Kiwaia Philpott, 1930

Bidzilya, Oleksiy & Li, Houhun, 2016, A review of the genus Kiwaia Philpott, 1930 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in the Palaearctic Region, Zootaxa 4098 (3), pp. 471-497 : 472-474

Genus Kiwaia Philpott, 1930

Kiwaia Philpott, 1930: 248

Type-species: Kiwaia jenae Philpott, 1930 249, by original designation and monotypy. Empista Povolný, 1968: 116 .

Type-species: Empista palaearctica Povolný, 1968: 117 , by monotypy. As a subgenus by Sattler, 1988: 234. Zeempista Povolný, 1974: 414 .

Type-species: Gelechia cheradias Meyrick, 1909: 12 , by original designation. Originally proposed as a subgenus of Empista Povolný, 1968 . Synonymized by Sattler, 1988: 233.

Description Palaearctic species of Kiwaia (Empista) . Head smooth-scaled, labial palpus slender, distinctly upcurved, uniformly brown or with more or less developed light medial and apical belts, inner surface light grey to whitish, segment 2 with short brush of modified scales underside, proboscis well-developed, antenna simple, ocelli absent.

Thorax. Tegulae and thorax same colour as forewing or lighter. Scutellum at anterior margin with rounded plate of very short, modified scales. Posterior margin of metascutum with paired group of long hair-like scales. Forewing elongated, wingspan 14.5–19.0 mm, dark, grey, black or brown, sometimes with two-three short ochreous streaks under costal margin, three black spots in cell and black dots near the base are usually clear expressed, hindwing grey, distinctly emarginated, apex moderately pointed.

Frenulum of female consisting of two ( K. (E.) kostjuki ) or four ( K. (E.) centrica sp. n.) acanthae, retinaculum row of raised scales at base of Sc and R. Frenulum of male simple, retinaculum a membranous hook under Sc near base.

Abdomen. Male tergite and sternite VIII deeply separated laterally, tergite weakly prolonged, slightly narrowed apically, posterior margin rounded, anterior margin with broad and shallow medial emargination, paired basal coremata well developed; sternite about 1.5 times longer than broad, anterior margin straight, posterior margin rounded. Female segment VII about two times as long as other abdominal segments, weakly narrowed apically. Sternite II of both sexes with pair of venulae and with distinct apodemes.

Male genitalia. Uncus a prolonged, weakly narrowed plate with rounded posterior margin, sometimes distinctly longer than broad ( K. (E.) spinosa ); gnathos long, slender, evenly curved, sickle-shaped, about as long as or longer than uncus; tegumen prolonged, distally narrowed, anterior margin with deep rounded or triangular emargination, lateral folds well developed; valva usually as long as or slightly shorter than tegumen and uncus, narrow, weakly broadened in middle, of equal width, terminal portion usually inflated, rounded or tapers into long thorn ( K. spinosa ), rarely with strongly broadened triangular apex ( K. (E.) kumatai , K. (E.) povolnyi sp. n.), thornshaped medial process is developoed in K. (E.) montana sp. n.; sacculus usually digitate, of equal width or tapered, usually about as wide as valva, but distinctly broader in K. (E.) medogia sp. n., from 1/5 to nearly half length of valva, curved inwards; vinculum about twice broader than long, posterior margin with rounded emargination; vincular processes broad, rounded or weakly pointed apically, posterior edge haired or covered with short spines, separated by deep and narrow medial emargination; saccus moderately long, usually slightly extends over the top of pedunculus, but sometimes very long ( K. (E.) ramulata ), evenly narrowed towards pointed or abruptly cut apex; phallus usually curved under abrupt angle at about middle before caecum, but sometimes nearly straight ( K. (E.) montana sp. n., K. (E.) ramulata , K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n.), caecum weakly inflated, distal portion of phallus about of equal length or slightly shorter than caecum, parallel-sided or weakly narrowed apically, strongly sclerotized along one margin and usually tapering into short apical thorn, top of phallus usually with welldeveloped down-curved arm of different shape, sometimes additional crescent sclerite presents ( K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n.), ductus ejaculatoris long with coiled lamina; the only exception from above scheme is a phallus of K. (E.) ramulata that is tubular, straight, long and slender, with small lateral tooth on 3/4 length and rounded apex.

