Cuphodes pandoxa ( Turner, 1913 ), 2025

Cuphodes pandoxa ( Turner, 1913) , comb. n.

( Figs 61, 62, 98, 99, 111, 112, 121, 131, 637)

“ Cyphosticha pandoxa , n. sp. ”—Turner, A.J., 1913. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 38: 186–187. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6407215

Cyphosticha pandoxa View in CoL — Turner 1940: 54, 68; Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 169.

Type locality: [ Australia], Q.[ueensland], Stradbroke Island .

Type specimen: Type ♀, coll. Turner, ANIC Acc. no 31 010801, in ANIC (Canberra) .

Specimens examined: Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 62), Australia, Queensland, Stradbroke Island , 27.5323°S 153.4626°E, 30-04-1911, leg. Nihil, DNA sample NULT025080, genitalia slide ANIC 6231 About ANIC , ANIC Acc. no 31 010801, in ANIC (Canberra). GoogleMaps

Additional specimens: Specimen 1(♂): Queensland: Rockhampton, 23.3786°S 150.5089°E, 27-08-1948, Barcode of Life , DNA voucher specimen, Sample ID: 11 ANIC-16253 , BOLD Proc. ID: ANICY253-11, leg. Common I.F.B., ID: 31 053588. Specimen 2(♂) ( Fig. 61): Rockhampton , Frenchville , 23.3786°S 150.5089°E, 21-08-1973, Barcode of Life , DNA voucher specimen, Sample ID: 11 ANIC-16254 , BOLD Proc.ID: ANICY254-11, leg. Common I.F.B., DNA sample NULT024966, genitalia slide ANIC 6230 About ANIC , ANIC Acc. no 31 053589. Specimen 3(♀): Byfield, 22.8299°S 150.6382°E, 09-03-1948, Barcode of Life , DNA voucher specimen, Sample ID: 11 ANIC-16255 , BOLD Proc; ID: ANICY255-11, leg. Common I.F.B., ID: 31 053590. Specimen 4(♂): Rockhampton, Fairy Bower, 23.3786°S 150.5089°E, 14-03-1948, leg. Common I.F.B, DNA sample NULT025202, genitalia slide ANIC 6232 About ANIC , ANIC Acc. no 31 085601. Specimen 5(♀): ditto label data, 03-02-1948, leg. Common I.F.B., in ANIC (Canberra). Morphological diagnostic characterisation: Wingspan 6.4–7.0 mm; forewing length 3.1–3.4 mm ( Figs 61, 62, 98, 99). Externally and following molecular mitogenomic data C. pandoxa is closely related to C. callimacha GoogleMaps .

Head: vertex smooth with lemon yellow shading towards occiput; occiput with two lateral tufts of filiform scales directed radially; frons smooth, snowy shining white, labial palpomere very long, ca. 3× longer than the diameter of eye, bent laterally, with sharply pointed apices; antenna very long, ca. 1.5× longer than the forewing, scape thick, brown, partly with tiny appendix at ventral side.

Thorax ( Figs 61, 62): lemon yellow; a narrow stripe on costal margin of forewing is absent in C. pandoxa , while it is present in C. callimacha , the ornamental markings on the dorsal margin are of intense lemon yellow colour, while in C. callimacha those markings are white or with very light yellow shading; the markings in C. pandoxa are with gently rounded anterior edges, the markings in C. pandoxa are not as one band like in C. callimacha but are strictly divided into two, which are separated by intermediate brightly ochreous spot; the second marking in C. pandoxa is terminated by brightly ochreous triangular spot which is edged with black scales and situated on dorsal margin at tornal area, such spot is absent in C. callimacha . The apical part is diagnostic also: in C. pandoxa is brightly ochreous with a clearly distinctive round black apical spot, in C. callimacha the costal edge of the apical part is white and the apical area is dark brown. Hindwing brownish ochreous with long, as long as hind tibia at the base of dorsal margin fringe of the same colour as the hindwing. Legs in C. pandoxa are ochreous, mid tibia with a tuft of black hanging piliform scales, hind tibia light ochreous with a ridge of spiculose scales; legs in C. callimacha are dirty white.

