Cuphodes calycanthae 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 : 50-52

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

( Figs 47, 67, 68, 76, 77, 103, 124, 134, 637)

Type locality: Australia, Northern Territory, Darwin .

Type specimen: Holotype ♀: [labels verbatim] [1] Australia N.T. [Northern Territory]/ 12.25S 130.49E /East Point NR [National Reserve]/Darwin em.[emerged]/12 Feb.[February]1998/T. & M. Kumata. [2] Host 5819/ Diospyros / calycantha, DNA sample NULT024948, genitalia slide ANIC 6215, ANIC Acc. no 31 085521, in ANIC (Canberra).

Additional 3 specimens not included in the type series: Specimen 1(♂): same collecting data, except the date 15 February 1998. Specimen 2(♀): same collecting data, except the date 13 February 1998. Specimen 3(♂): same collecting data, in ANIC .

Note: Three externally cryptic species C. calycanthae sp. nov., C. drypette sp. nov. and C. niphadias ( Turner, 1913) are involved in the series of 10 specimens collected in the same locality, in the same time period, and reared from the same host Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz ( Ebenaceae ). All three species can be easily diagnosed by internal morphology (female genitalia characters) and mitogenomics. Wing pattern ornamentation might vary and depend upon the freshness of specimens. Therefore, the correct identification can be performed only by dissection of specimens and /or studying their DNA.

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

Diagnosis: Externally this species is similar to Cuphodes drypette sp. nov. and C. niphadias . This group of three species as a whole in general can be easily diagnosed by external morphological characters (wing pattern) and bionomics, but species cannot be identified based only on external characters. For the complete species diagnosis internal micromorphological characters and/or molecular data are obligatory. It might help for the diagnostic characterisation that in C. calycanthae sp. nov. basal ornamentation is small, rudimental, the ornament in the mid of forewing consists of an assemblage of small, thin, irregularly turning lines, while in C. drypette sp. nov. these central ornaments are shaped as more or less irregular ornamental figures. Cuphodes niphadias wing pattern is characterised by short bright golden lines forming more or less rectangular figures. The biggest difference is in mid-costal pattern: in C. calycanthae it is an irregular broad fascia, in C. drypette the mid-costal ornament is an irregular costal spot, reaching the midline of the forewing with its posterior margin and in C. niphadias this ornament is as two parallel short narrow golden irregular lines. Tropical Gracillariidae species are known for their monophagous or strictly oligophagous biology and their trophical associations with closely related plant species belonging to the same genus or at least to the same family of plants. In this case, the host plant of both diagnosed species is known: C. drypette sp. nov. feeds on Drypetes deplanchei (Brongn. & Gris) Merr. ( Putranjivaceae ) and Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz , while C. calycanthae sp. nov. feeds only on the host Diospyros calycantha O. Schwarz , which is native to Western Australia, and belongs to the persimmon plant family Ebenaceae . Further diagnostic characters can be found in the internal morphology and mitogenomics. The female genitalia characters are highly diagnostic: ductus bursae and the basal part of corpus bursae are packed into a sclerotised frame with huge, covering half of corpus bursae melanised irregular patch; star-shaped signum at the sub-anterior part of corpus bursae. In C. drypette sp. nov., the ductus is a non-sclerotised canal with a very strong distinction between corpus bursae and ductus bursae. Following the internal micromorphology of genital characters both species can be easily identified and cannot be confused. Cuphodes calycanthae sp. nov. is the sister species of C. holoteles . Both species share a simplified sterigmatic design and broad ductus bursae smoothly transiting to corpus bursae. However, the presence of the sclerotised framework, melanised patch and star-shaped signum on corpus bursae in C. calycanthae sp. nov., while signum and any sclerotisations are absent on corpus bursae in C. holoteles , undoubtfully diagnose both sister species.

Description: Wingspan ca. 4.4 mm; length of the forewing 2.0 mm ( Fig. 47).

