Aureopterix sterops (Turner) Turner, 2010

Gibbs, George W., 2010, establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 2520, pp. 1-48 : 40-41

Aureopterix sterops (Turner) comb. nov.

( Figs 2 E, 5D, 6H, 14G–J, 17)

Sabatinca sterops Turner, 1921: 598 ; Common (1970: 785); Common (1990: 131, Fig. 16.2); Nielsen & Common (1991: 835); Zborowski & Edwards (2007: 38).

Type material examined. Holotype: (sex uncertain) Australia, North Queensland, Kuranda. 21 Jun 1911, A.J. Turner. ANIC (abdomen missing)

Other material examined. 152 non-type specimens from North Queensland, Australia: 2 ɗ 37 Ψ Moses Creek, 4 km NE Mt Finnigan, 15°47´S 145°17´E, 360 m, 14–16 Oct 1980, E.D. Edwards ANIC); 7 m # 4 Ψ Mossman Gorge, 16°28´S 145°18´E, 120 m, 11 Sep 1977, I.F.B. Common ( ANIC), 22–23 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs; 1 ɗ Mt Lewis road, 16°35´S 145°17´E, 850 m, 23 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs; 46 ɗ 9 Ψ Kuranda, 30 Aug 1929, A.J. Turner ( ANIC), 13–14 Sep 1930, A.J. Turner ( ANIC), 16°49´S 145°39´E, 360–400 m, 19–20 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs, 28 Sep 2000, G.W. Gibbs; 4 ɗ 3 Ψ Crystal Cascades, Cairns, 16°58´S 145°41´E, 60 m, 6 Sep 1977, I.F.B. Common ( ANIC), 21–22 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs; 2 ɗ Bramston Beach, 50m, 27 Sep 2000, G.W. Gibbs; 3 ɗ 13 Ψ Lacey’s Creek, Mission Beach, 17°51´S 146°04´E, 20 m, 29 Sep 1977, I.F.B. Common ( ANIC), 26 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs; 12 Ψ Mission Beach, 17°54´S 146°06´E, 27–29 Aug 1977, 5 Sep 1977, I.F.B. Common ( ANIC); 1 ɗ Babinda, 16 Nov 1930, A.J. Turner ( ANIC); 1 ɗ Innisfail, Nov 1900, A.J. Turner ( ANIC); 1? 1 Ψ Mourilyan Harbour, 6 Jul 1911, A.J. Turner ( ANIC); 5 ɗ Kirrama State Forest, 18° 12´S 145° 49´E, 200 m, 25 Aug 1977, I.F.B. Common; 18 Sep 1981, G.W. Gibbs ( ANIC).

Diagnosis. North Queensland. A small pale shining ochreous species with indistinct brownish or black fasciae, none forming continuous bands across wing ( Fig. 2 C) (excepting specimens from Kirrama S.F., the southernmost known location). Male genitalia conspicuous as in micans sp. nov. but the pair of setal tufts on each ventro-lateral margin of the elongate tergum 10 are widely separated ( Fig. 14 H).

Redescription. Antenna with 38 (36–40) flagellomeres in male, 29 (29–30) in female; clothed with pale silvery ochreous scales, on 5 flagellomeres in male, 7 in female; remainder of antenna distinctly brownish ochreous, becoming darker toward tip but with a distinct black band at flagellomeres 5–7 in female. Maxillary palps 1.3x the head width between eyes. Head capsule pale brown with dense tufts of moderately long pale ochreous-yellow piliform scales on frons and dorsum, to lesser extent on antennal scape; head capsule around compound eye with shining silvery sheen.

Tegulae, dorsum, coxae with silvery ochreous lamellar scales; a small patch of brown scales on scutellum; fore and mid-legs silvery ochreous, foreleg with dark brown bands on trochanter, along ventral surface of femur, on epiphysis, around distal end of tibia, tarsal joints 2 and 4; mid-leg similar but lacking dark scales on ventral side of femur; hind-leg also silvery ochreous with fringe of brown scales at tibio-tarsal joint and on tarsus 4. Abdomen shining ochreous scaled over a darker brown integument.

Forewing length of male 2.9 mm (2.6–3.1); of female 3.1 mm (2.9–3.3). Ground colour pale shining silvery ochreous, with weakly marked fasciae either dark bronzy brown or pale pinkish brown; more distinct in female than male; a few dark brown scales along costal edge at base, a very small brown basal triangular patch on costa; an interrupted oblique transverse fascia at about one fifth with a small costal patch, an even smaller spot in the middle, another on anal margin, the latter often pale bronze; a stronger, but also interrupted, fascia at about mid-length, markedly concave inwards and broken between R2 and M2, the costal and anal ends triangular onto the margins; a very pale bronzy transverse fascia at four-fifths. Fringes pale ochreous.