Abdomen ( Figs 121, 131): dark ochreous dorsally with brown lateral sides. Margins of abdominal opening on sternum II narrowly but strongly sclerotised, opening itself is broadly triangular, ventral crossing joint concave, very narrowly sclerotised; corners of abdominal opening gently rounded, with tiny triangular appendages, sternal apodemes initiating at the corners of abdominal opening are sclerotised, thin, entering almost mid of sternum II, with very sharp apices; sternal apodemes border the sternal plate from lateral sides; tergal apodemes initiate at the sides of the margin on tergum I, slender, slightly bent, at mid part approaching each other, extending beyond the sternal plate, entering the posterior 1/3 of sternum II; a horizontal mid fold is present on tergum I and tergum II. In males, sternum VII with transverse curved sclerotised line and anterior part carries a pair of androconial lateral triangular puffed protrusions. Two pairs of androconial brushes of long beige brown piliform coremata are present on the lateral sides of sternum VII. The anterior part of sternum VII carries a semi-oval anterior plate with irregularly dentated margins. Dorsally, this plate is covered by a triangular plate of tightly pressed lamellar scales. Sternum VI in females without any sclerotisations.

Male genitalia ( Figs 98, 99): Tegumen broad triangular with sclerotised margins and sharp ending uncus carrying two socii; each of them ends with a long sharp, thin spiculose seta; sub-scaphium well developed, forked at base, and with narrowly fused apex; sub-scaphium densely setose with short stout setae directed radially; basal half of tegumen is also covered with scobination of tiny setae; valvae rather straight, costal and ventral margins run parallel to each other; basal apodemes long, do not meet each other; anterior parts of valvae are biforked with very deep indentation; sub-apical costal part and cucullus are setose, cucullus covered with short erect setae and subapical part of costal valval margin carries a brush of long setae that are directed toward the base of valva; ventral surface of valva is setose, on sub-apical ventral margin of valva, just before the split a second brush of strong long setae that are directed toward the base of valva is present; transtilla absent but the transverse support of the genital capsule is taken by the basal transverse joint of vinculum; vinculum strongly developed, V-shaped with broad lateral sides; vinculum consists of two clear symmetrical parts with strong mid suture; saccus very short, a small digitiform appendage. Aedeagus ca. as long as valva, with a very clear distinction between main body, vesica and coecum; anellus small, narrow, encircles base of vesica; vesica blunt, tuberculose; main body narrowing towards coecum, cornute absent; coecum wrinkled, irregular, without any particular shape.

Female genitalia ( Figs 111, 112): papillae anales fused and deeply inserted into segment VIII; anterior surface of papillae anales covered with long setae; apophyses posteriores mid-sized, with broad bases and blunt apices reaching the mid of segment VIII; apophyses anteriores ca. twice shorter than apophyses posteriores, with broad ringed bases and blunt digitiform apical part that just enters the posterior margin of segment VII. Segment VII trapezoid shaped, without sterigmatic sclerotisations but with deep indentation at anterior margin of sternum VII. Ostium bursae opens at anterior margin of sternum VII without surrounding sterigmatic sclerotisations; antrum moderately melanised. The peculiarity of this species is that ductus seminalis has a strong sclerotised holster that keeps also ductus bursae at anterior half and joint with corpus bursae; corpus bursae bulla-shaped, with thin, transparent wall without signum. BOLD data: https://boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_SearchTerms?query=%22 Cyphosticha %20pandoxa%22[tax] GenBank data: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/?term =pandoxa

Mitogenomic data. The mitochondrial genomes of the holotype from QLD, Stradbroke Island and of the two specimens from QLD, Rockhamption show no significant genetic divergence, despite the geographic distance of approximately 600km. The species is very strongly supported as sister to the clade C. callimacha + C. pyrochroma ( Fig. 637).

Bionomics: No data.

Distribution: Australia: Queensland ( Turner 1913: 187).