Polydema mallota De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, 2025

Polydema mallota De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick , sp. nov.

( Figs 484, 490, 491, 494, 499, 508, 509, 514, 518, 638)

Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Kuranda .

Type specimens: Holotype ♀: [labels verbatim] [1] Australia Q. [Queensland]/Kuranda/nr. Cairns/em.[erged] 28 III[March] 1991/T. Kumata leg. [2] Wing on slide/No Grc-5735/T. Kumata 1991. [3] Host 4202/ Mallotus paniculata, DNA sample NULT024920, genitalia slide ANIC 6203, ANIC Acc. no 31 085540, in ANIC (Canberra). Paratypes: 3 specimens: Paratype 1(♂): in very poor condition, antennae broken, only thorax with head on the pin (no fore- and hindwings) Australia, Queensland, Kuranda, Cairns , emerged 22 March 1991, leg. T. Kumata, Host 4202, Mallotus paniculatus Müll.Arg. ( Euphorbiaceae ), DNA sample NULT024805, genitalia slide ANIC 6202, ANIC Acc. no 31 085574. Paratype 2(♀): same data, except the date 02 April 1991, Genitalia on slide, NoGrc-5695, T. Kumata, Gen.? Parectopa -gr. Paratype 3(♀): same collecting data, except the date 21 March 1991, genitalia on slide, NoGrc-5696, T. Kumata 1991, in ANIC (Canberra).

Type depository: Australian National Insect Collection , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia .

Diagnosis: Regarding the micromorphological characters of genitalia, the females of P. mallota sp. nov. are highly diagnostic. Corpus bursae is wrapped by a flat, broad, strongly sclerotised signum in the form of the ornamental tape. The connection between corpus and ductus bursae is marked by a heavily sclerotised, oval shaped plug. The highly decorative signal area and sclerotisations on ductus bursae make this species easily recognisable and highly diagnostic. The host plant of the Polydema mallota sp. nov. belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae , that is usual host plant family for Ornixolinae but this host plant preference differs from the complexes of species that feed in the same location and at the same time on the plant family Phyllanthaceae .

Description: Wingspan ca. 5.4–5.7 mm; length of the forewing 2.7–2.8 mm ( Fig. 484).

Head ( Figs 490, 491): vertex smooth, golden ochreous, two tufts of short piliform scales directed posteriad cover the occiput. Frons golden ochreous, concolourous with vertex, labrum darker ochreous. Maxillary palpus short ca. as long as scape, slightly curved but directed straight, basal palpomere dark brown, apical palpomere light grey. Labial palpus relatively long, ca. 2.5× longer than the diameter of the eye, drooping, all three palpomeres carry bunches of hanging ochreous intermixed with white rather thick filiform scales, the longest at the base of palpomere II, apex of labial palpus narrow covered with loose scales. Antenna light fuscous, flagellomeres fuscous with light grey bases, ventrally antenna dark ochreous, pedicel short, slightly shorter than the following flagellomere, light ochreous with dark brown apical parts, scape golden ochreous, very similar in shading of colouration with vertex, however with dark brown apical part and dark brown oblique stripe laterally; scape carries an impressive tuft of long piliform 18–20 pecten arranged in a row.

Thorax ( Figs 484, 494, 499): fuscous ochreous as well as tegula. Forewing narrowly elongated, equal in width along all its length, with a gently rounded apex, ground colour bright ochreous with dark fuscous and dirty white ornamentation placed along entire forewing, two basal dirty white semi-round spots at base of dorsum, surrounded by an irroration of dark fuscous scales, the first reverse Y marking is at sub-dorsum, irregularly edged by dark fuscous scales, costal margin with three dark fuscous and three white spots, median part of forewing is decorated with the reversed V with a triangular fuscous spot situated at dorsal margin, sub-apex with a sharp, arrow-like fuscous decoration followed by equally sharply angulated fascia, apical ground colour dark ochreous enringed by a fine black apical line, white-black apical spot is very distinct. The fringe line is dark grey, gently encircling the apical margin of forewing, followed by a row of short, compactly arranged, lamellar grey with silver shine scales; fringe long, ochreous grey, slightly darker at tornus, shorter at distal part, the longest at sub-apical part of dorsum. Hindwing narrow, elongate, sharply pointed, ground colour ochreous-fuscous, fringe long, ca. 6× longer than the width of hindwing at the base, with the longest piliform scales hanging at the base of the dorsum of the hindwing. Wing venation of this species is typical for the genus of Polydema (see Vári 1961: pl. 33, Fig. 1), except that in forewing CuA 2 is rudimental and not detectable in this Australian species. Forewing with Sc short and strongly sclerotised, R 1 rather weak at basis and clearly visible on sub-costal area and costal margin, R 2 not visible, R 3 strong, continues as a prolongation anterior margin of the inner cell, R 4 weak at the basal ¼ and strong at the distal part, R 5 rudimental at basal 3/4 and weak, but clearly visible at apical ¼; M 1 rudimental, slightly stronger at apical 1/2, M 2 weak, but clearly visible, CuA is bent at tornus, CuP rudimental and it is visible only in distal part at dorsal margin of the forewing, anal vein A 1+2 is strong only at basal half. Hindwing with weak but visible veins, except Sc which is rather strong, R 2+3 long, running parallel the anterior margin of the hindwing, M is forked at distal half into M 1 and M 2 M 3 is rudimental at base and forked with CuA which is strong, being the strongest vein of the hindwing. Fore femur light ochreous, fore tibia fuscous, tarsomere I dark fuscous with light grey patch, tarsomeres II–V light grey with fuscous bases and apices, tip of tarsus fuscous; mid femur ochreous, tibia ochreous with two oblique beige stripes, mid tarsomeres light grey with fuscous apices, tip of mid tarsus light grey; hind femur light ochreous with basal part dark brown, hind tibia dark brown covered with rough scales (not spines), median spurs long as long as about 2/3 of tibia length, brown, apical spurs short, grey, ca. as long as 1/3 of length of the tarsomere I, tarsomeres brown with light ochreous or dirty white sub-apices with short stout piliform scales at apical joint; tip of hind leg light ochreous.

