Polydema virgula De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, 2025

Prins, Jurate De, Hartley, Diana, Sruoga, Virginijus, Nicholls, James, Wallace, Jesse & Zwick, Andreas, 2025, Diversity of Australian Ornixolinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) with taxonomic and nomenclatural acts within the related taxa (Acrocercopinae and Gracillariinae) based on the evidence of museomics, bionomics, and mitogenomics, Zootaxa 5616 (1), pp. 1-340 : 244-247

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

( Figs 485, 492, 493, 500–503, 511, 638)

Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Kuranda .

Type specimen: Holotype ♂: [labels verbatim] [1] Australia QLD [Queensland]/ 16.49°S 145.38°E / Kuranda em.[erged]/1 Mar. [March] 1998/ T. & M. Kumata. [2] Host: cocoon on/unidentified/leaf, DNA sample NULT025406, genitalia slide ANIC 6205 , ANIC Acc. no 31 085538, in ANIC (Canberra).

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

Diagnosis: This species externally is the closest to the Polydema eubenangee sp. nov. Slight diagnostic differences might be considered as follows: lines and bands in wing ornaments are narrower in P. virgula sp. nov., the reverse V or reverse Y markings are with intermediate space filled with background colour, while in P. eubenangee sp. nov. the intermediate space within the ornaments reversed V or reversed Y is filled with the colour of the ornaments—white. The diagnostic difference can be observed in the apical area: in P. eubenangee sp. nov. the apical spot is a tiny black irregular spot or short thin stripe, while in P. virgula sp. nov. is an eye-catching big oval apical spot. The internal genital morphology, which in many cases is very useful for species diagnosis within the subfamily Ornixolinae , in this particular case cannot be applied. Closely related species Polydema eubenangee sp. nov. is described based on female gender only and P. virgula sp. nov. is described on male gender only. The diagnostic difference is also recorded in bionomics: the host plant of P. eubenangee sp. nov. is Mallotus polyadenos F. Muell. ( Euphorbiaceae ), while the host plant of P. virgula sp. nov. certainly is not this species of plant. However, bionomical characteristics should be taken with care, since the holotype of P. virgula sp. nov. was reared from a cocoon which was found on an unidentified plant. In rare cases, it happens that cocoons of gracillariids are spun on another plant than the host plant by accident or by the female’s choice. Such bionomical behaviour is rather common in the subfamily Gracillariinae (some species belonging to the genus Caloptilia Hübner, 1825 ) and in the subfamily Lithocolletinae (some species belonging to the genus Macrosaccus Davis & De Prins, 2011 ).

Description: Wingspan 5.3 mm; length of the forewing 2.5 mm ( Fig. 485).

Head ( Figs 492, 493): vertex smooth, ochreous white, unicolourous with darker ochreous shading on occiput, two tufts of radially directed short piliform scales are present on lateral sides of occiput. Frons is snowy white, shining with golden ochreous shading on labrum. Maxillary palpus short, ca. as long as the scape, slightly curved, erect, basal palpomere fuscous with sharply erected small tuft of fuscous scales, mid and terminal palpomere dark ochreous with light ochreous tip, scales covering palpomere III are loose, but not hanging. Labial palpus relatively long, ca. 2× longer than the diameter of the eye, covered with loose and hanging scales, basal palpomere fuscous ochreous, mid palpomere golden white with golden ochreous base and a tuft of dark brown hanging piliform scales of different lengths, shorter at basal part and long as long as palpomere II at apical part, terminal palpomere white with dark brown base, proboscis rolled, ochreous beige. Antenna light grey, longer than forewing at about 25%, flagellomeres with dark longitudinal lines consisting of tiny narrow lines and light bases, ventrally antenna uniformly golden, pedicel as big as the following flagellomere, dirty white, scape dirty white, with dark brown base, with 15–20 long light golden ochreous hanging pecten of different lengths.

