Pogonocephala heteropsis ( Lower, 1894 )

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 : 226-232

Pogonocephala heteropsis ( Lower, 1894)

( Figs 471–480, 637)

“ Gracilaria heteropsis , n. sp. ”—Lower, O. B., 1894. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 18: 112–113. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16141950

Gracillaria heteropsis — Meyrick 1907: 59;

Acrocercops heteropsis — Turner 1923: 171, 1940: 392;

Pogonocephala heteropsis — Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 364.

Neotype locality: [ Australia], Queensland, Biloela.

Type specimens: Holotype (gender unknown), (not found in ANIC, December 2023; not found in SAM, 03 June 2024, also pers. comm. with H.H. Li on 31 March 2024).

Neotype designation: After a careful search in two countries Australia and China, we state that the name-bearing holotype specimen could not be found. The species was described based on one specimen, collected in Queensland, Duaringa in December. At this moment (03 June 2024) we consider that the name-bearing type is lost and in the framework of the genus Pogonocephala revision it is necessary to define the objectivity of the Australian species Pogonocephala heteropsis . Herewith, we designate as the neotype the female specimen collected in the same administrative unit of Australia, as the lost holotype — Queensland, Biloela ( Fig. 472). The neotype of the species Gracillaria heteropsis Lower, 1894 bears the following label: [verbatim] ‘Biloela Q.[ueensland]/7-2-48 [7 February 1948]/I.F.B. Common’ DNA sample NULT023602, genitalia slide ANIC 6289, ANIC Acc. no 31 085537. The neotype is designated with the expressed purpose of:

(1) clarifying the taxonomic status and the delineation of the boundaries of the species Gracillaria heteropsis (Art. 75.3.1);

(2) the morphological characters as described below as well as full mitogenomic characterisation based on long DNA sequences to differentiate the species-group taxon is presented (Art. 75.3.2);

(3) we present the visual data of external and internal morphology in the form of detailed authentic photographs, a description in words of the main diagnostic characters as well as full mitogenomic data (Art. 75.3.3) which are sufficient to delineate the species group taxon Gracillaria heteropsis Lower, 1894 ;

(4) the species was described based on one specimen, we have searched for it in the collection of ANIC, in the digitisation department of CSIRO, we corresponded with the authorised persons in SAM ( Adelaide ), and with Prof. Houhun Li ( China) about the whereabouts of the holotype. We believe that it is lost (Art. 75.3.4.) .

(5) Based on the original description see: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16141950 and other specimens that are identified in the ANIC collection as G. heteropsis Lower, 1894 by the former generation of the lepidopterists working in the ANIC collection, we consider that the specimen chosen by us is fully consistent with the one which is known of the former name-bearing holotype of Gracillaria heteropsis Lower, 1894 . Moreover, the female neotype, designated by us, is additionally examined by a long DNA sequence molecular evidence (Art. 75.3.5).

(6) The neotype was collected in the same administrative unit Queensland as the original type locality. There are specimens in the studied series that are collected only 17 km away from the original type locality Duaringa. However, we chose the specimen as the name-bearing type of this species collected in Queensland, Biloela of which the full mitogenome data is available (Art. 75.3.6). Following our studies Pogonocephala heteropsi s is widely distributed in Western Australia (new record) and also in Queensland (old record). Furthermore, the congeneric type species has a broad distribution in southern Africa (see https://www.gracillariidae.net/species_by_code/POGOVENE)

(7) The neotype is the property of the Australian National Insect Collection ( ANIC) which is part of the facilities of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ( CSIRO), Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra. It is the most important and authoritative scientific organisation in Australia that maintains a huge research collection with the modern best facilities in the world for preserving physical name-bearing types, their long DNA sequence molecular data, also digital facilities of visual data. The research units of CSIRO make the scientific relevant information available and accessible for study via online portals, educational programmes and research projects (Art. 75.3.7) .

Following recommendation 75B of the ICZN the following specialists were consulted: curators of ANIC, Dr. Bruce Halliday, Dr. Ben Parslow, and Prof. Houhun Li.

