Philodoria keahii 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 : 96

Philodoria keahii Kobayashi, Johns & Kawahara , sp. n.

Figs. 20D–F , 50G , 51E , 52E , 59H , 91H, I .

Philodoria sp. 13; Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2.

Type locality. Kauaula (Maui).

Etymology. The specific epithet, keahii is named after Keahi Bustamente, a native Hawaiian and plant and invertebrate conservation biologist that discovered a larva of this moth feeding on its host plant.

Type material. Holotype ♂, Kauaula, Maui, 17.viii.2014 (stored), C.A. Johns leg., host: Remya mauiensis , 31.vii.2014, CJ380 / SK758♂ in BPBM . Paratype 2♀, same locality and data as holotype, 9& 16.viii.2014 (stored), CJ332 / SK 756♀, CJ377 / SK 757♀ in BPBM. The holotype mounted as a dry pinned specimen with three wings placed under a coverslip without mountant (1/2 of right forewing and 2/3 of two hindwings).

Diagnosis. The forewing pattern is similar to that of P. pittosporella (Swezey) , but it is distinguished by its forewing which has a fuscous patch at 3/4 and rather narrowing dorsal streaks ( Fig. 20F ). Genitalia similar to that of P. touchardiella (Swezey) , but it is distinguished from the latter by its short tegumen and saccus.

Description: Adult ( Fig. 20D–F ). Forewing length 2.4 mm in holotype, 2.7, 3.0 mm in two paratypes. Head and frons white; maxillary palpus white with dark brown scales at apex; labial palpus white with dark brown scales at apx. Antenna dark brown, bellow white about 3.0 mm long in holotype, 4.0 mm in paratype (SK757). Thorax brown. Forewing ocherous with three outwardly oblique white streaks: ds 2 at about 1/2, ds 3 at 2/3; a white band from base to 1/2 along dorsal margin, connecting ds 2; cs 3 at 4/5; apical portion pale orangish brown with three costal white lines (a, b, c) at apical cilia; a fuscous spot at apex (as); a fuscous patch at 3/4; cilia fuscous, bl 1 of terminal cilia orangish brown, tornal cilia interruputed with a white line. Hindwing and cilia grayish fuscous.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 50G , 51E , 52E ) (n=1). Capsule 570 µm. Tegumen 0.7–0.8 x length of valva; valva 430 µm long, tapering along costal margin from basal 2/5 to apex, slightly narrowing at 2/3 and rounded at apex ( Fig. 50G ). Saccus short and triangular in ventral view ( Fig. 51E ). Phallus 460 µm long and nearly straight, slightly widening at phallobase with small coecum; cornuti in vesica indistinct ( Fig. 52E ).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 59H ) (n=2). 1200 µm long. Ostium bursae large; antrum cup-shaped with a pair of broad lateral lobes; lamella antevaginalis 130–140 µm, weakly sclerotized, slightly indented near the posterior margin, widening toward anterior margin of A7. Ductus bursae slender and long, middle part weakly sclerotized, round and flat; terminus of ductus bursae tubular, biforked. Corpus bursae 610 µm, pyriform; anterior end of corpus bursae weakly sclerotized; paired rows of longitudinal, partly sclerotized wrinkles.

Distribution. Maui.

Host plants. Asteraceae : Remya mauiensis Hillebr , a plant species known only from Maui ( Fig. 69A, B ).

Biology. ( Fig. 91H, I ). Larvae at first form a very slender linear mine ( Fig. 91I ), that gradually becomes an elongate blotch mine ( Fig. 91H ). One mine per leaf. Pupation occurs in the white cocoon outside of the mine on the abaxial leaf surface ( Fig. 91H ). Mines are very difficult to find and appear rare. When we visited the plant population in Ulupalakua Ranch in July 2014, we found less than 10 mines that were active or inactive after searching more than 50 plants.

Remarks. There is another population of Remya further east of Kauaula, but we did not investigate these plants. We also investigated outplanted individuals of R. montgomeryi and wild individuals of R. kauaiensis on Kauai Island (both species are endangered), but did not find any signs of Philodoria mines.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Adults of Philodoria species. A P. urerana (Swezey, 1915) lectotype female, one of two cotypes on the same mount (upper specimen), B Paralectotype (sex unknown, lower specimen on same mount as A), C P. hauicola (Swezey, 1910) lectotype male, D P. keahii sp. n. holotype male, E Wings of holotype, F Left forewing of paratype female. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 50. Valva of Philodoria, inner view. A, C, E–J, L: Left valva, B, D, K, M: Right valva. A, B P. neraudicola, paralectotype, Oahu, SK707, C, D P. obamaorum, paratype, Hawaii (Big Island), SK709, E P. urerana, Oahu, paralectotype, SK671, F P. hauicola, Oahu, SK694, G P. keahii, holotype, Oahu, SK758, H P. touchardiella Maui, SK643, I P. platyphylliella, holotype, Maui, SK833, J, K P. marginestrigata, Oahu, SK662, host: unknown, L Same species, Molokai, SK771, host: Abutilon menziesii, M Same species, Kauai, SK784, host: Sida, fallax.

FIGURE 51. Genital capsule of Philodoria, excluding right portion of male genitalia, ventral view. A P. neraudicola, paralectotype, Oahu, SK707, B P. obamaorum, paratype, Hawaii (Big Island), SK709, C P. urerana, paralectotype, Oahu, SK671, D P. hauicola, Oahu, SK694, E P. keahii, holotype, Oahu, SK758, F P. touchardiella Maui, SK643, G P. platyphylliella, holotype, Maui, SK833, H P. marginestrigata, Oahu, SK662 host: unknown.

FIGURE 52. Phallus of Philodoria, lateral view.A P. neraudicola, paralectotype, Oahu, SK707, B P. obamaorum, paratype, Hawaii (Big Island), SK709, C P. urerana, paralectotype, Oahu, SK671, D P. hauicola, Oahu, SK695, E P. keahii, holotype, Oahu, SK758, F P. touchardiella Maui, SK643, G P. platyphylliella, holotype, Maui, SK833, H P. marginestrigata, Oahu, PHIL0029 host: Abutilon incanum.

FIGURE 59. Female genitalia of Philodoria. A P. neraudicola, paralectotype, Oahu, SK708, host: Neraudia melastomifalia, B Same species, Maui, SK838, host: Pipturus albidus, C P. obamaorum, paratype, Hawaii (Big Island), SK710, host: Pipturus albidus, D Same species, Hawaii (Big Island), SK844 host: Pipturus sp., E P. urerana, paralectotype, SK672, F Philodoria sp. 1, SK835, G Same species, PHIL0021, H P. keahii, paratype, SK756, I P. funkae, holotype, SK761, J P. touchardiella, SK764, K P. keaensis, holotype, Hawaii (Big Island), SK777, L P. hauicola, Oahu, SK618.

FIGURE 69. Habitats and host plants of Philodoria on Maui. A Kauaula, type locality of P. keahii, shown is its host plant Remya mauiensis, B Same as A, flowers, C Nakula Natural Area Reserve, type locality of P. platyphylliella, shown is its host plant Dubautia platyphylla, D Same as C, flowers.

FIGURE 91. Philodoria species on leaves of Asteraceae host plants. A–G: P. sciallactis, H, I: P. keahii. Host plants: A–C Melanthera integrifolia, West Oahu, D–F Lipochaeta rockii, East Maui, G Melanthera kamolensis, East Maui, H, I Remya mauiensis, Maui.