Gnathifera opsias ( Meyrick, 1897 )

Gaedike, Reinhard, 2018, New data on the taxonomy, distribution and host plants of Australian Epermeniidae (Lepidoptera: Epermenioidea), Zootaxa 4524 (1), pp. 33-50 : 35-36

Gnathifera opsias ( Meyrick, 1897)

( Fig. 4 )

Epermenia opsias Meyrick, 1897: 430 ;

Ochromolopis opsias ( Meyrick, 1897) : Gaedike 1968: 609, figs 13–14, 27a–27c;

Gnathifera opsias ( Meyrick, 1897) : Gaedike 1978: 208;

Ochromolopis paropsias Gaedike, 1972 , syn. nov.

Material studied. New South Wales: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Minnamurra Falls, 22.xii.1972, 15.i.1974, leg. V. J. Robinson; ANIC; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Mt. Keira, 26.viii.1972, 2.xii.1974, leg. V. J. Robinson; ANIC; SDEI; 3 ♂, Cordeaux Dam, 13.ix.1972, leg. V. J. Robinson; ANIC; 1 ♀, Barren Grounds Fauna Res., 30.i.1973, leg. V. J. Robinson; ANIC; 41 ♂, 12 ♀, CSIRO Exp. Fm., Wilton, 3., 29.ii.1968; 30.iii., 30.i., 22.xii.1971; 1.i., 17.ii., 5., 21.x., 9., 16., 21., 26.xi., 1., 14., 19.xii.1972; 30.i., 27.iii., 6., 28.iv., 6.v., 12.ix., 2., 20.xi., 1., 15.xii.1973; 9.iii., 3.x., 21.xi.1974; 7.x., 11., 24., 29.xi., 9.xii.1975; 28.i.1976; 16.ii., 21.x.1977, leg. V. J. Robinson; ANIC; SDEI; 1 ♂, 2,7km NE of Queanbeyan, 670m, 27.iii.1974, leg. I. F. B. Common; ANIC. Queensland: 1 ♀, 23°14'S, 150°48'E, 13km SSE of Yappoon, 26.viii.1983, leg. I. F. B. Common; ANIC. South Australia: 1 ♀, 29 miles SW of Whyalla, 10.v.1970, leg. I. F. B. Common; ANIC; 2 ♂, Mambray Creek Nat. Res., 11.v.1970, leg. I. F. B. Common; ANIC. Tasmania: 1 ♂, Oyster Cave, 147°17E, 43°06'E, 18.x.1981, leg. P. B. McQuillan; ANIC; 1 ♀, Montumana, 10.xii.1979, leg. P. B. McQuillan; ANIC; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, Mount Nelson, 200m, 4., 14.i.1980; 14.i., February 1981; 8.i.1982, leg. P. B. McQuillan; ANIC; SDEI; 10 ♂, 1 ♀, 42°55'29"S, 147°20'38"E, Mt. Nelson Nat. Res., 330m, 7., 12.ii.2009, leg. L. Kaila & J. Kullberg; FMNH; SDEI. Western Australia: 1 ♂, 25°53'S, 113°34'E, 4km SE Denham, Shark Bay, 6.x.1999, leg. L. Kaila; ANIC; 1 ♂, Drummond Cove, 11km N of Geraldton, emerged 16.viii.1973 ex Exocarpos [nec: Exocarpus ]; leg. N. McFarland; ANIC.

Remarks. The dissection of numerous males shows, that the diagnostic differences, indicated in the description of O. paropsias , are only intraspecific variation. For this reason Ochromolopis paropsias is treated as a new synonym of Gnathifera opsias .

Distribution. Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland (first record), South Australia (type locality of O. paropsias ), Tasmania, Western Australia (first record) ( Gaedike, 1968, 1972).

Bionomics. Exocarpos sp. (new host plant).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Adults. 1, Gnathifera aphronesa, ♀, Tasmania, Port Arthur, 17.ix.1979, leg. P. B. McQuillan; genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9145, SDEI. 2, Gnathifera pseudaphronesa, ♀, CSIRO Exp. Fm., Wilton, N.S.W., 11.x.1977, leg. V. J. Robinson, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9164, ANIC. 3, Gnathifera eurybias, ♀, 30°17'S, 150°120'S, Dawson Spring, Kaputar Nat. Park, N.S.W., 1362m, 14.ii.1980, leg. I. F. B. Common, ANIC. 4, Gnathifera opsias, ♂, Tasmania, 42°55'29"S, 147°20'38"E, Mt. Nelson Nat. Res., 330m, 7–12.ii.2009, leg. L. Kaila & J. Kullberg, SDEI. 5, Gnathifera bidentella, ♂, 23°12'S, 150°47'E, 10km SSE of Yepoon, Q., 13.viii.1983, leg. I. F. B. Common, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9200, ANIC. 6, Gnathifera australica, ♀, 23°14'S, 150°49'E, 13km SSE of Yeppoon, Q., 26.viii.1983, leg. I. F. B. Common, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9257, ANIC.