Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940

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 : 52-53

Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940

( Fig. 48)

“ Cuphodes didymosticha n. sp. ”—Turner, A.J., 1940. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 64 (1): 53. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41572669

Cuphodes didymosticha — Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 165.

Type locality: [ Australia], North Queensland, Kuranda.

Type specimens: Syntypes 2♂, in ANIC (Canberra) .

Lectotype designation: Hereby, we designate as the lectotype of the species Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940 the specimen ( Fig. 48) without abdomen, but otherwise fully representing the species, belonging to the syntype series and carrying the following labels: [1] ‘Cairns dist./F. P. Dodd‘(locality and collector’s name printed on dark beige paper), [2]’ Phrixosceles / didymosticha /TYPE Turn.’ (handwritten in black Indian ink on a beige paper), [3] ‘ HOLOTYPE /C uphodes / didymosticha Turn. ’ (the word Holotype printed, the species name handwritten in black Indian ink on a red hard carton paper), [4] ‘ ANIC /Image’ (printed on orange paper), [5] SYNTYPE /no holotype designated/in original description/det. T. Pleines 2023 (printed on white paper), [6] ‘ ANIC Database No./31 087189’ (printed on white paper), DNA sample (one leg) NULT023347 (not successful), in ANIC (Canberra).

Paralectotype: 1 specimen: Paralectotype specimen 1, without abdomen: [1] ‘Kuranda /F. P. Dodd‘(locality and collector’s name printed on dark beige paper), [2] ‘ SYNTYPE / Cuphodes didymosticha / Turner, 1940 / Type status assessed by T. Pleines, 2023’ (printed on red paper), [5] ‘ ANIC Database No. /31 087190’ (printed on white paper), in ANIC (Canberra) .

The lectotype is designated as part of our taxonomic work to enhance the stability of nomenclature ( Declaration 44— Amendment of Article 74.7.3) with a purpose to delineate this species-group taxon Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940 . This designation will preserve stability in nomenclature ( ICZN Recommendation 74A). We gave the preference to the specimen indicated as the ‘Holotype’ in the Australian National Insect Collection which is digitised by the Digitization group for the online ANIC species portal ( ICZN Recommendations 74B, C, D). The locality of the lectotype specimen is verified ( ICZN Recommendation 74E). The syntype specimen with the label data of the type locality is designated as the paralectotype ( ICZN Recommendation 74F) .

Morphological diagnostic characterisation: Following the external characters this species belongs to the same species group with C. maculosa due to its beige ochreous with golden shine wing pattern without any particular ornamental decoration. Wingspan 4.0– 4.7 mm; length of the forewing 1.8–2.1 mm.

Head: vertex smooth, white with slight golden shine, occiput short, light ochreous, frons snowy white, shining, maxillary palpus short, porrect, with sharp apex; labial palpus rather long, ca. 2× of the diameter of eye, slender, apices slightly upcurved, palpomeres distancing from each other; antenna slightly longer than forewing, bronzy shining, scape enlarged, dirty white with light ochreous spots with a couple of thin rather long pecten.

Thorax: light ochreous with some yellow ochreous patches, tegula concolourous with thorax; ground colour of forewing yellow ochreous, the ornaments without any defined geometrical markings, with some irregular patches, and a row of short straight stripes at mid of dorsum; apical part of C. didymosticha is highly diagnostic: apical area is oval bordered with narrow but distinct interrupted transverse fascia with thin, long, ochreous horizontal apical stripe; apical area, termen and tornus margined by thick apical line; fringe line is not perceptible; hindwing in males is diagnostic since it is covered by dark fuscous scales. The combination of characters on apical part of forewing and dark fuscous hindwing in males makes this species diagnosable from many related Cuphode s species but not from C. lithographa , which is known only from two females and has very similar forewing ornamentation including almost identical apical pattern. Legs light ochreous with golden shine, without any particular markings or annulation.

Note: the species might be sexually dimorphic, since the hindwings of male type specimens are light fuscous, and not light beige as usual for closely related species. Females of C. didymosticha are not discovered yet up to now.

Male genitalia: No data.

Female genitalia: No data.

Individual variation: Only two male specimens belonging to this species are known.

BOLD data: No data.

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: No data.

Bionomics: No data.

Distribution: Australia: Queensland ( Turner 1940: 53).