Telphusa Chambers, 1872

Lee, Sangmi & Brown, Richard L., 2008, Revision of Holarctic Teleiodini (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), Zootaxa 1818, pp. 1-55 : 15-18

Telphusa Chambers

Telphusa Chambers, 1872a: 132 .

Type species: Telphusa curvistrigella Chambers, 1872 , by monotypy. Telphusa curvistrigella is a junior synonym of T. longifasciella ( Clemens, 1863) . Adrasteia Chambers, 1872b: 149 .

Type species: Adrasteia alexandriacella Chambers, 1872 b , by subsequent designation (Walsingham 1911). The identity of the type species is uncertain. Until a suitable species from the type locality can be found that matches the original description, as suggested by Busck (1903), the only alternative is to maintain the synonymy of Adrasteia and Telphusa . Adrastia Kirby, 1874: 379 . Misspelling of Adrasteia Chambers, 1872 . Geniadophora Walsingham, 1897: 71 .

Type species: Poecilia extranea Walsingham, 1892 , by original designation. Telephusa Beirne, 1938: 228 . Misspelling of Telphusa Chambers, 1872 .

Description. Imago ( Fig. 54 ). Labial palpus with third segment longer than second. Clypeus with ventral margin rounded. Antenna longer than half forewing length. Ocellus present. Posterior area of sitophore with four campaniform sensilla in asymmetrical trapezoid; anterior area with 5–7 campaniform sensilla. Forewing (length/width ratio 4.5) with tufts of raised scales; R5, M1, M2, and M3 separated, CuA1 and CuA2 present; median fascia transverse or directed from base of costa toward posterior margin. Hindwing (length/width ratio 3.4) with R5 and M1 connate or stalked, M2 and M3 separate, M3 and CuA1 separate. Male abdominal tergum VIII with pair of anterolateral hair pencils.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 28 ): uncus slender, tapered to rounded apex, subequal in length with gnathos; ventral part of gnathos hook shaped; costal part of valva present with bulbous base; tegumen basal width/length 0.8; phallus without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 46 ): apophyses about 2 x length of apophyses anteriores; apophyses anteriores subequal in length with abdominal segment VIII; ductus bursae with colliculum; sternum surrounding ostium bursae sclerotized; signum a small plate, lateral flaps, irregularly shaped, with serrate margins.

Larva. Body with transverse stripes; head with stemmata 4, 5, and 6 forming triangle with right or obtuse angle from stemma 4; prolegs with a complete circle of crochets; abdomen VII with D2 closer to mid-dorsal line than D1; abdomen VIII with SD 1 in front of spiracle ( Fracker 1915).

Pupa. Less than 6 mm in length, brownish orange with the four terminal abdominal segments red brown and covered with fine punctuations ( Opler 1974: 44).

Diagnosis. Species of Telphusa are superficially similar to those of Gelechia , but differ in generally being smaller and having tufts of raised scales on the forewing. Telphusa are differentiated from other genera in Teleiodini by having a distinct hook shaped gnathos and saccular part of the valva that is stout and shorter than the costal part.

Hosts. Anacardiaceae : Rhus typhina L. ( T. longifasciella ). Corylaceae : Corylus sp. ( T. sedulitella ). Fagaceae : Quercus spp. ( T. sedulitella ). Rhamnaceae : Ceanothus sp. ( T. sedulitella ). Salicaceae : Salix sp. ( T. sedulitella ). ( De Benedictis et al. 1990; Miller 1995; Opler 1974; Prentice 1966; Robinson et al. 2002).

Diversity and distribution. Telphusa includes five species occurring in eastern and western United States and Canada ( Busck 1903; Forbes 1923; Fracker 1915; Meyrick 1909; Walsingham 1908). An additional 17 species have been reported from the Neotropical Region ( Becker 1984).

Notes. This genus previously has been considered to have a worldwide distribution; however, it is restricted here to species occurring in North and South America. Species previously assigned to this genus that occur in Palearctic and Afrotropical Regions, as well as T. latifasciella in Nearctic Region, need to be transferred into other genera after further study.

Figures

FIGURES 51 – 58. Imagos. 51. Agnippe crinella. 52, Agnippe prunifoliella. 53, Glauce pectenalaeella. 54, Telphusa longifasciella. 55, Arogalea cristifasciella. 56, Sinoe robiniella. 57, Recurvaria nanella. 58, Exoteleia dodecella.

FIGURES 25 – 29. Male genitalia, basal articulation (ba), dorsal gnathos (dg), ventral gnathos (vg), and uncus (u). 25, Agnippe sp. 1. 26, Glauce sp. 1. 27, Arogalea cristifasciella. 28, Telphusa sedulitella. a, tegumen. b, vinculum and phallus. 29, Sinoe robiniella. a, tegumen. b, phallus. c, vinculum.

FIGURE 44 – 46. Female genitalia. 44, Glauce sp. 1. 45, Arogalea cristifasciella. 46, Telphusa sedulitella.