Canarischema Karsholt, 2017

Landry, Jean-François, Nazari, Vazrick, Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2017, Review of the genus Agonochaetia Povolný (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), and description of a new genus and species from the Canary Islands, Zootaxa 4300 (4), pp. 451-485 : 472-473

Canarischema Karsholt , gen. nov.

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Type species: Canarischema fuerteventura Karsholt , sp. nov., by present designation and monotypy.

Diagnosis. Canarischema is characterized by a unique combination of characters in the male genitalia: 1) a pair of long, needle-like glandiductors with a wide anterior opening; 2) a very long fusiform uncus dorsally with semierect setae; 3) a very long and broad gnathos; 4) culcitula absent; and 5) a broad cucullus tapering from middle to pointed apex. The female genitalia are rather uncharacteristic, apart from having the base of the anterior apophysis broadly widened into sternum VIII with the outer edge thickened into a ridge extended to sternum VIII and a small thorn-like signum. For diagnosis of adult see under description of the species.

Description. Adult ( Figs. 13–14 ). Rather small (wingspan 9–12 mm) Gnorimoschemini . Labial palpus slender; segment 2 only slightly broader than segment 3; both segments of about same length. Scape of antenna white; flagellum thickened, yellow in male; slender, ringed blackish brown and white in female. Forewing white with yellow-brown and black-tipped scales; patches of raised black scales (surrounded by yellow-brown) in fold and at ¾ in middle of wing. Hindwing with indistinctly marked sinuation below apex.

Wing venation ( Fig. 16 ). Forewing with R1–R5 running to costa; R4 and R5 stalked; pterostigma absent; cell open (damaged in preparation examined); CuP absent. Hindwing with M1 extended from Rs beyond cell; cell open; M3 to terminal margin; CuA1 to ventral margin.

Abdomen. Lateral ridges of tergum I (marginosclerites) unmelanized throughout. Sternum VIII in male without coremata.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 27–28 , 36 ). Tegumen with shallow anterior notch (TGN/TGL = 0.35), posterior margin with “shouldered” appearance. Uncus prominent, fusiform, nearly as long as tegumen, base Y-shaped, apex pointed, dorsal surface of distal half setose. Gnathos very large, proximal arms thick, straight, mesial process extended beyond margin of tegumen notch, tongue-shaped. Culcitula absent. Vinculum transversely very narrow, mesio-posterior emargination shallow; medio-lateral margin finely dentate; vincular lobes undeveloped short, rounded; anterior notches arched; saccus thin, as long as valva (SAL /VLL = 1.0). Cucullus broad, tapering from middle towards pointed apex, ventral edge smoothly curved without protrusion or lobe. Sacculus about half length of cucullus, incurved, inner margin irregular, apex pointed. Paired glandiductor lobes needle-like, longer (1.4x) than phallus, apical portion curved, anterior portion dilated with wide dorsal opening, inner duct wide with large anterior opening. Phallus short, barely longer than saccus, thick, straight, apex with small triangular thorn projected dorsally, caecum slightly bulbous with collar-like constriction around opening of ductus ejaculatorius.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 42 ). Segment VIII slightly shorter (0.8x) than wide, irregularly wrinkled, weakly sclerotized; anterior apophysis about as long as segment VIII, base broadly widened into sternum VIII with outer edge thickened into a ridge extended to and almost meeting in setae-covered field at caudal margin of sternum VIII; antrum poorly developed; signum small, acrinoid with crescentic base, laterally with small dents, spine short, curved and sharp.

Etymology. The name Canarischema is a composition of “Canary” referring to its occurrence in the Canary Islands, and “schema” (Greek: figure or shape). The second part of the name refers to its use in several genera of Gnorimoschemini . Its gender is neutral.

Biology. Host plants and immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Canary Islands: Fuerteventura .

Remarks. We hesitated before deciding to erect a new genus to accommodate the new species fuerteventura . The alternative position would have been to assign forcibly the new species to an existing genus where it would have been a misfit. The unique shape of the uncus (elongate-fusiform with prominent erect setae, extended from a markedly elbowed distal margin of tegumen) and gnathos (very large, linguiform mesial process with long lateroproximal arms), and the lack of culcitula precluded assignment to Agonochaetia or any other glandiductor-bearing gnorimoschemine genus. These discordant characters coupled with the endemicity of the species on an oceanic archipelago justified, in our view, a separate genus. When present, the culcitula is typically recognizable as an expanded membranous lobe below the anal cone and above or around the outer surface of the gnathos, and is covered with dense spicules.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 16. Adults and wing venation. 13, Canarischema fuerteventura ♂ (HT); 14, idem. ♀ (PT); 15, Agonochaetia intermedia ♂ (slide JFL 1754); 16, Canarischema fuerteventura ♂ (slide MIC 7845). Scale bars: figs 13 – 14 = 2 mm; figs 15 – 16 = 500 µm.

FIGURES 25 – 28. Intact male genitalia, ventral and lateral aspects. 25 – 26, Agonochaetia conspersa (dissection USNM 142571); 27 – 28, Canarischema fuerteventura (dissection MIC 7845)

FIGURES 33 – 36. Male genitalia of Agonochaetia species and Canarischema fuerteventura. 33, A. shawinigan ♂ (HT) (slide MIC 4240); 34, A. terrestrella ♂ (slide 14978 NHMW); 35, A. tuvella ♂ (slide 66 / 03 O. Bidzilya); 36, Canarischema fuerteventura ♂ (HT) (slide 6319 H. Hendriksen).

FIGURES 40 – 42. Female genitalia of Agonochaetia species and Canarischema fuertevenura. 40 – 41, A. terrestrella ♀♀ (slides 16367 BMNH, GU 06 / 1254 P. H. BNMC); 42, Canarischema fuerteventura ♀ (PT) (slide 138 / 15 O. Bidzilya).