Specimens examined: Australia: Western Australia, new record: Specimen 1: Kimberley , Research Station via Wyndham , 17.3492° S, 125.9152° E, 04-08-1956, leg. Langfield, E.C.B. Specimen 2(♂): idem collecting locality, Barcode of Life , DNA voucher specimen, Sample ID: 11 ANIC-16240 , BOLD Proc ; ID:ANICY240-11, 29-07-1956, leg. Langfield, E.C.B.; DNA sample NULT023365, genitalia slide ANIC 6287 , ANIC Acc. no 31 053811. Specimen 11(♀): Broome, 186 km SE, 17.9618°S 122.2370°E, 09-08-1976, Common I.F.B., DNA sample NULT023213, genitalia slide ANIC 6270 , ANIC 31 085616. Specimen 12(♂): Broome, 5 km E, 24-08-1976, leg. Common I.F.B., DNA sample NULT023091, genitalia slide ANIC 6269 , ANIC Acc. no 31 085615, in ANIC (Canberra) .

Queensland: Specimen 3: Biloela, 24.4025°S 150.5124°E, 06-12-1947, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 4: idem collecting data, except the date 07-02-1948, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 5: Rockhampton , 23.3786°S 150.5089°E, 04-01-1948, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 6: Rockhampton , Scrubby , 30-09-1946, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 7(♀): Biloela , 05-02-1947, leg. Common I.F.B., DNA sample NULT023602, genitalia slide ANIC 6289 , ANIC Acc. no 31 085537. Specimen 8(♂): Nappa Merry, 27.5583°S 141.1330°E, 06-11-1949, leg. Common I.F.B., DNA sample NULT023480, genitalia slide ANIC 6288 , ANIC Acc. no 31 085624. Specimen 9(♀): Biloela, female genitalia 11437, Grc-5674, 06-12-1947, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 10(♂): Biloela, wings 11435, male genitalia 11436, Grc-5673, 08-12-1947, leg. Common I.F.B. Specimen 13: without abdomen, Cunnamulla, 28.0710°S 145.6882°E, 13-10-1941, leg. Nihil. Specimen 14: without abdomen, Charleville, 26.4013°S 146.2398°E, 10-09-1920, leg. Nihil, in ANIC (Canberra) .

Morphological diagnostic characterisation. The species is represented by a series of specimens strongly variable in size. Sexual dimorphism is strongly expressed: males have fuscous hindwings, while the hindwings of females are light beige. Wingspan 5.6–9.4 mm; length of the forewing 3.5–4.6 mm ( Figs 471, 472).

Head: vertex smooth, white with silver lustre; occiput with two tufts of short piliform scales directed posteriad, frons white, transition from vertex to frons smooth, maxillary palpus tiny, thin directed anteriad, labial palpus cylindrical, with blunt apices, dirty white, strongly curved upwards; antenna slightly longer than forewing, flagellomeres bronze ochreous with numerous, thin, fuscous lines on dorsal margin; scape as large as ca. three following flagellomeres, pecten not perceptible.

Thorax ( Figs 471–473): dirty white, tegula light ochreous, concolourous with the ground colour of forewings. Forewing with linear edged pattern; costal margin with a sinusoid edged by black scales, strigula initiating at mid of costa, sub-apical area with two triangular, oblique strigulae directed toward apex; mid area with long narrow, edged streaks, the first sub-costal, initiating at base and terminating at sub-apical 1/3, the second streak follows the midline of forewing, initiates at base and terminates at mid of forewing, basal 1/3 of dorsum with white prolonged patch, the apical margin of the patch gives a start to first, narrow, edged, dorsal strigula, the second strigula beyond the mid of dorsum meets with its tip the second costal strigula, the third and fourth apical strigulae short, oblique; apical area light beige with small, but strongly contrasted apical spots, apical line gently runs from apex to tornus, dark fuscous, fringe line broad runs as a ochreous band around the apical part of forewing until tornus. Hindwing dark fuscous in males, a character that assists in separating this species or even genus from other genera of Gracillariidae , and light beige in females. Legs rather slender, unicolourous grey with thickened hind tibiae which bear the characteristic row of spiculose scales along its length.

