Gnathifera fuscostriata, Gaedike, 2018

Gaedike, Reinhard, 2018, New data on the taxonomy, distribution and host plants of Australian Epermeniidae (Lepidoptera: Epermenioidea), Zootaxa 4524 (1), pp. 33-50 : 39-40

Gnathifera fuscostriata sp. nov.

( Figs 11–12 , 27–28 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Queensland: “ 27°34'S, 152°02'E, 400m, 6.5km E of Toowoomba , QLD, 6 Aug. 1985, [leg.] I. F. B. Common;” “Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9197;” “ Holotypus ♂, Gnathifera fuscostriata sp. n., det. R. Gaedike 2018;” ANIC , Paratypes: 1 ♀, “Murphys Creek nr. Toowoomba, Q. 18 Oct. 1982, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, “Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9189;” ANIC, 1 ♀, “ 27°33'S, 151°55'E, Prince Henry Heights, 620m, Toowoomba , Q., 24 Feb. 1982, [leg.] I. F. B. Common;” “Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9198;” SDEI.

Description. ( Figs 11–12 ). Wingspan 9–12 mm;

Head dark grey, tip of scales lighter; labial palpus lighter coloured, curved upwards, scales more or less stick out; antenna without pecten, nearly 2/3 of the length of forewing.

Thorax and tegulae dark grey basally, light grey apically; forewing narrow, dorsum without clear tuft of raised scales, with a thin whitish coloured stripe from base to 1/2, ground colour from light to dark grey; three short brown streaks from base to the end of cell, a fourth streak situated apically, a minute black dot between the each two streaks; forewing area between the first two streaks and dorsum with dark scales, apical ¼ of wing with dark scales, fringe along termen with two somewhat sickle-shaped scale-lines; hindwing light grey. Female with broader brown streaks (see Fig. 12 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 27 ). Tegumen laterally with bristled edges, uncus slightly curved, with pointed tip; gnathos broad, nearly rectangular, with rounded edges, with numerous minute bristles; valva narrow, more or less parallel, costal edge ending as a thin pointed process, ventral edge from apical fourth of valva directed obliquely upwards, ending in a bristled digital process, subapically with a strongly sclerotized pointed long thorn; apodeme prolonged to a long process of nearly the length of valva, apically with minute thorns; phallus basally rounded, apical half enlarged, inside with a small hook-shaped cornutus.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 28 ). Ventral arms of anterior apophyses broadened, covered with minute thorns, ductus bursae with strongly sclerotized ring, corpus bursae covered with minute sclerotizations, signum more or less round, one edge with minute strongly sclerotized thorns.

Diagnosis. The thin whitish coloured stripe at dorsum is similar to the forewing pattern found in G. acacivorella , G. montana and G. queenslandi , with pale or whitish coloured stripe, but the four brown streaks from base along cell to apex make the new species distinguishable externally. Clear differences are seen in the male genitalia structure: broad, nearly rectangular gnathos, parallel-sided valva with apical thin pointed process, apodeme as long as valva and phallus with minute cornutus, while the above mentioned species with narrow ( queenslandi ) or broad rounded gnathos ( acacivorella , montana ), with shorter ( acacivorella ) or forked ( montana ) apodeme, and phallus without cornutus.

Distribution. Queensland.

Bionomics. The e arly stages and host plants are unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the colouration of forewing (latin: fuscus = brown; striatus = streaky).

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Adults. 7, Gnathifera bipunctata, ♂, W.A., Kununurra, emg. 3.v.1999, leg. A. Postle, Larva mining leaf of seedling Santalum album, genitalia slide ANIC 13890, ANIC. 8, Gnathifera luridicapitella, holotype ♂, 29 miles SW of Whyalla, S. A., 8 May 1970, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9240, ANIC. 9, Gnathifera queenslandi, ♀, Barren Grounds Fauna Res., N.S.W., 27.vii.1976, leg. V. J. Robinson, ANIC. 10, Gnathifera acacivorella, ♂, CSIRO Exp. Fm., Wilton, N.S.W., 20.xii.1976, leg. V. J. Robinson, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9171, ANIC. 11, Gnathifera fuscostriata, holotype ♂, 27°34'S, 152°02'E, 400m, 6.5km E of Toowoomba, QLD, 6 Aug. 1985, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9197, ANIC. 12, Gnathifera fuscostriata, paratype ♀, Murphys Creek nr. Toowoomba, Q. 18 Oct. 1982, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, genitalia slide Gaedike Nr. 9189, ANIC.

FIGURES 22–27. Male and female genitalia. 22, Gnathifera pseudaphronesa, ♀, Como West, N.S.W., 17.iv.1970, leg. L. Willan & V. J. Robinson, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9251, ANIC. 23, Gnathifera bidentella, ♂, 23°12'S, 150°46'E, 10km SSE of Yepoon, Q., 8.ixi.1981, leg. I. F. B. Common, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9200, ANIC. 24, Gnathifera luridicapitella, holotype ♂, 29 miles SW of Whyalla, S. A., 8 May 1970, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9240, ANIC. 25, Gnathifera queenslandi, ♀, 33°36'S, 115°49'E, 3km S by W of Donnybrook, W.A., 28.iv.1983, leg. E. S. Nielsen & E. D. Edwards, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9244, ANIC. 26, Gnathifera acacivorella, ♂, CSIRO Exp. Fm., Wilton, N.S.W., 20.xii.1976, leg. V. J. Robinson, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9171, ANIC. 27, Gnathifera fuscostriata, holotype ♂, 27°34'S, 152°02'E, 400m, 6.5km E of Toowoomba, QLD, 6 Aug. 1985, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9197, ANIC

FIGURES 28–30. Male and female genitalia. 28, Gnathifera fuscostriata, paratype ♀, Murphys Creek nr. Toowoomba, Q. 18 Oct. 1982, [leg.] I. F. B. Common, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9189, ANIC. 29, Gnathifera robinsoni, holotype ♂, CSIRO Exp. Fm., Wilton, N. S. W., 6.4.1972, [leg.] V. J. Robinson, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9165, ANIC. 30, Gnathifera montana, holotype ♂, Mt. Gingera, A. C. T., 5600ft. 22.10.1968, [leg.]V. J. Robinson & I. F. B. Common, Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9172, ANIC.