Hindwing with 2 frenular bristles; shining silvery ochreous, very slightly darker than forewing colour; fringes ochreous.

Male abdomen and genitalia. [G926] ( Figs. 14 G–J) Abdomen dorso-ventrally compressed. S5 gland exit area situated in centre of the sternal sclerite, equidistant from both lateral edge and anterior edge; bearing 7–10 long piliform scales ( Fig. 6 H). External genitalia slightly more robust than its sister species micans sp. nov. Sclerite 9 moderate to short, 1.4x S7; its dorsal arms only narrowly separated at apices, antero-lateral margin almost straight, thickened. Valvae elongate, 3.4x longer than broad, dumbbell-shaped with distal club nearly twice the breadth of the base, and with a moderately dense area of ‘retro-setae’ over its inner surface. Median plate with a short rigid stem and a thin fan-like triangular apodeme in vental view. Tergum 10 elongate, a little shorter than the valvae, deeply cleft at its apex for half its length and with scattered unspecialised setae ventrally, some angled anteriorly and a more dense patch of fine setae directed posteriorly from each apex; two postero-ventrally directed setal tufts along each lateral margin, the distal tuft including only about four setae, at mid-length, the basal tuft of about 8–10 setae midway between that and the base, each on a slightly raised cuticular dome. Phallus long, 4.6x length of S6; gonopore terminal, fish-mouthed type but with the dorsal lip greatly extended to overhang the gonopore with a tapered, postero-ventrally directed, terminal ‘spine’, apparently formed from a single greatly elongated radial fold; radial folds around the remainder of the gonopore typical; an eversible bladder present; ventral bulb prominent but short, broadly rounded, divided into two lateral halves by a median constriction and overhung by the dorsal ‘spine’.

Female genitalia. [G912] Segment 9 sclerotisation restricted to a narrow ring around posterior margin, almost non-existent dorsally. Segment 10 sclerites semicircular, about 0.6x higher than long. Spermathecal papilla cup with small ventro-lateral expansions. Spermathecal duct short, barely extending beyond rim of papilla, utriculus about 2x length of duct, slightly bulbous at distal end.

Remarks. This Australian species is relatively common in the high rainfall district of northern Queensland, and has been collected throughout winter and spring from June to November. Females are most often taken at light in the early evening, but both sexes are active by both day and night. In specimens from the most southern location, Kirrama State Forest, the brown fasciae are more strongly marked with the middle fascia line continuous across the wing.

Faucheux (2004) has given an account of the antennal sensilla in this species.

Distribution. ( Fig. 17 ) Eastern Australia, north Queensland: in wet coastal or elevated (to 850 m) coastal forest between Mt Finnigan, 15°47´S, and Kirrama State Forest, 18°12´S, i.e. over a distance of about 120 km, but never more than 8–10 km from the coast.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Adult moths from life: A, Austromartyria porphyrodes (Turner), female; B, A. porphyrodes feeding on dehiscing spores of Blechnum cartilagineum, at The Crater, Atherton Tableland; C, Nannopterix choreutes sp. nov., male; D, Aureopterix micans sp. n., male; E, Aureopterix sterops (Turner), female; (A, C – E to scale, white scale bars = 1 mm)

FIGURE 6. Glandular structures of Australasian Micropterigidae: A, costal margin of hindwing; B – H, abdominal segment 5 glands: A, Austromartyria porphyrodes, male showing glandular hairs; B, A. porphyrodes, male, with all but one piliform scale removed; C, Tasmantrix calliplaca, male; D, Tasmantrix calliplaca, female, with six piliform scales removed; E, Tasmantrix nigrocornis, male; F, detail of gland aperture of E; G, Nannopterix choreutes, male, with four piliform scales removed; H, Aureopterix sterops, male, with six piliform scales removed. Scale: white bars = 0.01 mm.

FIGURE 14. Aureopterix micans sp. nov. Male and female genitalia: A – D male: A, dorsal; B, lateral; C, ventral; D, distal apex of phallus enlarged, lateral. E – F female: E, lateral; F, spermathecal papilla enlarged, dorsal. Aureopterix sterops (Turner), G – J male: G, dorsal; H, lateral; I, phallus, lateral; J, distal apex of phallus enlarged, dorsal (left above), lateral (right above), ventral (below).

FIGURE 17. Distribution map of northern Queensland for Austromartyria porphyrodes (Turner) (), Tasmantrix thula sp. nov. () and Aureopterix sterops (Turner) ()