Cuphodes drypette 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 : 53-56

Cuphodes drypette De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick , sp. nov.

( Figs 49, 50, 69, 70, 78–81, 90, 91, 104, 117, 125, 134, 637)

Type locality: Australia, Northern Territory, Darwin.

Type specimens: Holotype ♀: [labels verbatim] [1] Australia N.T. [Northern Territory]/ 12.21°S 130.52°E / Casuarina

CR [Crescent]/Darwin em.[emerged]/5 Feb.[February]1998/T. & M. Kumata. [2] Host 5758/ Drypetes / deplanchei,

DNA sample NULT024823, genitalia slide ANIC 6214, ANIC Acc. no 31 085582, in ANIC (Canberra).

Paratype 1(♂): Australia N.T. [Northern Territory] , 12.25°S 130.49°E, East Point NR [National Reserve], Darwin em.[emerged], 17 February 1998, T. & M. Kumata. Host 5819, Diospyros calycantha, DNA sample NULT022825 ,

genitalia slide ANIC 6245, ANIC Acc. no 31 085581.

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

Diagnosis: This new species can be diagnosed by three character sets:

● Bionomics: Cuphodes drypette sp. nov. feeds on the host plant belonging to the family Putranjivaceae which is a new host plant family for Gracillariidae moths. The host plant genus Drypetes is also a new host plant genus for Gracillariidae moths. The host plant Drypetes deplanchei (Brongn. & Gris) Merr. of the new species Cuphodes drypette sp. nov. is an evergreen Australian native plant growing only in Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western Australia), New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island. However, it also feeds on another host, Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz ( Ebenaceae ), that is a host plant for two other Australian Cuphodes species: C. calycanthae sp. nov. and C. niphadias , so only the host Drypetes deplanchei can be diagnostic for the species C. drypette sp. nov.

● Mitogenomics: the two DNA sequences from the holotype and paratype are identical and maximally supported as sister to C. niphadias ( Fig. 637), yet clearly distinct (more than 7% uncorrected pairwise distance).

● Micromorphology of the last abdominal segments. Male and female genitalia of this new species are highly diagnostic. Uncus is highly setose like a big brush, valvae are complex with strongly protruded cucullus area and big semi-round sub-apical flaps. Transtilla broad and complete, saccus short, tongshaped. Females are highly diagnostic due to wrinkled, oval, semi-round sterigma; the oval corpus bursae with one ring-like signum helps to diagnose C. drypette sp. nov. easily from other congeneric species. In C. calycanthae colliculum is a frame shaped, signum on corpus bursae is small star-like with multi-radial rays situated on anterior part of corpus bursae; in C. niphadias signum is situated in the posterior part of the corpus bursae, a pear-shaped perimetral figure with sclerotised anterior appendage.

Description: Wingspan ca. 4.1 mm; length of the forewing 1.9 mm ( Figs 49, 50).

Head ( Figs 69, 70): vertex with a tuft of shining snowy white, lifted, brushed, piliform scales, directed anteriorly; occiput with two tufts of snowy white scales directed posteriorly. Frons concolourous with vertex, shiny smooth, consisting of thin, strongly pressed filiform scales; labrum is of the same shading and shining as frons. Maxillary palpus very short, hardly perceptible, white, with a very gentle golden shine. Labial palpus glabrous (without hanging piliform scales), thin, long, ca. as long as 2.5× diameter of the eye, shining white, with slightly curved, sharply pointed apex. Proboscis light yellow. Antenna slightly longer (ca. 1/5×) than forewing, dirty white due to the intermixture of light ochreous longitudinal lines on each flagellomere, ventrally of the same shading as dorsally; pedicel slightly shorter than the following flagellomere, with a tiny spot of dark grey scales at posterior lateral side; scape shining white, dilated at margin with a ochreous spot on posterior lateral side, pecten not perceptible.

Thorax ( Figs 49, 50, 80, 81): snowy white, tegula white with golden ochreous bases. Forewing narrowly elongated, costal and dorsal margins run parallel, forewing slightly narrowing at apex, ground colour white with faint golden, light ochreous and yellow markings. The markings on the forewing can be divided into four groups: i) faint, broad, spot-like, without defined markings sub-basal fascia, ii) two more or less triangular-shaped ornaments on dorsal and costal margin meeting each other with their sides at mid of wing, iii) faint ochreous, short, strait, comma-shaped four stripes and a dot on costal margin at sub-dorsal area, iv) distinctive yellow apical patch with oblique basal margin, a narrow oblique, white, m-shaped stripe edged by black scales at tornal area crosses yellow patch; apical line not perceptible. The fringe line is not defined either, just a few black based scales are present on the apical part of the forewing. Fringe grey ochreous, matte, without shine, with the darkest shade at tornal area, shorter at tornus, the longest at sub-apical part and again shortening towards base of forewing. Hindwing narrow, elongate, sharply pointed, ground colour fuscous with dark ochreous shading, fringe long, ca. 6× longer than the width of hindwing at the base, concolourous with the colour of hindwing, the longest piliform scales hanging at the base of the dorsum of the hindwing. Fore femur white, fore tibia dirty white with two faint ochreous patches at sub-apical and apical areas, tarsomere I dirty white with light ochreous apex, tarsomere II dirty white with light ochreous base, tarsomeres III–V light ochreous, tip of leg light ochreous; mid femur white, mid tibia rather thick in comparison with other genera of Ornixolinae , white, covered with lose scales with long sharp thin spine like apices, tarsus rather thick, white, also covered with lose scales, long thin hanging spiculose scales continue on tarsomere I; hind femur white, hind tibia thinner than mid tibia, white, covered with long shiny white spiculose scales of different lengths; median spurs long, as long as about 2/3 of tibia length, white with a line of black spots on inner margin, apical spurs slightly shorter than tarsomere I, white, tarsomere I white, with light ochreous apex, covered with lose, thin, piliform scales, radially directed and more dense on apical part of tarsomere I, tarsomeres II–IV white with light ochreous bases, covered less densely with lose shorter piliform scales hanging from apices of tarsomeres, terminal tarsomere with fuscous apex, tip of hind tarsus ochreous.

