Cuphodes microta ( Turner, 1894 ), 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 : 65-66

Cuphodes microta ( Turner, 1894) , comb. n.

( Fig. 59)

“ Grac.[ilaria] [sic] microta , n. sp. ”—Turner, A.J., 1894. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 18: 128. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16141966

Cyphosticha microta — Meyrick 1907: 61; Turner 1940: 393; Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 168.

Type locality: [ Australia, Queensland], Brisbane .

Type specimens: 1 specimen (gender unknown), ANIC Acc. no 31 010800, in ANIC (Canberra) .

Specimens examined: Holotype (abdomen missing, gender not determined) ( Fig. 59):

[1] ‘Brisbane’(printed on light beige paper), [2] ‘ Cyphosticha / microta Turn. ’ (handwritten in black Indian ink on a beige paper), [3] ‘ ANIC Image’, [4] ‘ HOLOTYPE / Cyphosticha microta Turn. ’ (the word Holotype printed, the species name handwritten in black Indian ink on a red hard carton paper), [5] ‘ ANIC Database No/31 010800’ [printed on white hard paper], DNA sample (two legs) NULT022764 (not successful), in ANIC (Canberra).

Morphological diagnostic characterisation ( Fig. 59): Highly diagnostic species due to complexity of wing pattern that is unique for Cuphodes species. Wingspan 6.7 mm; length of the forewing 3.1 mm.

Head: vertex brown, labial palpus long as in other Cuphodes species, distancing from each other, light beige with dark ochreous marking at the apical part of palpomere II, outer margin of terminal palpomere is also dark; antenna long, ca. 25% longer than forewing, dark brown dorsally, scape ochreous with darker basal part.

Thorax ( Fig. 59): ochreous, tegula concolourous with thorax. Wing pattern is complex and highly diagnostic for this species: ground colour ochreous brown with complex ornamental pattern consisting of chestnut brown longitudinal, oblique, curved stripes and lines of different thickness and orange spots and triangular markings; costal area is marked by numerous small orange dots, separated by dark brown dots and stripes, mid sector of forewing is marked by a thick, rather long, dark brown stripe, dorsal basal sector is marked by two irregular orange spots edged with dark brown scales, the first triangular dorsal orange marking is just before mid of forewing, with top corner reaching beyond the midline of the forewing, the second dorsal triangular marking is just beyond the mid of forewing, with its top not reaching the midline of the forewing; apical sector is more intense orange, a curved shining line initiates at costal sub-apical area and terminates at sub-termen, connecting with bright whitish rather thick line that ends at apex of forewing, apical spot is not perceptible, likewise apical line (the ultimate tip of forewing is slightly damaged). Mid legs pilose, mid tibia orange covered by thick hanging filiform scales, mid tarsus diagnostic with chess positioned dark brown and orange colours on tarsomeres: dark brown basal halves and brightly orange apical halves. Hind leg brown, hind tibia carries a bunch of heavily hanging dark brown scales that might serve as a diagnostic character of this species.

BOLD data: No data

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: No data.

Bionomics: No data.

Distribution: Australia: Queensland ( Turner 1894: 128).