Abdomen ( Figs 499, 514): fuscous ochreous on terga II–IV, dark fuscous on terga V, VI and lighter fuscous on tergum VII anterior part of genital segments (papillae anales) orange-white, lateral sides of abdomen creamy white (sternites) with five oblique dark brown stripes, sternum VII with creamy patch covered with orange round scales. Abdominal opening rather small, shaped as an triangle, the horizontal joint, connecting the lateral sides of the abdominal opening convex, the corners of the triangular opening gently rounded, the anterior part of sternum I is with protruded and centrally puffed sclerotisation with two narrow strongly melanised, bent, distancing from each other appendages; the tergal joint without sclerotised margin, but stronger melanised and clearly distinguishable from the rest of the cuticle; sternal apodemes initiate at the gently rounded corners of abdominal opening are well developed, of mid-length, terminating at anterior 1/3 of sternum II, slightly bent inwards; tergal apodemes initiate at sub-anterior part of tergum I at the lateral sides of abdominal opening, with a short, sharply pointed appendage at sub-base; tergal apodemes rather long, terminating at the mid of segment II, straight. Posterior margin of segment VI in females lightly, broadly but visibly sclerotised.

Male genitalia: No data.

Female genitalia ( Figs 508, 509): Papillae anales fused, but sharply triangular, covered with rarely planted thin setae of different length; long bent setae on base and on dorsal surface of papillae anales, while short straight setae on anterior part and ventral surface of papillae anales; apophyses posteriores rather thick, stick-like, with flat apices; segment VIII trapezoid-shaped, broadening toward anterior margin, which is ca. 2× broader than posterior margin; apophyses anteriores with very broad, moderately sclerotised basal semi-ring with gentle transition to narrow, bent sharply pointed apices reaching almost mid of segment VII. Segment VII with a semi-oval sterigmatic plate almost entirely occupying sternum VII. Ostium bursae opens on sub-anterior margin of segment VII, with flat, broad, chalice-shaped, with strongly sclerotised lamella ante-vaginalis; antrum short, cylindrical, very strongly sclerotised, ductus bursae cylindrical, smoothly but strongly sclerotised; the transition between ductus and corpus bursae is marked by a special flat, oval, strongly sclerotised plug; corpus bursae oval, sac-shaped wrapped by broad, strongly sclerotised, tape-shaped signal ornamentation. Ductus seminalis enters ductus bursae at the sclerotised plug separating ductus and corpus bursae.

Individual variation: There is a slight variation in shading of colour of legs variating brown, ochreous, dirty white, different shades of fuscous. There is a rather significant variation in number, size and shape of ornamental spots in median part of costal margin. The variation is observed even in the same specimen on right and on left forewing. Number of white spots can vary from 2 to 5. Also, median ornament can have either reversed V or reversed Y shape.

Bionomics: The specimens were reared from the same host plant Mallotus paniculatus Müll. Arg. ( Euphorbiaceae ) ( Fig. 518) indicating the monophagy of this species. Based on the specimens present in the ANIC collection the mining period of this species from mid till late March, two weeks later, than species of Diphtheroptila complex that mine in the same locality. Adults are active from late March till early April.

Pupa: shining light bronze, cocoon cutter is bluntly triangular with tiny vertical furrows; appendages for future maxillary palpus, labial palpus, proboscis, legs, wings and antennae are well observable; the appendages for future antennae, posterior legs and wings are free, not attached to the pupal case, end of abdomen is moves freely; appendages for future maxillary palpus, labial palpus, proboscis, fore and mid legs attached to each other but not fused in a pupal case; frontoclypeus is smooth, the appendages of labial palpus ca. twice shorter than the appendages of maxillae, prothoracic and mesothoracic and metathoracic appendages shorter than the appendages of antennae.

Mitogenomic data: The species is poorly supported as sister to P. eubenangee sp. nov. ( Fig. 638).

Distribution: Known only from the type locality: Australia: Queensland, Kuranda.

Etymology: The name of the specific epithet refers to the genus name of the host plant Mallotus paniculatus Müll. Arg. It is a noun in apposition, gender feminine.