Philodoria alakaiensis Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara sp. n.

Figs. 14F, 15A–E, 36, 39D, 47E, 48E, 49E, 58F, G.

Philodoria sp. 15; Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2.

Type locality. Alakai (Kauai).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, Alaka’i (pronounced ‘Ala-Kayee’) Wilderness Preserve, also known as Alaka’i Swamp, an important wet forest area for Hawaiian endemic plants.

Type material. Holotype ♂, Alakai, Kauai Is., 9.vii.2015 (stored), C.A. Johns leg., host: Dubautia laxa or D. paleata, 18.vi.2015, CJ473, SK 836 in BPBM. Paratype 7 (3♂, 3♀, 1 sex unknown): 1♂, same data and locality as holotype, CJ 468 in BPBM; 2♂, 2♀, 1 (sex unknown), same data and locality as holotype, 11.vii.2015 (stored), CJ479/SK658♂, SK 659♀, SK660♂, SK 661♀ in BPBM; 1♀, same locality as holotype, 11.vii.2015 (stored), 18.vi.2015, host: Dubautia laxa or D. paleata, CJ 481/SK 864♀, SK870 (SEM) in BPBM; 1♂, Kauai, 4520’, Alakai Swamp, Kelekua Hut, 13.ix.1973, K. & E. Sattler, B.M.1973-498, Philodoria sp. 30 cf nigrelloides, Colour slides 133-4, 139 Pl. 3 Fig. 5 Zimmerman 1978a Sattler Coll., D.C. Lees Sep. 2016, BMNH(E) 1621107 in NHMUK; 1♀, Kauai, 4520’, Alakai Swamp, Kelekua Hut, 5.vii.1973, K. & E. Sattler, B.M.1982-342, Philodoria sp. 28, Sattler Coll., D.C. Lees, Sep. 2016, BMNH(E) 1621109 in NHMUK. The holotype was mounted as a dry pinned specimen with its four wings placed without mountant under a coverslip: forewings slightly damaged at base, basal 2/3 of hindwings broken.

Diagnosis. Dark brownish forewings with four outwardly oblique white streaks: two dorsal ones and two slender costal ones (Figs. 14F, 15A–E). Differs from other Philodoria species in having two costal streaks, but lacks a ds 1 and a short cs 1 in the forewing; valva slender and slightly rounded apically. An Alakai species, P. nigrelloides (Swezey) (male unknown, feeding on Dubautia) differs from the new species in lacking the cs 1 and having a tubular antrum (Zimmerman 1978a: fig. 459).

Description: Adult (Figs. 14F, 15A–E, 36). Forewing length 3.8–3.9 mm in holotype, 3.3–3.9 mm in paratype. Head dark brown; frons white; maxillary palpus white; labial palpus white but with dark brown scales below at apex (Fig. 36); antenna dark brown, white beneath, about 1.1x length of forewing. Thorax brown. Forewing brown to dark brown with outwardly oblique white streaks that are found at: cs 2 short one at about 1/2, cs 3 slender at 3/4; ds 1 very small at base along the dorsum; ds 2 large at 1/3; ds 3 at 3/4; some fuscous scales scattering from 1/2 to 3/4; apical portion orangish brown; three white costal spots (a, b, c) near apex; a spot of bluish scales at apex (as) and a few bluish scales in a more or less fuscous patch between apex and end of ds 3; cilia fuscous with two white spot at termen; bl 1 black from termen to tornus, fuscous fringe at tornus. Hindwing and cilia fuscous. Legs pale fuscous with dark brown scales.

Male genitalia (Fig. 39D, 47E, 48E, 49E) (n=2). Capsule 800 µm. Tegumen 0.7–0.8 x length of valva; valva 590 µm long, tapering along costal margin from base 2/5–1/2 to apex, slightly rounded at apex and narrowing once at middle; a series of small spines arranged, along the inner side of valva (Fig. 47E). Saccus triangular in ventral view (Fig. 48E). Phallus 550 µm long, rounded at phallobase with developed coecum; two series of spiny minute cornuti in vesica (Fig. 49E).

Female genitalia (Fig. 58F, G) (n=3). 1280 µm long. Ostium bursae large; antrum low, cup-shaped with a slender pair of lateral lobes; lamella antevaginalis 210 µm, weakly sclerotized, trapezoid in ventral view, slightly inflexed on the posterior margin, widening toward anterior margin of A7. Ductus bursae 400–450 µm; terminus of ductus bursae biforked. Corpus bursae 690–700 µm, oblong with paired rows of wrinkles running longitudinally, some sclerotized.

Distribution. Kauai.

Host plants. Asteraceae: Dubautia sp. ( D. laxa or D. paleata). Several species of Dubautia co-occur in the Alakai swamp area and it is unclear whether the specimens found by N. Tangalin were on Dubautia laxa or D. paleata . These mines were very abundant during our surveys in the summer of 2015.

Biology. The larva mines fresh fuzzy leaves.

Parasitoids. Braconidae sp.? (Fig. 105A–L).