Tecmerium Walsingham, 1907

Teng, Kaijian & Wang, Shuxia, 2018, Genus Tecmerium Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Blastobasidae) new to China, with descriptions of two new species, Zoological Systematics 43 (4), pp. 420-428 : 421

Tecmerium Walsingham, 1907

Tecmerium Walsingham, 1907: 215 . Type species: Blastobasis anthophaga Staudinger, 1871 , by original designation.

Oroclintrus Gozmány, 1957: 130 . Type species: Oroclintrus perplexus Gozmány, 1957 , by original designation.

Holcoceroides Sinev, 1986: 65 . Preoccupied by Strand, 1913 ( Cossidae ). Type species: Holcoceroides scythrella Sinev, 1986 , by monotypy. Sinevina Koçak & Kemal, 2007: 6 . Replacement name for Holcoceroides Sinev, 1986 .

Exinotis Meyrick, 1916: 598 . Type species: Exinotis catachlora Meyrick, 1916 , by monotypy.

Prosintis Meyrick, 1916: 598 . Type species: Prosintis florivora Meyrick, 1916 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Tecmerium is characterized by the forewing with a short stripe extending obliquely from before middle of dorsum to the discal spot; the uncus keeled on ventral surface, the lateral arms of the gnathos fused with the tegumen, the distinct proximal flange, and the phallus dilated spherically at base in the male genitalia; the ovipositor divided into three membranous subdivisions posterior to the eighth segment, and the eighth sternum concave medially on the anterior margin in the female genitalia. These characters can help assign Tecmerium to Holcocerinae, although there are no distinct valid synapomorphies to define Tecmerium currently.

Biology. Tecmerium anthophaga (Staudinger, 1871) was bred from the shoots of Lavandula stoechas L. ( Lamiaceae ) (Walsingham, 1901), and its host plants also included Rosmarinus sp. ( Lamiaceae ) and Thymelaea myrtifolia (Poir.) D.A. Webb (Thymelaeaceae) ( Robinson et al., 2010); T. rosmarinellum (Walsingham, 1901) from Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Walsingham, 1901); T. spermophagia Walsingham, 1907 from seed-whorls of Phlomis purpurea L. ( Lamiaceae ) (Walsingham, 1907); T. polyphagum (Walsingham, 1908) from Artemisia canariensis (Besser) Less. , Allagopappus dichotomus (L.f.) Cass., Senecio kleinia (L.) Less., Sonchus gummifer Link (Compositae) , Pinus canariensis C. Sm. (Pinaceae) , Rubia fruticosa Aiton (Rubiaceae) , Cytisus proliferus L.f. ( Fabaceae ) and Rhus coriaria L. ( Anacardiaceae ) (Walsingham, 1908a). Tecmerium xylophagum (Walsingham, 1908) fed in the wood of a half-dead fig-tree (Walsingham, 1908b); T. florivora ( Meyrick, 1916) in the inflorescence of Mangifera indica L. ( Anacardiaceae ) ( Meyrick, 1916), and its host plants also included Arceuthobium oxycedri (DC.) M. Bieb. (Viscaceae) and Dendrophthoe glabrescens (Blakely) Barlow (Loranthaceae) ( Robinson et al., 2010). Tecmerium catachlora ( Meyrick, 1916) did damage on the flowers of Leucas sp. and Leonurus sibiricus L. ( Lamiaceae ) ( Robinson et al., 2010).

Key to Chinese species of Tecmerium based on male genitalia.

1. Juxta narrowly incised inward at middle on anterior margin ( Fig. 8 )................................................................................... T. malikuli

Juxta broadly concave in triangle on anterior margin........................................................................................................................... 2

2. Sclerite of phallus not bifurcate apically ( Fig. 7 ) ...................................................................................... T. rectimarginatum sp. nov.

Sclerite of phallus bifurcate apically, forming two apical processes .................................................................................................... 3

3. Sclerite of phallus with two apical processes of equal length ( Fig. 6 )................................................................................ T. scythrella

Sclerite of phallus with two apical processes of unequal length ( Fig. 5 )........................................................... T. yunnanense sp. nov.

Figures

Figures 7–8. Male genitalia of Tecmerium spp. 7. T. rectimarginatum sp. nov., paratype, slide No. TKJ17325 (a. Enlarged and unrolled vinculum, slide No. TKJ17012; b. enlarged apex of phallus, slide No. TKJ17325). 8. T. malikuli, slide No. TKJ17298 (a. Enlarged and unrolled vinculum, slide No. TKJ17401; b. enlarged apex of phallus, slide No. TKJ17298). Scale bars=0.2mm.

Figures 5–6. Male genitalia of Tecmerium spp. 5. T. yunnanense sp. nov., paratype, slide No. TKJ17317 (a. Enlarged and unrolled vinculum, slide No. TKJ17342; b. enlarged apex of phallus, slide No. TKJ17317). 6. T. scythrella, slide No. TKJ17109 (a. Enlarged and unrolled vinculum, slide No. TKJ17218; b. enlarged apex of phallus, slide No. TKJ17218). Scale bars=0.2mm.