Hyposmocoma tantala Kawahara & Rubinoff

Kawahara, Akito Y. & Rubinoff, Daniel, 2012, Three new species of Fancy Case caterpillars from threatened forests of Hawaii (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Hyposmocoma), ZooKeys 170, pp. 1-20 : 10-11

Hyposmocoma tantala Kawahara & Rubinoff sp. n. Figs 6101316

Diagnosis.

Hyposmocoma tantala is similar to Hyposmocoma nebulifera , but differs in having a dark forewing background color and much thicker dark forewing markings. The male genitalia has large sclerotized spines on the left valva that are absent in Hyposmocoma nebulifera .

Description.

Male. (n = 1). Forewing length 5.5 mm.Head light brown with light brown scales near outer margin of eye; scales large near vertex. Haustellum pale brown. Maxillary palpus reduced. Labial palpus curved with pale brown scales, scales dark brown at terminus. Antennal flagellum light with dark brown bands. Thorax light brown, with lighter brown scales on tegula. Foreleg and midleg with brown scales and bands of light brown. Hindleg same as midleg, but with long scales along dorsal margin formed into a brush-like patch. Spines on legs light brown. Forewing light brown with a large dark brown mark extending from costal margin 1/3 of distance to forewing apex and a smaller dark brown mark at 2/3 of distance to apex. Abdomen covered in brown scales.

Male genitalia (Fig. 13).Right brachium of uncus thick and curved ventrad, smooth, gradually tapering, slightly twisted to left. Left brachium small, not sclerotized. Tegumen wide and sclerotized. Shape of valva largely symmetrical, but left valva with three long tapered narrow spurlike setae along dorsal margin near apex; right valva without large sclerotized setae. Dense row of fine, hair-like setae disposed along inner ventral margin of both valvae. Phallus stout, blunt tipped, heavily sclerotized, open ventrally, and bent ventrad at about 1/2 of length; vesica without spines or cornuti. Anellus with two symmetrical rounded lobes with fine setae.

Female. (n = 2; Fig 6). Externally as male, but with larger wing span (6.2 mm).

Female genitalia. (Fig 16). Papillae anales short and setose. Anterior and posterior apophyses thin and straight, posterior apophyses slightly longer than anterior apophyses. Ostium bursae heavily sclerotized, externally protruding, and C-shaped curled left. Ductus bursae long and of small girth. Corpus bursae roughly kidney-shaped, with light scobination; signum absent. Apical margin of tergum VIII with median emargination.

Larval case. (n = 1; Fig 10). Dark brown, smooth, 9 mm in length and 2 mm wide.

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, [1] Printed white label: 'H[AWAI]I: Oahu, Tantalus, Manoa | Cliffs Trail, n[ea]r. Round Top Dr[ive]. | Purse Case DR10H2I [in bold type] | 22-Aug-2010, em[ergence]. 25-Oct[ober]-2010 | A. Y. Kawahara, W. Haines, | C. Yee, C. Atta collectors; [2] Printed red label: 'HOLOTYPE | Hyposmocoma tantala Kawahara & Rubinoff’. Specimen in perfect condition. Female genitalia slide # slide AK108 (UHIM); Non-type material: 1♂, HI: Oahu: Mt. Tantalus, 4 km N of Manoa, 600 m., 8-VI-1991, coll. W. E. Steiner et al. (USNM).

Specimens sequenced.

Two specimens from Oahu (UH log number DR10H2I), extraction codes DN1317, DN1319.

Etymology.

This species is named “tantala” after Mt. Tantalus, from where the type specimen was collected. While Mt. Tantalus has experienced a tremendous amount of destruction from invasive species in the past century, it has historically been a locality with very high endemism, and the type locality of several other endemic insects, including flies ( Hardy 1960; 1964), beetles (e.g. Liebherr and Zimmerman 2000), and at least two other species of Hyposmocoma ( Zimmerman 1978). We wish to recognize this historically noteworthy site and draw attention to the fact that some endemic species, worthy of conservation, still persist even after long periods of disturbance.

Biology.

Adults were reared from case-making larvae collected on bark of a damp dead tree covered partially with lichen.

Distribution.

Known only from Mt. Tantalus, Oahu.