Female genitalia. Papilla analis prolonged, covered with short hair-like setae; apophyses posteriores very long, slender; apophyses anteriores usually straight, pointed, subequal length with segment VIII, except for very short in K. (E.) yadongensis sp. n.; segment VIII sub-rectangular, longer than broad, tergite without modifications, evenly sclerotized, subgenital plate narrow, without modification or densely covered with microtrichia or weakly wrinkled at the base of apophyses anteriores, anterior margin slightly ( K. (E.) palaearctica , K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n.) or distinctly ( K. (E.) kostjuki ) projecting medially, sometimes far projecting over the anterior margin of sternite ( K. (E.) medogia sp. n. and K. (E.) yadongensis sp. n.); lobes of ventromedial depression differ in length, moderately broad, covered with microtrichia in most species, anteromedially strongly edged ( K. (E.) kostjuki , K. (E.) medogia sp. n., K. (E.) yadongensis sp. n.), with paired rounded ( K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n., subtriangular ( K. (E.) kumatai ) or digitate ( K. (E.) palaearctica ) sclerites, ostium opening indistinct, two additional drop-shaped ostial sclerites are present in K. (E.) kumatai , ductus bursae short, narrow, distinctly separated from the corpus bursae or broad with gradual transition to corpus bursae ( K. (E.) kostjuki , K. (E.) yadongensis sp. n.), antrum short, belt-shaped ( K. (E.) kostjuki ) or distinctly prolonged, with additional lateral sclerotization in K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n.; corpus bursae large, globular, pyri-form or prolonged; signum moderately long, horn-shaped, weakly curved, base and sometimes distal portion serrated, apex acute, signum of K. (E.) palaearctica is reduced to short serrated sclerite.

Relationships. We were able to study 14 Palaearctic and five New Zealand species of Kiwaia . The following suggestions about Kiwaia and its relationship with other Gnorimoschemini are rather provisional until the remaining New Zealand species can be examined and the results will be incorporated in global revision of Gnorimoschemini .

The genus Kiwaia is defined by the following combination of male genitalia characters: the uncus comparatively large, prolonged tongue-shaped, the gnathos long, narrow sickle-shaped, the phallus with usually well developed apical arm, vincular processes large, digitate, broadly rounded, haired or covered posteriorely with short spines and valva tends to form apical or medial process. The female genitalia are characterized by very long apophyses posteriores, strongly modified, covered with microtrichia or strongly edged ventomedial depression of sternum VIII and well developed antrum. In spite of the fact that most of genitalia characters of Kiwaia are scattered within the tribe Gnorimoschemini , the genus Microlechia Turati, 1924 seems to be most related to Kiwaia . Both genera share such characters as long, gradually curved sickle-shaped gnathos and large, prolonged, usually sub-ovate or tongue-shaped uncus in the male genitalia, but differ in the shapes of phallus, length of valva, shape of vincular processes in the male and shape of signum in the female genitalia.

Biology. Host-plant and immature stages for Palaearctic Kiwaia -species are unknown. In Himalayas Kiwaia - species were observed in mountain forests at the altitudes from 2000 to 2900 m; in China most species occur in Gansu, Hebei, Hunan, Ningxia, Shanxi, Sichuan and Xizang (Tibet) from 1020 m to about 2950 m; K. (E.) kostjuki has been collected on steppes slopes with rare forest vegetation in Shilka river valley in Zabaikalskyi krai of Russia at 600 m. Adults are attracted to the light.

In New Zealand the Kiwaia -species as far as known occur mainly in open landscapes in mountains, in sandy or stone storm beaches as well as in saline lands and sand-dunes. The host plants are unknown. Larvae of some species seem to be detritivorous within mats of Raoulia (Asteraceae) ( K. jenae Philpott, 1930 ) or mats of Acaenia buchananii (Rosaceae) ( K. schematica (Meyrick, 1885)) ( Patrick & Dugdale 2000; LINZ 2005).

Distribution. Kiwaia -species are characterized by a rather unusual distribution pattern for Gnorimoschemini . Fourteen species are known form the East of the Palaearctic Region, whereas rest of about 25 species are restricted in their distribution to New Zealand. In the Palaearctic Region Kiwaia is represented by the largest number of species in the Himalayas and Xizang (Tibet), several species are known from others regions of China (Ningxia AR, Gansu, Shanxi and Henan provinces). The most northerly localities are Zabaikalskiy krai of Russia. It seems realistic to assume that the center of origin of Palaearctic Kiwaia- species lies in the forest zone of the Himalayas and Xizang (Tibet). Since most of New Zealand Kiwaia -species remain unexamined, it is unclear if the most "primitive" species are present in the Palaearctic Region or in New Zealand. But brachyptery in females and high number of species in a rather restricted area may be considered as indirect evidences that Southern Island of New Zealand was a center of secondary radial evolution of ancestor forms of Kiwaia since separating of New Zealand from Gondwana.

Remarks. Povolný (1974) considered posteriorely haired, rather than covered with spines vincular processes in the male genitalia and reduced, rather than horn-shaped, signum in combination with weakly sclerotized subgenital plate in the female genitalia as characters that differ Palaearctic species of the subgenus Empista from species of the subgenus Kiwaia (= Zeempista ) from New Zealand. Our study showed that posteriorely covered with short spines vincular processes, well developed signum and strongly modified subgenital plate are quite common for Palaearctic species too. On the other hand the New Zealand Kiwaia -species differ externally from the Palaearctic species of the subgenus Empista in the smaller size and the females tend to be brachypterous. Since the most of New Zealand species are unexamined, the rationale for separating Kiwaia s. l. into two subgenera remains disputable.

Only a few Palaearctic species can be reliably distinguished superficially by their wing patterns ( K. (E.) ramulata , K. (E.) kumatai ) and sometimes by the size. In most cases the genitalia of both sexes have to be examined for correct identification of externally similar species.