Abdomen ( Fig. 480): dark fuscous dorsally with patches of beige scales on tergum II, ventrally contrastively white with three long and one short narrow oblique stripes on sterna III–VI. Abdominal opening arc-shaped, lateral sides of abdominal opening on sternum II broadly strongly and broadly sclerotised especially anteriorly; posterior corners of abdominal opening strongly thickened; ventral crossing joint equally thin along its entire length, complete, the ventral joint is supported by the sclerotised anterior margin; sternal apodemes well developed strong, approaching each other with their apices, reaching the posterior ¼ of sternum II; tergal apodemes mid-sized, slightly thicker than the sternal apodemes, equally thick along their entire length, run up to the posterior 1/3 of sternum II, ending with their apices anteriad of the apices of the sternal apodemes; a tiny appendix is present at the sub-base of tergal apodemes; sternal plate extremely strongly developed stretching along sterna II–V, occupying almost the entire surface of sterna; sternal cuticle covering the plate with numerous tiny wrinkles; anterior margin of sternum VI in males with broad but narrowly sclerotised androconial bow, the anterior margin of the anterior genital sternum VII in males with strongly sclerotised androconial bow; in females sterna V and VI very broadly and strongly sclerotised, occupying almost the entire segmental area.

Male genitalia ( Figs 474–476): Tegumen strongly reduced, shortened, till sclerotised low arc-shaped bow; sub-scaphium well developed, narrow with a blunt apex, ca. half as long as valva; lateral, setae-free peniculi are well developed; valvae strongly appraised, very broad, rather short with narrowing cucullus and cut apical part; cucullus, apical part and sub-apical ventral valval margin are followed by weakly sclerotised appendical cuticula; ventral inner surface of valva at cucullus, apical part and sub-apical sector strongly setose, central part of the ventral surface of valva with several rod-shaped sclerotisations, basal valval apodemes, long narrow, at a great distance from each other at the genital cavity; transtilla incomplete, two separate symmetrical appendages reach peniculi, juxta very small, weakly sclerotised. Vinculum is broad, consisting of two symmetrical, not fused parts, lateral sides strongly sclerotised, folded; saccus well developed, digitiform, with a canal in the middle dividing left and right symmetrical sides. Aedeagus ca. twice as long as valva, thick in girth, with strongly sclerotised and biforked vesica, cornutus, as one of the biforked parts of vesica is straight spiniform, aedeagus with 90° hook, thickly sclerotised cornutus runs until apical 1/3 of aedeagus, the second cornutus is prolonged ellipsoid, touches the basal part of the first cornutus and runs from apical 1/3 of aedeagus till coecum; coecum slightly enlarged and gently rounded.

Female genitalia ( Figs 477–478): Papillae anales very strongly flattened, covered with short stout setae, basal ring of papillae anales narrowly but strongly sclerotised; apophyses posteriores short, reaching the middle of segment VIII, with very broad bases, sub-triangular with tiny, sharply pointed apical part; segment VIII weakly melanised, carrying a broad strongly sclerotised basal semi-ring of apophyses anteriores; apophyses anteriores mirror in shape the apophyses posteriores, with a very broad, triangular basal part, occupying almost half of the segment VIII area and sharply pointed anterior part that enters the posterior sector of segment VII; segment VII strongly sclerotised; ostium bursae opens at broad mid-posterior sector of segment VII, lamella ante-vaginalis strongly developed, broad and bent tape-shaped. Antrum with a very broad cavity and sclerotised wall, the initial part of ductus bursae is comparatively broad covered by a lamellar colliculum that broadly expends beyond the mid part of ductus bursae; colliculum is strongly sclerotised and tuberculose; ductus bursae prolonged sac-shaped with signal band consisting of tiny barbs arranged into an encircling ring that are separated by tiny cuticular wrinkles; anterior part of corpus bursae with a thick, squamous bursal wall. Bulla seminalis smaller than corpus bursae, almost round, attached to the basal part of corpus bursae, covered with tiny spicules and partly covered by collicular sclerotisation.

BOLD data: https://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_SearchTerms?query= Pogonocephala [tax]

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data:The species has a wide distribution across the northern end ofAustralia and has been representatively sampled (Western Australia and Queensland). The monophyly of the species is maximally supported in all analyses, and the mitochondrial genomes of the Western Australia and Queensland populations do not differ significantly from each other. The species is distant, yet robustly and consistently recovered as a sister to Neurostrota gunniella ( Fig. 637).

Bionomics: Several generations are clarified based on the collection specimens: summer generation (November– February) and winter generation (July–August).

Distribution: Australia: Queensland ( Lower 1894: 113), Western Australia, new record.

26. Polydema Vári, 1961

“ Polydema gen. nov. ”—Vári, L., 1961. Transvaal Museum Memoir 12: xix (key), 115.

