Saccocera, Kallies, Axel, 2013

Kallies, Axel, 2013, New and little known Brachodidae from tropical Asia and Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera, Cossoidea), Zootaxa 3641 (3), pp. 241-259 : 246-247

Saccocera gen. nov.

Type species: Miscera orpheus Kallies, 2004 ( Figs 4, 5 , 11, 12 )

Representatives of this genus were previously assigned to Miscera Walker, 1863 , although some doubt was expressed about that generic placement (Kallies 2004). With additional material from Asia and Papua New Guinea and more detailed knowledge of the Australian species of Miscera (unpublished), it is now clear that these taxa belong to a new genus, which is described here. Two species are hereby transferred to Saccocera , S. orpheus (Kallies, 2004) comb. n. ( Figs 4, 5 ) and S. sauteri (Kallies, 2004) comb. n., and another two species are described, Saccocera miangkabau sp. nov. and Saccocera panaras sp. nov.

Description. Small to medium sized moths, with alar expanses 16–27 mm. Head: male antennae relatively short (less than 1/3 length of forewing), prismatic, thickly covered with scales and with very short ciliae, subapically with a light region; female antennae similar but somewhat smoother; haustellum absent; labial palpus straight or slightly up-curved. Thorax: as in other brachodid genera. Abdomen: with faintly lighter or yellow posterior margins of sternites. Forewing: typically brown to black, in most species with indistinct yellow longitudinal streak through cell; remainder of forewing covered with loosely scattered yellow to light brown or grey individual scales that are occasionally white-tipped. Hindwing: with more or less extensive white or yellow markings subbasally. Ventral side of wings very similar to dorsal, but light markings more extensive. Venation similar to that of Synechodes (comp. Heppner 1990).

Genitalia. Male ( Fig. 11 ). Uncus triangular, weakly developed, gnathos consisting of two lateral arms fused at tip, without hook-like extension (arrow), juxta asymmetrical, phallus with well-developed coecum penis. Female ( Fig. 12 ). Ovipositor short and wide (in comparison to Synechodes , Fig. 14 ), with well-developed triangular pouchlike structure ventrally (arrow) and broad, well-developed papillae anales; ductus bursae short; corpus bursae small and weakly membranous.

Diagnosis. Externally, Saccocera is characterized by the greatly reduced or altogether lost haustellum (welldeveloped in Synechodes and Miscera ) and the short antennae (longer in Synechodes and Miscera ). Species of Saccocera typically have an indistinct yellow longitudinal streak along the lower edge of the discal cell of the forewing (absent in Synechodes ) and usually lack the white-tipped individual scales that cover the forewings of Synechodes . In the male genitalia, Saccocera (known only for the type species, S. orpheus , Fig. 11 ) can be distinguished from Synechodes (illustrated for Synechodes agrippina Meyrick, 1930 , Fig. 13 ) by the reduced gnathos that lacks the hook-like extension; the asymmetrical juxta; the triangular, weakly developed uncus; and the well-developed coecum penis of the phallus. In the female genitalia, Saccocera ( Fig. 12 ) can be distinguished from Synechodes (illustrated for Synechodes andamanensis Kallies 2004 , Fig. 14 ) by the short and wide ovipositor (long and narrow in Synechodes ), which bears a well-developed triangular pouch-like structure (lacking in Synechodes ); the broad, well-developed papillae anales (smaller in Synechodes ); and the small corpus bursae (larger in Synechodes ).

Distribution. Species of this genus are known from Taiwan, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and New Ireland ( Papua New Guinea).

Biology. The biology of Saccocera species is unknown; however, species of the related genus Synechodes are borers in the petioles or inflorescence of palms (Kallies 2004). The long, narrow, extensible ovipositor of Synechodes suggests that females lay their eggs deep into crevasses, presumably at the base of the petioles. The short, wide, modified ovipositor of Saccocera suggests a different behaviour.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Brachodinae. Adults. 1. Synechodes polias sp. nov., male, holotype, Sulawesi (Indonesia), alar expanse 19.5 mm (BMNH). 2. Synechodes tamila sp. nov., male, holotype, India, alar expanse 23.5 mm (BMNH). Fig. 3. Synechodes andamanensis Kallies, 2004, male, Andaman Isl (India), alar expanse 15.5 mm (BMNH). 4. Saccocera orpheus (Kallies, 2004), holotype, male, Java (Indonesia), alar expanse 16.5 mm (RMNH). 5. S. orpheus, paratype, female, Java (Indonesia), alar expanse 24.0 mm (RMNH). 6. Saccocera panaras sp. nov., female, holotype, Papua New Guinea, alar expanse 22.5 mm (BMNH). 7. Saccocera miangkabau sp. nov., female, Sumatra (Indonesia), alar expanse 27.0 mm (CAK). 8. Miscera minahasa sp. nov., female, holotype, Sulawesi (Indonesia), alar expanse 13.8 mm (ANIC).

FIGURES 11 – 14. Brachodinae. Male and female genitalia. 11 – 12. Saccocera orpheus (Kallies, 2004). 11. male, holotype, Gen. prep. AK 238 (arrow indicates gnathos) (RMNH). 12. female, paratype, Gen. prep. AK 40 (arrow indicates position of pouch-like structure at the ovipositior) (RMNH). 13. Synechodes agrippina (Meyrick, 1930), male, Gen. prep. AK 129 / BM 29206 (arrow indicates gnathos) (BMNH). 14. Synechodes andamanensis Kallies, 2004, paratype, Gen. prep. AK 147 / BM 29208 (arrow indicates ovipositior without pouch-like structure) (BMNH).