C. W. Huang Coll. ( BRMAS).

Description: Male ( Figs. 16–17 ). Forewing length 3.33–4.12 mm (n = 9). Head: Frons silvery white. Vertex white. Occiput white. Antenna with scape broad, creamy white, flagellum creamy white; Labial palp slender, long, strongly upcurved, creamy white. Thorax: Surface white, with fuscous streak on anterior margin, with a pair of fuscous dots on metascutum, tegula creamy white. Legs: Fore and middle legs white, foretibia covered by fuscous scales dorsally, mesotibia bearing a pair of spurs at distal joint, with outer spur approximately 1/3 length of inner spur; hindleg white, tibia overlaid with white and fuscous bristles; metatarsus with each tarsomere bearing a whirl of white bristles, fuscous scales at the joints of each tarsomere; metatibia bearing two pairs of creamy white spurs at both proximal and distal joints, proximal spurs with outer one approximately 1/3 length of inner one, distal spurs with outer one approximately the same length as inner one. Forewing: Dorsally ground color white, ocherous fascia at 1/2 of cell, an ocherous fascia near apex. cilia whitish-fuscous, ventrally silvery grey, cilia ocher. Hindwing: Ground color silvery grey, cilia ocher. Abdomen: White, anal tuft present.

Female ( Figs. 18 – 19 ): Forewing length 3.64–4.56 mm (n = 6). Similar to male except abdomen without anal tuft.

Male genitalia (Gen. Prep. ZYS-0046, NTNU, Figs. 20–21 ): Uncus slender, apically slightly downturned, setae present laterally. Gnathos tongue-shaped, slightly longer than uncus, with round apex in ventral view. Valva with round apex; costa thicker than sacculus, costal ring developed, heavily sclerotized; sacculus broad at base with acute apex distally; cucullus oblong, approximately 1.5x as long as uncus, with numerous setae on inner surface. Saccus approximately half length of uncus. Phallus stout, approximately 4x as long as uncus, with weakly sclerotized wrinkles on vesica, cornutus absent.

Female genitalia (Gen. Prep. ZYS-0087, NTNU, Fig. 22 ): Papillae anales slightly longer than wide. Apophyses posteriores approximately 1.5x as long as apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae with prominent oblique sublateral fold. Corpus bursae with large subtriangular signum, situated at 1/5 of corpus bursae; bulla assimilated with ductus seminalis; many small spines presented at the apical of ductus seminalis.

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by a pair of dark brown dots on the metascutum, and the forewing pattern: fuscous fascia at 1/2 of wing, extended towards but not reaching costa, a fuscous fascia present near apex. In the genitalia: the cucullus is oblong, and oblique lateral folds are present near the anterior margin of the ostium bursae.

Host plants: Asplenium scolopendrium L., 1753 ( Aspeniaceae ), Plagiogyria euphlebia (Kunze) Mett., 1858 ( Plagiogyriaceae ), Cyrtomium fortunei J. Sm., 1866 Polystichum polyblepharon (Roem. Ex Kunze) C. Presl, 1851 ( Dryopteridaceae ), Athyrium decurrentialatum (Hook.) var. decurrentialatum (Hook.) Copel., 1909 ( Athyriaceae ), Coniogramme intermedia Heiron., 1916 , Pteris terminalis Wall. Ex J. Agardh var. fauriei (Christ) Ebihara & Nakato ( Pteridaceae ) ( Sawamura et al., 2009), Colysis wrightii (Hook.) Ching, 1933 , Microsorum brachylepis (Baker) T. Nakaike, 1981 and Neolepisorus fortunei (T. Moore) L. Wang ( Polypodiaceae ).

Biology: Larvae ( Fig. 31 ) were found nearly throughout year. The larvae fed on N. fortunei , C. wrightii and M. brachylepis in Taiwan. They constructed irregularly shape shelters ( Fig. 32 ) along the sporangiospores on the underside of the host plant. The larvae lived inside the shelter and fed on the spores until pupation. The cocoons ( Fig. 33 ) were oval shaped. Adult moths ( Fig. 34 ) emerged about one month after pupation without diapause, suggesting that this species may be multivoltine.

Distribution: Japan ( Terada 2016) and Taiwan.

Figures

Figs. 16–22. Adult specimens and genitalia of Calicotis exclamationis. 16–17, Male specimen, TAIWAN: New Taipei City, Pinglin, Jianshanhu; 18–19, Female specimen, TAIWAN: Taoyuan, Fuxing, Shiuanyuan; 20–21, Male genitalia; 22, Female genitalia. Scale bars: 16–19 = 5 mm; 20–21 = 1 mm; 22 = 1 mm.

Figs. 23–34. Immatures and adults of Calicotis species from Taiwan. 23, Immature artifacts of C. attiei on Nephrolepis biserrata. 24, Larva of C. attiei. 25, Cocoon of C. attiei. 26, Adult resting, photo of C. attiei. 27, Immature artifacts of C. rotundinidus on Asplenium austalasicum. 28, Larva of C. rotundinidus. 29, Cocoon of C. rotundinidus. 30, Adult resting, photo of C. rotundinidus. 31, Immature artifacts of C. exclamationis on Neolepisorus fortune. 32, Larva of C. exclamationis. 33, Cocoon of C. excalamationis. 34, Adult resting, photo of C. excalamationis.

Fig. 1. Collecting sites of Calicotis used in the present studies.

Figs. 2–8. Adult specimens and genitalia of Calicotis attiei. 2–3, Male specimen, TAIWAN: Hualian, Shioulin, Gekou; 4–5, Female specimen, TAIWAN: Hualian, Shioulin, Gekou; 6–7, Male genitalia; 8, Female genitalia. Scale bars: 2–5 = 5 mm; 6–7 = 1 mm; 8 = 1 mm.

Figs. 9–15. Adult specimens and genitalia of Calicotis rotundinidus. 9–10, Male specimen, TAIWAN: Hulian, Shioulin, Gekou; 11–12, Female specimen, TAIWAN: New Taipei City, Wulai, Bauching temple; 13–14, Male genitalia; 15, Female genitalia. Scale bars: 9–12 = 5 mm; 13–14 = 1 mm; 15 = 1 mm.