Thorax ( Fig. 485, 501): ochreous anteriorly and dirty white posteriorly, tegula ochreous at base and dirty white at apex. Forewing narrowly elongated, equal in width along all its length, with a gently rounded apex, ground colour ochreous with white clear and contrastive ornaments and six clear white spots on costal margin; dorsal margin is decorated by a series of oblique stripes of different length and of different shapes, of interchanged colour between dirty white and dark brown. Base of the forewing is decorated by an irregular reversed Y-shaped marking, followed by a triangular marking at a sub-base, the broader triangular or reversed Y marking is in the mid of forewing followed by a white oblique stripe, an irregular patch, and a small tornal white dot; a short, very clear, black, sub-apical stripe precedes black apical spot, costal margin grey with five–six round dirty white spots aligned along the costal margin at more or less equal intervals from each other; apical line dark grey, short, not reaching tornus. The fringe line clear black, gently following apical margin of forewing. Fringe grey with some silver shine, shorter at tornus the longest at sub-apical part and again shortening towards base of forewing. Hindwing narrow, elongate, sharply pointed, ground colour dark grey, 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. Fore leg ochreous fuscous, mid femur fuscous, mid tibia fuscous with light grey sub-apical patch, mid tarsomeres fuscous at basal halves and dirty white at apical halves; hind femur ochreous fuscous, hind tibia fuscous with light grey sub-apical and apical patches, median spurs long, as long as about 2/3 of tibia length, grey, apical spurs short, grey, tarsomere I fuscous with white sub-base and white sub-apex, tarsomeres II–V fuscous at bases and dirty white at apices, tip of hind tarsus fuscous.

Abdomen ( Figs 500, 511): fuscous ochreous on terga II–IV, dark fuscous on terga V, VI and orange on terga VII–IX+ anterior part of genital segments, lateral sides of abdomen creamy white (sternites) with five oblique dark brown stripes, sternum VII with bright orange band. Abdominal opening rather small, shaped as an triangle, the horizontal joint is the convex anterior margin of rectangular plate situated on the central part of sternum II, the lateral margins of abdominal opening ends abruptly, with clearly seen connection with the sternum II plate, three symmetrical markings are present on the anterior margin of the plate left and right sides; the lateral sides of plate that are stronger sclerotised at anterior part function as sternal apodemes; 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, twice gently curved: at sub-anterior part and at sub-apical part. In males two round openings are on sternum IV and two long tightly arranged androconial coremata stretch to sternum VII. Sternum VII with a narrow but strongly sclerotised bow that keeps both tufts in place, the ends of tufts are protruding through sternum VII as short melanised filiform brushes.

Male genitalia ( Figs 502, 503): Tegumen moderately sclerotised as an equilateral triangle with a gently rounded apex; uncus as two narrow, strongly sclerotised lateral arms approaching each other well beyond the teguminal top and fusing into the blunt apical part. Valvae directed straight to lateral sides, costal margin straight, strongly sclerotised, cucullus area gently rounded; apical and sub-apical part of inner surface of valvae densely setose with long flexible setae planted at a distance from each other; a short, strong, thick, spiculose appendage is present on the sub-apical ventral margin; sacculus strongly developed as a swollen, semi-round structure on sub-basal part of valval ventral margin; transtilla incomplete, juxta well developed as an arc-shaped sclerotisation. Vinculum is very broad U-shaped, complex, as a fused structure of several plates mirroring each other: lateral plates narrowing to the central area and fusing into a suture that crosses vinculum in the middle; saccus well developed as a T sclerotisation with sharply protruding anterior part of median length. Aedeagus cylindrical, with gently rounded vesica, central part with irregular light sclerotisations, coecum bulb-shaped.

Female genitalia: No data.

Individual variation: described from the holotype only.

Bionomics: The biology of this species remains unknown, since the holotype was reared from a cocoon attached to an unidentified plant. The flight period is in early March.

Mitogenomic data: The single mitogenomic sequence from the holotype is very distinct from the other congeners, but its placement within the genus (as sister to P. mallota sp. nov. + P. eubenangee sp. nov.) is poorly supported ( Fig. 638).

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

Etymology:The specific epithet, a noun in apposition, refers to two eye-catching androconial brushes/tufts (coremata) stretching from sterna IV to VII and protruding the anterior part of abdomen. The Latin noun virgula is of feminine gender meaning rod, stick, shoot, mark.

27. Polysoma Vári, 1961

“ Polysoma gen. nov. ”—Vári, L., 1961. Transvaal Museum Memoir 12: xvii (key), 63.

