Erechthias Meyrick

Davis, Donald R. & Mendel, Howard, 2013, The genus Erechthias Meyrick of Ascension Island, including discovery of a new brachypterous species (Lepidoptera, Tineidae), ZooKeys 341, pp. 1-20 : 3-4

Erechthias Meyrick

Erechthias Meyrick, 1880: 252, 261. Type species: Erechthias charadrota Meyrick 1880: 268 by subsequent designation by Meyrick 1915: 233. [New Zealand].

Ereunetis Meyrick, 1880: 252, 258. Type species: Ereunetis iuloptera Meyrick 1880: 258, 260, by subsequent designation by Walsingham 1914: 347. [Australia].

Decadarchis Meyrick, 1886: 290. Type species: Decadarchis melanastra Meyrick 1886: 291, by monotypy. [Fiji].

Hactacma Meyrick, 1915: 233. Type species: Erechthias chasmatias Meyrick 1880: 263, 264, by original designation. [New Zealand].

Nesoxena Meyrick, 1929: 506. Type species: Nesoxena strangulata Meyrick 1929: 507. [Tuamotu Archipelago].

Amphisyncentris Meyrick, 1933: 412. Type species: Amphisyncentris glyphidaula Meyrick 1933: 412, by monotypy. [Fiji].

Gonglyodes Turner, 1933: 180. Type species: Gonglyodes centroscia Turner 1933: 180, by monotypy. [Australia].

Caryolestis Meyrick, 1934: 109. Type species: Caryolestis praedatrix Meyrick 1934: 110, by monotypy. [Tahiti].

Triadogona Meyrick, 1937: 153. Type species: Triadogona amphileucota Meyrick 1937: 153, by monotypy. [Fiji].

Anemerarcha Meyrick, 1937: 154. Type species: Anemerarcha entomaula Meyrick 1937: 154, by monotypy. [Fiji].

Empaesta Bradley, 1956: 163. Type species: Tinea capnitis Turner 1918: 288, by original designation. [Norfolk Island].

Tinexotaxa Gozmány, 1968: 306. Type species: Tinexotaxa travestita Gozmány 1968: 306, by original designation. [Sierra Leone].

Acrocenotes Diakonoff, [1968]: 259, 262. Type species: Acrocenotes niphochrysa Diakonoff [1968]: 257, 262, by original designation. [Philippines].

Neodecadarchis Zimmermann, 1978: 264, 341. Type species: Ereunetis flavistriata Walsingham 1907: 716, by original designation. [Hawaii].

Lepidobregma Zimmermann, 1978: 264, 351. Type species: Ereunetis minuscula Walsingham 1897: 155, by original designation. [West Indies].

Pantheus Zimmermann, 1978: 264, 353. Type species: Ereunetis pencillata Swezey 1909: 13, by original designation. [Hawaii].

Adult.

Head (Figs 12-15): Frons with scales moderately broad, either mostly appressed or partially raised, sometimes with weak scale tufts arising from ventro-lateral margin; pilifers present, with numerous, short bristles; vertex with prominent occipital and lateral tufts and scales more slender; Eye of medium size; frons broad; interocular index ( Davis 1975) 0.7-1.2. Antenna extending ~ 0.7 –1.0× length of forewing; scape with prominent pectin of ~10-14 bristles (Fig. 13); intercalary sclerite well sclerotized; flagellomeres with a single annulus of appressed, narrow scales; antennal cilia short in both sexes. Maxillary palpus as long as or usually slightly longer than labial palpus, 5-segmented, with length ratio of segments from base: 1.0: 0.5: 1.7-2.75: 5.5-8.7: 2-3.6. Haustellum moderately developed, ~ 0.6 –1.0× length of labial palpus. Labial palpus well developed, length ratios from base: 1.0: 1.3-2.5: 1.0-1.4; segment 2 sometimes broad at base, with a prominent ventral brush of elongate, slender scales; a series of 5-16 long whitish to black bristles arising mostly laterally; 1-3 long, lateral bristles also usually present on basal segment.

Thorax: Wings (Figs 16-18) relatively narrow; forewing L/W index: 0.23-0.27; hindwing L/W index: 0.24-0.32. Forewing with Sc and R present in all species, Rs usually with 3-4 branches, reduced to one branch in Erechthias grayi ; Rs4 and M1 rarely stalked; accessory cell usually absent, sometimes with a trace of chorda; M with 2 branches (M1 and M2+3), with M fused with Cu in Erechthias grayi ; base of M usually absent or vestigial in cell; Cu with 2 branches (fused with M in Erechthias grayi ); CuP usually weak; A3 vestigial; retinaculum in male on underside of subcoasta; triangular, with a rolled apex. Hindwing with Sc and R fused; Rs usually present but incomplete, unbranched; M usually 3-branched, sometimes with M1and 2 fused; Cu 2-branced; A3 usually present; frenulum with single large spine in male, 1-3 spines in female. Legs unmodified; foretibia with epiphysis arising near distal third of tibia; midtibia with a single pair of spurs of unequal length arising near apex; hindtibia with 2 pairs of spurs of unequal lengths arising near basal third of tibia and near apex.

Abdomen: Apodemes slender, slightly convergent, or short, basally broad and nearly triangular. Segment A8 with male coremata present or absent; female corethrogyne absent.

Male genitalia: Segment A10 mostly membranous, often setose and melanized laterally; apex of uncus variably bilobed. Tegumen a narrow dorsal ring, poorly differentiated from vinculum; vinculum with a well developed, usually broadly rounded, triangular saccus. Valva usually simple, rarely with lobes or processes, usually broad, and often with a dense concentration of thick, costal spines; costal apodemes usually well developed. Gnathos absent. Juxta highly modified, forming sclerotized pouch of variable depth between bases of valvae and articulating with costal apodemes of valvae. Aedeagus typically in the form of a simple cylinder, with a slightly swollen base in some species; vesica sometimes lined with minute spicules, or with 1-2 much larger, spine-like cornuti.

Female genitalia: Ovipositor short to moderately long, 0.05 –0.50× length of abdomen; posterior ventral apophyses not developed; posterior (dorsal) apophyses 1.5 –2.7× length of anterior apophyses. Eighth tergite often narrowly rectangular, with a few terminal setae; eighth sternum connected to anterior apophyses by ventral rami. Bursa copulatrix 0.5 –1.9× length of abdomen. Antrum relatively slender, often narrowly funnel-shaped or sometimes in the form of an incomplete ring; junction with ductus seminalis immediately anterior to antrum. Ductus bursae slender, with or without coarse microtrichia lining interior. Corpus bursae membranous, ovate to pyriform, often with a single small signum with the more slender, rodlike end projecting free from exterior wall of corpus bursae; signum sometimes can be stellate, blade-shaped, in the shape of a small ridged plate, or absent.

Key to species of Erechthias occurring on Ascension Island