Philodoria limahuliensis Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara

Kobayashi, Shigeki, Johns, Chris A. & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2021, Revision of the Hawaiian endemic leaf-mining moth genus Philodoria Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): its conservation status, host plants and descriptions of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4944 (1), pp. 1-175 : 71-72

Philodoria limahuliensis Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara sp. n.

Figs. 15F, G , 47F , 48F , 49F .

Philodoria sp. 8; Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2.

Type locality. Limahuli (Kauai).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, Limahuli (pronounced ‘Lee-Mah-Hoo-Lee’) Garden and Preserve, northern coast of Kauai.

Type material. Holotype ♂ Limahuli, Kauai Is., 9.vii.2015 (stored), C.A. Johns leg., host: Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae , 21.vi.2015, CJ472b/SK731♂ in BPBM . Paratype 2♂, same locality and data as holotype, 9& 21. vii.2015 (stored), CJ472a / SK730♂, CJ490 / SK732♂ in BPBM. Three specimens are incomplete but they have features that are distinctive enough to allow this species to be described. What remains of three specimens is: holotype mounted by placing four wings without mountant under a coverslip: two forewings (9/10 of left wing and 2/3 right wing slightly damaged) and one full hindwing and another 4/5 hindwing; two paratypes: a specimen mounted by placing three wings without mountant under a coverslip (two forewings [4/5 of left wing and halves of right wing] and right hindwing missing at base; CJ472a); a specimen mounted by placing four wings and two legs without mountant under a coverslip (full forewings slightly damaged at base, full two hindwings and two hind or mid legs; CJ490) .

Diagnosis. A dark brown forewing with five outwardly oblique white streaks ( Fig. 15F, G ). The male genitalia is similar to that of P. hibiscella (Swezey) , from which it is distinguishable by its darker forewing with two costal streaks. See also diagnosis of P. dubautiella .

Description: Adult ( Fig. 15F, G ). Forewing length 3.9 mm in holotype, 3.5 mm in paratype. Head and frons ocherous; maxillary palpus and labial palpus white fuscous below; antenna missing; thoracic characters, other than the legs and wings, are unknown. Adult head, thorax were used for molecular analysis. Forewing dark brown with outwardly oblique white streaks: ds 1–3 and slender cs 1, 2 at the middle and 2/3 of costa respectively; all of these streaks margined with a few black or fuscous scales; 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 streak between apex and end of third dorsal white streak; cilia fuscous with a 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 ( Figs. 47F , 48F , 49F ) (n=3). Capsule 980 µm. Tegumen 0.9 x length of valva; valva 700 µm long, oblong, tapering along costal margin from base 2/5 to apex; apical half digitiform, same width in lateral view; a series of small spines along the inner side of valva ( Fig. 47F ). Saccus slender and digitiform in ventral view ( Fig. 48F ). Phallus 710 µm long, slender, straight and sinuous at phallobase with developed coecum; cornuti in vesica indistinct ( Fig. 49F ).

Female genitalia Unknown.

Distribution. Kauai.

Host plants. Malvaceae : Hibiscus waimeae A. Heller subsp. hannerae .

Biology. Unknown.

Parasitoids. Chalcidoidea sp. ( Fig. 106M, N ).

Remarks. We examined fewer than 10 larva and adults of H. waimeae in Upper Limahuli Preserve (many of those reared did not become adults). It is possible that P. limahuliensis mines other Hibiscus species on Kauai. Future field surveys should look for other individuals of this plant host and related plants around the type locality. There are several extremely rare, endemic Malvaceae known from Kauai (e.g., Hibiscadelphus distans , Kokio kauaiensis ) that could serve as larval hosts to Philodoria .

Figures

FIGURE 15. Adults of Philodoria species that have two costal streaks (cs1 and cs2). A Forewings of P. alakaiensis sp. n. holotype male, B Paratype male, C Same as B, forewings, D Paratype male (BMNH(E)1621107) in NHMUK, E Paratype female

FIGURE 47. Left valva of Philodoria, inner view. A P. wilkesiella, Maui, PHIL0007, B P. epibathra, Molokai, SK678, C P. dubauticola, Maui, SK646, D P. dubautiella, paralectotype, Oahu SK726, E P. alakaiensis, paratype, Kauai, SK660, F P. limahuliensis, holotype, Kauai, SK731, G P. hibiscella, Oahu, SK684, H P. naenaeiella, paralectotype, Oahu, SK691, I P. knudseniiella, holotype Kauai, SK862, J P. hesperomanniella, holotype, Maui, SK831.

FIGURE 48. Genital capsule of Philodoria, excluding right portion of male genitalia, ventral view. A P. wilkesiella, Maui, PHIL0007, B P. epibathra, Molokai, SK678, C P. dubauticola, Maui SK646, D P. dubautiella, paralectotype, Oahu, SK733, E P. alakaiensis, paratype, Kauai, SK660, F P. limahuliensis, holotype, Kauai, SK731, G P. hibiscella Oahu SK684, H P. naenaeiella paralectotype, Oahu, SK691, I P. knudseniiella, holotype, Kauai, SK862, J P. hesperomanniella, holotype, Maui, SK831.

FIGURE 49. Phallus of Philodoria, lateral view. A P. wilkesiella, Maui, PHIL0007, B P. epibathra, Molokai, SK678, C P. dubauticola, Maui, SK812, D P. dubautiella, paralectotype, Oahu, SK733 E P. alakaiensis, paratype, Kauai, SK660, F P. limahuliensis, holotype, Kauai, SK731, G P. hibiscella, Oahu, SK684, H P. naenaeiella, paralectotype, Oahu, SK691, I P. knudseniiella, holotype, Kauai, SK862, J P. hesperomanniella, holotype, Maui, SK831.

FIGURE 106. Parasitoid wasps that emerged from Philodoria that mine Hibiscus. A–D, G, H: unidentified species, E, F: Braconidae, I–N: Chalcidoidea. A SKH8-3-A from P. hauicola on Hibiscus tilaceus, Oahu, B SKH-8-3-B, C, D SKH-8-3-C, E, F SKH-8-11-A, same data as SKH-8-3, G, H CJ272 from P. hauicola or P. hibiscella on H. tilaceus, Oahu, I, J CJ236-1 from P. hibiscella on H. arnottianus, Oahu, K CJ236-2, L CJ236-3, M, N CJ469 from P. limahuliensis on H. waimaeae subsp. haneri, Kauai.