Type species: Polysoma clarki Vári, 1961 . Transvaal Museum Memoir 12: 64–65, by original designation.

Morphological diagnostic characterisation: wing venation ( Fig. 521). Forewing with strong short Sc; R 1 is long and strong, ending at mid of costal margin, radial veins R 2, R 3, R 4 and R 5 are well developed, strong, and well visible; R 5 is stalked with M 1; M 2, M 3 and M 4 are present, M 3 and M 4 are slightly bent, followed by the rudimental CuA, only with strong distal part; CuP rudimentary at base but strong at distal part, A 1+2 is long, sinuating, strong, ending beyond the apical 1/3 of dorsal margin. Hindwing with short and strong Sc, Rs strong, runs until sub-apical part of costal margin; M is forked to M 1 and M 2, followed by forked M 3 and CuA. Wing pattern reminds that of Porphyrosela Braun, 1908 ( Lithocolletinae ) with short blunt strongly edged strigulae on costal and dorsal margins with mirroring dots and spots; the background colour is dark ochreous.

Abdomen: Abdominal opening broadly arc-shaped, lateral sides of abdominal opening on sternum II broadly strongly sclerotised with attached additional plates; ventral crossing joint strong, slightly thickened at lateral sides with thin median part; sternal apodemes absent; tergal apodemes mid-sized, relatively thick, slightly curved; sternal plate semi-oval present only on sterna I and II; a longitudinal melanised band runs along the mid part of abdominal sterna; anterior segment in males with two androconial sclerotised stripes, placed along the midline of sternum VII; abdominal segments of females simple; the anterior margin of each abdominal segment of both sexes is lightly sclerotised or melanised.

Male genitalia: Tegumen well developed, long; sub-scaphium well-developed, narrow, protruding the apical part of tegumen; valvae, broad, long, densely setose with long thin setae, transtilla absent. Aedeagus relatively short, with a mark, separating the aedeagus body and vesica.

Female genitalia: Papillae anales fused, flat, pressed, covered with erect dense setae; apophyses posteriores with broader triangular bases; segment VIII strongly reduced, carries a moderately sclerotised semi-ring of the basal part of apophyses anteriores; segment VII shorter than in many genera of Ornixolinae except Parectopa , covered with tuberculose cuticle sternum VII bears sterigma; segments VII and VI are with sclerotised anterior margins. Ostium bursae opens at the posterior margin (in African species), between segments VII and VI, antrum short, cylindrical, sclerotised; ductus bursae, with a smooth (in Australian species) or abrupt (in African species) transition to corpus bursae; corpus bursae sac-shaped; bears either one round (in Australian species) or ring-shaped (in African species) signum, except Polysoma tanysphena ( Meyrick, 1928a) , which has no signum.

BOLD data: https://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxon= Polysoma &searchTax=Searc h+Taxonomy

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: The genus is only represented by a single species in Australia, which is consistently and moderately supported as sister to Parectopa ( Fig. 637).

Bionomics: Fabaceae : Acacia sp. ( Polysoma eumetalla ( Meyrick, 1880)) , A. dealbata Link , new record, A. melanoxylon R. Br. , new record ( P. eumetalla ), A. pycnantha Benth , new record ( P. eumetalla ), Albizia gummifera (J.F. Gmel.) C.A. Sm. ( P. aenicta Vári, 1961 ).

Distribution: Afrotropical region: South Africa: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Australian region : Australia : ACT, new record, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, New Zealand .

Species richness: World: 4 species; Australian region: 1 species.

Type species: Polysoma clarki Vári, 1961

“ Polysoma clarki spec. nov. ”—Vári, L., 1961. Transvaal Museum Memoir 12: 64–65; pl. 11, fig. 3; pl. 29, fig. 3; pl. 81, fig. 4; pl. 108, fig. 3.

Type locality and collecting data: South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, East London , 06.i.1945, leg. B. C. Clark. Type specimens: Holotype ♀, genitalia slide G7301, in TMSA (Pretoria); Paratypes 2♀, genitalia slide G7363, in TMSA (Pretoria) .

BOLD data: No data.

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: No data.

Bionomics: Unknown.

Distribution: Afrotropical region: South Africa: Eastern Cape ( Vári 1961: 65).

Australian species