Abdomen ( Figs 78, 79, 117, 125): fuscous dorsally, tergites I–VI only top is fuscous, while lateral sides and sternites ventrally white. No stripes or any other markings are present on the lateral sides of tergites and sternites. Margins of abdominal opening on sternum II narrowly but strongly sclerotised, ventral crossing joint is very narrowly sclerotised, corners of abdominal opening gently rounded, sternal apodemes initiating at the corners of abdominal opening are well developed, rather long, reaching almost the mid part of segment II, terminating slightly anteriad than tergal apodemes, straight, slightly distancing from each other; tergal apodemes initiate at the margin on tergum I with slightly broader bases that are sharply narrowing towards anterior part; tergal apodemes are slightly angulated/ curved at the mid part, enter the mid of segment II; apical part of tergal apodemes sharp. A melanised slightly bent fold is present on sternum III in males and in females, anterior margin of sternum VI is melanised in males. In males two long bunches of androconial piliform scales, that stretch well beyond segment VII, initiate at sternum VI as two round openings; sternum VII with two broad folds that hold androconial bunches of piliform coremata. Segment VI in females is simple, without any specific markings, posterior margin of sternum VI in females is slightly stronger melanised.

Male genitalia ( Figs 90, 91): Tegumen narrow with strongly developed uncus which is a broad, strongly setose band, especially densely setose tip of uncus+tegumen; anal tube not perceptible; valvae complex, consisting of strongly protruded cucullus, covered with setose corona, and the semi-round, flap hanging at apical ventral margin of valvae; ventral margin of valvae covered with strong spiculose setae, except the sub-basal part that is setae free; a bunch of very strong but short setae is present at the basis of ventral margin of valvae; transtilla broad, complete with two forked lateral arms; vinculum strongly developed, V-shaped, with broad lateral sides that become narrower at central suture; saccus short but well developed, broad squared, with rounded anterior part. Aedeagus short, ca. twice shorter than valva with one broad strongly sclerotised cornutus running along almost the entire length of aedeagus with two short teeth at vesica.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 104): Papillae anales flattened, fused and deeply immersed into segment VIII. Segment VIII, short reduced, weakly sclerotised; apophyses posteriores with broad bases and blunt apices, entering the posterior margin of segment VII; apophyses anteriores not perceptible; segment VII strongly sclerotised with oval, wrinkled and with broad lateral sides sterigma on central part of sternum VII; ostium bursae opens at sub-posterior part of sternum VII; surrounded by sterigmatic oval lamellae with very strongly short and bent lamella ante-vaginalis. Ductus bursae long, narrow, thread-like, melanised without any additional sclerotisations or markings; distinction between ductus bursae and corpus bursae, an oval ball-shaped, is very strong; corpus bursae with thick squamous walls; signum single, situated at basal 1/3 of corpus bursae, strongly sclerotised ring-shaped; bulla spermathecae small situated close to anterior margin of segment VII, ductus spermathecae very narrow, convoluted, enters ductus bursae just beyond the antrum.

Individual variation: This species belongs to the complex of three closely related species newly discovered in Australia, that show slight variation in spots of wing pattern. This slight variation is considered intra-specific. The mitogenomic data define the boundaries for species as separate taxonomic units.

Bionomics ( Fig. 134): This species feeds on a native tree of eastern and northern Australia Drypetes deplanchei (Brongn. & Gris) Merr. ( Putranjivaceae ) new host plant record and new host plant family for Gracillariidae occurring in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island (see Taxon Profile of Drypetes deplanchei (Brongn. & Gris) Merr. | Florabase (dbca.wa.gov.au), Drypetes deplanchei | Flora of Australia (ala.org.au), and Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz ( Ebenaceae ). The latter host plant is a tropical rain forest plant, native to Western Australia (Taxon Profile of Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz | Florabase (dbca. wa.gov.au) and occurs in Western Australia and Northern territory ( Diospyros calycantha (lucidcentral.org). Mining period from early until mid-February. Flight period of the moth species starts about the first week of February.

Mitogenomic data: See diagnosis above.

Distribution: Known from two localities in Australia: Northern Territory, in the surroundings of Darwin.

Etymology: The species epithet refers to the name of the genus of the host plant Drypetes deplanchei (Brongn. & Gris) . In Greek it means ripened on the tree, from the word ‘ drys’ δρῦς (a tree, or strictly, an oak) adding a diminutive suffice -ette in feminine gender. The moth species name drypette is a noun in apposition, gender feminine, which is in accordance following the generic name Cuphodes , a noun of the fifth declension, gender feminine (Art. 31.2 of the ICZN).