Philodoria pipturiella Swezey 1923

Philodoria pipturiella Swezey, 1923

Figs. 10B, C, 26I, J, 44A, B, 45A, 46A, 57C, 64E, F.

Philodoria pipturiella Swezey, 1923: 294–295; Zimmerman 1978a: 715, figs. 464, 480.

Type locality. Palolo (Oahu).

Type material. Lectotype ♂, Palolo, Oahu, 11.xii.1923?, Swezey Coll., [host:] Pipturus, top one of two types on the same mount, | Holotype | Philodoria pipturiella Swezey |, Type no. 4273, in BPBM (Here disginated). Paralectotype 31 (6♂, 5♀, 20 sex unknown). 1♂, bottom one of two types on the same mount of lectotype; Oahu Is., O.H. Swezey, [host:] Pipturus: 4♂, 2♀, 9 (sex unknown), Tantalus, | Paratype |SK 720♀ |BPBM34269 (1♀, 2 sex unknown on the same mount), | Paratype |SK719♂|BPBM34274 (1♂, 1 sex unknown), 3 mount | Paratype | (3♂, 1♀, 6 sex unknown) in USNM; 1♀, 6 (sex unknown), Kaumuahona, 12.i.1919, BPBM 34273 (1♀, 3 sex unknown), BPBM 34275, BPBM 34276, BPBM 34277; 1♂, 2♀, 1 (sex unknown), Kaumuahona, 12.i.1919, ‘ Philodoria micropetala, aB/1915’, 54, SK727♂, SK 728♀ in USNM; 1♂, Manoa, BPBM 34278. 1 (sex unknown), Pacific Heights, BPBM 34271; 2 (sex unknown), W. Sida Mt. Kaala 1.vi.1919, BPBM 34279; 1 (sex unknown), W. Sida Mt. Kaala 1.vi. 1919 in USNM. Described from three specimens, one specimen labeled ‘Holotype’ and one ‘type’ each from Palolo, and Tantalus, Oahu. Given the manner in which the descriptions were written, Swezey likely considered these specimens as the holotype and two paratypes, as indicated on their specimen labels. But because a holotype was not specified in the description, the so-labeled types and paratypes are all to be considered syntypes under Article 73.2 of the Code (ICZN 1999), and therefore a new formal lectotype can be designated under Article 74 of the Code (ICZN 1999). The syntype ‘Holotype’ (top specimen on mount) which was figured as holotype by Zimmerman (1978a, fig. 464), is here designated as lectotype (Fig. 10B). The remaining syntypes, which were collected from Palolo, Kaumuahona, Tantalus, Pacific Heights and Mt. Kaala, are paralectotypes.

Additional material. (4 ♂, 4 ♀, 2 sex unknown). 2♂, 1♀, 2 (sex unknown), Palikea, Waianae Mt., Oahu, 3.ii.1935, Z-XII-1962- 22♀, SK721♂ (top specimen), SK 722♀ (right middle specimen), BPBM34268; 2♂, 3♀, near Nanakuli Forest Reserve, Oahu, 28.iii.2016 (stored), K. Bustamente leg., host: Pipturus sp., Keahi Accession Spring 2016: ‘20151110 KMB02’, CJ529, SK846♂ in BPBM.

Diagnosis. Differs from other Pipturus miners by having a large oval white spot in middle and a large white band in the dorsal 3/4 of the forewing (Fig. 10B, C); male genitalia with rather short valva, 400 µm in length, others 500 µm. Female genitalia very similar to that of P. costalis, but P. pipturiella is distinguished by forewing characters.

Redescription: Adult (Fig. 10B, C, 26I, J). Wingspan 5–6 mm in type series; forewing length 2.3 mm in lectotype, 2.3–2.5 mm in paralectotypes. Head grayish brown; frons white; maxillary palpus reduced; labial palpus white inwardly, externally brown at apical portion of median and terminal joints. Antenna brown. Thorax grayish brown. Forewing bronze, narrowly white line (cl) from costal fold to about 2/3, apicaly curved inward, pointing obliquely outward; a large nearly circular ws in middle of wing at about 1/3; an orange patch (op) at costal 3/4; two white bands on both extremities of bronze color band ( bb 3 ) at 3/4, w 2 widening toward the wing margin; a large op at apical portion of the wing, with a black as; cilia otherwise brown, with two white costal spots (a, b). Hindwing brown, cilia paler brown. Abdomen bronze, white beneath. Legs pale brown, white beneath.

Male genitalia (Figs. 44A, B, 45A, 46A) (n=2). Capsule 570 µm. Tegumen 0.9 x length of valva; valva 400 µm long, rather short, tapering along costal margin from basal 1/3 to apex with short spines at basal portion; dorsal margin of valva rounded; along the inner side of valva, a series of small spines arranged (Fig. 44A, B). Saccus very short and tapering toward the point (Fig. 45A). Phallus 380 µm long with two series of minute cornuti in vesica (Fig. 46A).

Female genitalia (Figs. 57C, 64E) (n=2). 870 µm long. Ostium bursae large; antrum cup-shaped with a pair of slender lateral lobes; lamella antevaginalis 180–190 µm, weakly sclerotized, widening toward anterior margin of A7. Ductus bursae 300–350 µm; terminus of ductus bursae biforked; Corpus bursae oblong 520 µm; paired rows of wrinkles running longitudinally, some sclerotized.

Distribution. Oahu (Swezey 1923).

Host plants. Urticaceae: Pipturus sp. (Swezey 1923).

Biology. Swezey (1923: 295) reared this species numerous times from mines in Pipturus leaves collected at various places in the southeastern Koolau Mountains and Mount Kaala and Makaleha, in the Waianae Range. He stated: “The large leaves of Pipturus often contain great numbers of the mines, even up to a hundred, but usually the larvae in most of them die or are parasitized so that but few of them reach their full growth and spin cocoons. The cocoons are made on the under side of the leaf along side a prominent vein, white and not very conspicuous.” Swezey (1923) noted that this species can be found anywhere on Oahu, wherever Pipturus grows. We found Philodoria leaf mines in West Oahu (Fig. 86A).

Parasitoids. Eulophidae: Euderus metallicus (Ashmead, 1901), Neochrysocharis formosus (Westwood, 1833), Sympiesis vagans (Timberlake, 1926) (Zimmerman 1978a).