Head ( Figs 67, 68, 77): vertex with a tuft of shining snowy white, lifted, brushed, piliform scales, directed anteriorly; occiput with two fused tufts of snowy white scales directed posteriorly. Frons concolourous with vertex, shiny white, smooth, slightly darker ochreous tint on labrum. Maxillary palpus very short, hardly perceptible, white. Labial palpus glabrous, 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 (ca. 1,2×) longer than forewing, dirty white anteriorly and light ochreous posteriorly, ventrally of the same shading as dorsally, dirty white anteriorly and light ochreous posteriorly; 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 small ochreous spot on posterior lateral side, a few long shing white pecten present.

Thorax ( Fig. 47): 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. Three short abrupted golden ochreous costal and dorsal stripes form the basal group of ornaments, thin, curved, irregularly shaped lines form the distinct group of ornaments at the mid of forewing, a distinctive yellow apical patch with oblique basal margin with a narrow m-shaped white stripe crossing this sub-apical patch is the most eye catching; apical line not perceptible. The fringe line is not defined. 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 the hindwing 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 ochreous fuscous epiphysis, tarsomeres unicoloured ochreous fuscous; mid femur and tibia white with golden shine, mid tibia rather thick covered with lose scales with long sharp thin spiculose apices, tarsus rather thick, white, also covered with lose scales, long thin hanging spiculose piliform scales continue on tarsomere I, tip of mid leg dark ochreous; 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 black spot at sub-apex, apical spurs slightly shorter than tarsomere I, white, tarsomere I white, with dark ochreous sub-apical spot, covered with loose, thin, piliform scales, placed in two tufts of radially directed spiculose scales; tarsomere II dirty white with ochreous apical half, tarsomere III dirty white, tarsomeres IV–V dark fuscous, the tip of hind tarsus dark fuscous.

Abdomen ( Figs 76, 124): tergites fuscous or dark grey, except genital segments that are dirty white. Sternites light grey or white with a very strong silver shine. No lateral stripes are present. Margins of abdominal opening on sternum II narrowly but strongly sclerotised, ventral crossing joint is very narrowly sclerotised, corners of abdominal opening sharply angulated, sternal apodemes initiating at the corners of abdominal opening are well developed, rather long, as two spines approaching each other, reaching 1/3 part of segment II, terminating slightly anteriad than tergal apodemes; tergal apodemes initiate at the margin on tergum I; tergal apodemes are angulated and interrupted at the mid part, enter the mid of segment II with their sharp anterior apices. A melanised, slightly bent fold is present on sternum III.

Male genitalia: No data.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 103). Papillae anales flattened, fused at lateral sides and immersed into the segment VIII. Segment VIII, short reduced, weakly sclerotised; apophyses posteriores with broad bases and sharp, slightly bent apices, reaching the posterior margin of segment VII; apophyses anteriores are not visible, the sclerotisation degree of segment VII is medial, sterigma simple, with lightly melanised trapezoidal lateral margins; the impressive, strong huge collicular sclerotisation is on antrum that continues as a frame along ductus bursae occupying more than a half of corpus bursae; ostium bursae opens at posterior margin of sternum VII; ductus bursae broad, only slightly narrower than corpus bursae, corpus bursae prolonged sac-shaped; the transition between corpus bursae and ductus bursae gradual, there is no distinction between corpus bursae and ductus bursae; a small star-shaped signum is present on sub-anterior part of corpus bursae; bulla seminalis and ductus seminalis are not perceptible.

Individual variation: the species shows a rather expressive variation in forewing pattern: the colour of ornaments may vary from light ochreous, beige to dark grey. Also, the shape of ornaments is variable from more or less geometrical triangles till irregular patches or broad irregularly shaped stripes.

Bionomics: This species feeds on Dyospyros calycantha O. Schwarz ( Ebenaceae ), a new host plant record for Gracillariidae ( Fig. 134). The mining period is expected about the first decade of February. The flight period starts in the second decade of February.

Mitogenomic data. The single sequence from the holotype of C. calycanthae sp. nov. is distinct from all other Cuphodes sequences and strongly supported as sister to C. drypette sp. nov. + C. niphadias ( Fig. 637) in the non-synonymous data analyses DEGEN and AA, while recovered in the same position with weak statistical support in the CODON analysis.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality: Australia: Northern Territory, Darwin.

Etymology: The species name derives from the name of the host plant Dyospyros calycantha . It is a noun of the first declension in the genitive case, gender feminine.