Type species: Acrocercops hormophora Meyrick, 1912a . Exotic Microlepidoptera 1 (1): 23, by original designation.

Morphological diagnostic characterisation: The species clearly differs from other groups of Ornixolinae collected in the same locality, in Queensland. The genus Polydema can be diagnosed by external characters and very specific wing pattern: costal margin with a row of small dirty white fuscous spots, sub-basal part of forewing is decorated with a reversed Y fascia, apical part with a sharply angulated fascia, pointing to the apical spot, apical spot bicoloured white/black. Hind tibia and first hind tarsomere covered by rough scales but not erected sharp spines, that clearly separates this genus and the species P. mallota sp. nov. from other species belonging to the genus Diphtheroptila . The species assigned to the genus Polydema and preserved in the Australian National Insect Collection are hardly diagnosable, since the differences in wing pattern are tiny, vertex might not be diagnosable in worn specimens, forewing is heavily ornamented, and a slight intraspecific variability is always present. The diagnostic characters should be searched in the internal morphological structures (genitalia morphology) and mitogenomics.

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

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: Relationships between the sampled three Australian species are poorly resolved, but the monophyly of Polydema virgula sp. nov., P. eubenangee sp. nov. and P. mallota sp. nov. is maximally supported in all analyses. The genus is very strongly supported as being a part of a monophylum comprising additionally Conopomorpha , Bridella gen. n., Crotona gen. n., Stomphastis and Diphtheroptila , but its sister relationship to Diphtheroptila + ( Crotona gen. n. + Stomphastis ) recovered by CODON and AA analyses is inconsistently recovered and weakly supported ( Figs 638, 639).

Bionomics: Euphorbiaceae : Mallotus polyadenos F. Muell. , new record ( P. eubenangee sp. nov.), M. paniculatus Müll. Arg. , new record ( P. mallota sp. nov.), Macaranga involucrata Baill., new record ( P. macaranga sp. nov.), Distribution: Afrotropical Region: South Africa: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga.

Australian Region, new record: Queensland. Species richness: World: 6 species; Australian region: 4 species.

Type species: Polydema hormophora ( Meyrick, 1912a)

“ Acrocercops hormophora , n. sp. ”—Meyrick, E., 1912a. Transvaal Museum Memoir 1 (1): 23.

Type locality and collecting data: South Africa, Transvaal [Mpumalanga], Barberton , 25.i.1911, leg. A. J. T. Janse. Type specimen: Holotype ♂, genitalia slide G7229, in TMSA (Pretoria).

BOLD data: No data.

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: No data.

Bionomics: Unknown.

Distribution: Afrotropical region: South Africa, Mpumalanga ( Meyrick 1912a: 23).

Australian species

Key to the Australian Polydema species based on external morphological characters and bionomics

(1) reverse Y and V ornamental patterns narrow, wing pattern and especially midline of the wing is marked with brown, almost black prolonged rod-like spots............................................................. P. mallota sp. nov. - reverse Y and V ornamental patterns broad, wing pattern, except the apical part, without dark brown patches or spots...... 2 (2) reverse Y and V ornamental patterns are filled with white patches and spots, larvae feed on Mallotus polyadenos

( Euphorbiaceae )..................................................................... P. eubenangee sp. nov. - reverse Y and V ornamental patterns are well-defined, clear, larvae feed on Macaranga involucrata ( Euphorbiaceae ) plants..

.................................................................................. P. macaranga sp. nov.

Note: The species P. macaranga sp. nov. and P. virgula sp. nov. are indistinguishable from external characters. The host plant of P. virgula sp. nov. is unknown. The species-linked diagnostic characters are found in internal morphology and mitogenomics.

Key to the Australian Polydema species based on internal morphological characters of females

(1) colliculum and signal area as a broad wrapping tape............................................ P. mallota sp. nov. - colliculum and signal area as a sclerotised plate............................................................. 2 (2) colliculum and signal area as a rectangular plate with one mid-centred longitudinal suture........... P. macaranga sp. nov.

- colliculum and signal area with irregularly shaped margins, posterior part of collicular sclerotisation with dentate invagination, mid part is covered by broad narrowing band with folded margins that are kept by horizontally oriented tiny stripes.......................................................................................... P. eubenangee sp. nov.

Note: no data on P. virgula sp. nov. female genitalia characters.