Erechthias minuscula ( Walsingham, 1897 )

Erechthias minuscula ( Walsingham, 1897) View in CoL

Figs 4 View Figures 1–8 , 29 View Figures 27–30 , 37 View Figures 35–38 , 46 View Figures 43–50 , 51 View Figure 51 , 52 Japanese name: Nanyo-hime-tsumaorega View Figure 52

Ereunetis minuscula Walsingham, 1897: 155. Type locality: West Indies (St. Thomas); Walsingham 1907: 716; Swezey 1909: 12; Swezey 1912: 155; Walsingham 1914: 347; Wolcott 1923: 205; Swezey 1929: 281; Forbes 1930: 147; Wolcott 1936: 501; Swezey 1940: 458; Wolcott 1948: 739; Beardsley 1961: 354. View in CoL

Decadarchis minuscula : Meyrick 1929: 505; Harris 1937: 486; Ghesquière 1940: 86; Vesey-Fitzgerald 1941: 158; Lepesme 1947: 318; Viette 1949: 316; Swezey 1942: 215; Davis 1953: 85; Swezey 1952: 378; Diakonoff [1968]: 265, 308; Clarke 1971: 211; Clarke 1986: 361; Zimmermann 1978: 352.

Lepidobregma minuscula : Zimmermann 1978: 352; Davis 1983: 5; Robinson and Nielsen 1993: 289.

Erechthias minuscula View in CoL : Davis 1984: 21; Robinson and Kirke 1990: 133; Robinson 2009: 20–25, 51, fig. 36; Robinson and Nielsen 1993: 295, 310; Heppner 2003: 236; Hirowatari et al. 2012: 107, figs 3 E, 4 B; Cock and Burris 2013: 15, figs 2 g, 7; Hirowatari and Yagi 2023: 24.

Material examined.

Japan: [ Tokyo, Ogasawara Isls.]: [ Nakodojima Is.]: 1 ♀, 16.VII.2024, SW, J. - H. Park leg., DNA sample JHP-202, ELKU , 1 ♀, same locality, Host coll. on 16.VII.2024, Emrg. on 2024.VIII.8, Host: decaying wood of Pandanus boninensis Warb. (1900) with white fungi, J. - H. Park leg., ELKU ; 1 ♀, same data but Emrg. on 19.VIII.2024, ELKU • [ Chichijima Is.]: 1 ♂, Asahiyama , 13.XI.2022, T. Hirowatari leg., ELKU • 1 ♂, Shigureyama , alt. 252 m, 18.VI.2022, LT, S. Yagi, T. Hirowatari, S. Tomura, M. Kimura leg., genitalia slide no. JP-309, JHP-271, museum ID ELKU -I-L-Bonin 000080 , ELKU • 1 ♂, Ohmura-beach , alt. 0 m, Larvae coll. on 27.VI.2022, Emrg. on 6.VII.2022, Host: Sophora tomentosa mature legume, JHP-272, ELKU -I-L-Bonin 000081 , ELKU • 1 ♂, same data, but Emrg. on 29.VII.2022, ELKU • 1 ♂, same data, but Emrg. on 8.VIII.2022, ELKU • 1 ♂, same data, but Emrg. on 16.VIII.2022, ELKU • 1 ♂, same data, but Emrg. on 9.IX.2022, ELKU • 2 ♂ 1 ♀, Ogamiyama Park , 13.VI.2023, LT, J. - H. Park leg., ELKU • 1 ♀, Higashimachi , 13–14.VII.2024, J. - H. Park leg., ELKU • [ Hahajima Is.]: 1 ♀, Shin yûhigaoka , 14.VI.2023, LT, J. - H. Park leg., JP-307, JHP-201, ELKU • 1 ♀, same data, JP-315, ELKU .

Diagnosis.

This species is externally similar to E. iolaxa Moriuti & Kadohara, 1994 , but it can be distinguished by the following characteristics: the costal margin has two brown lines in the forewing (absent in E. iolaxa ); the apex of the valva is rounded in the male genitalia (sharp in E. iolaxa ); the ductus bursae are twisted; and the signum is simply knob-shaped in the female genitalia (relatively large and curved in E. iolaxa ).

Additional description.

Measurements. Forewing length 3.9–4.4 mm ( n = 3), antenna length 3.2, 3.3 mm ( n = 2) in male, forewing length 4.2–5.2 mm ( n = 5), antenna length 3.3–3.7 mm ( n = 3) in female. For more morphological information, see Davis and Mendel (2013).

Distribution.

Japan (Minamidaitohjima Is., Nakodojima Is., Chichijima Is., Hahajima Is.), Pantropical, Australia, and South America ( Clarke 1986; Hirowatari et al. 2012; Davis and Mendel 2013).

Biology.

The larvae feed on various dead plant materials ( Zimmerman 1978). This species emerged from nests of the Bull-headed Shrike, Lanius bucephalus Temminck & Schlegel, 1847 ( Laniidae ), on Minamidaitojima Island, Japan ( Hirowatari et al. 2012). On the Ogasawara Islands, larvae emerged from mature legumes of Sophora tomentosa L. ( Fabaceae ). Adults were collected from Ogasawara Islands in June, July, and November.

DNA analyses.

The DNA barcode of this specimen is matched to E. minuscula ( Walsingham, 1897) from Trinidad and Tobago (FRUT 734-14) based on the identification engine of BOLD Systems, and the similarity between them was 99.85 %. The intraspecific pairwise distance of this species among Ogasawara Island populations was 0.00 % ( n = 4) (Suppl. material 2).

Remarks.

Two adults of this species emerged from the decaying wood of Pandanus boninensis ( Pandanaceae ) with white fungi ( Polyporaceae ) obtained from Nakodojima Island, along with Morophaga formosana Robinson, 1986 ( Tineidae , Scardiinae).