Taxonomic study of Palumbina Rondani (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Thiotrichinae) in Japan: biology, immature stages, and a new species

Abstract

The genusPalumbinaRondani, 1876 belongs to the family Gelechiidae, which was until recently believed to comprise 26 species worldwide and mainly occurring in the Oriental region. Previously, onlyP. pylartis(Meyrick, 1908) had been recorded from this genus in Japan. In this study, five other species were identified. Four species were recorded for the first time in Japan, and another was newly described:P. acerosaLee & Li, 2018;P. grandiuncaLee & Li, 2018;P. macrodelta(Meyrick, 1918),P. operaria(Meyrick, 1918) andP. muraseaeKyaw & Yagi,sp. nov.The host plant and larval feeding habits ofP. pylartis,P. acerosa,P. grandiunca, andP. muraseaeKyaw & Yagi,sp. nov.were revealed. The immature stages ofP. grandiunca,P. pylartis, andP. muraseaeKyaw & Yagi,sp. nov., including larval and pupal morphology, were first documented for the genus in which the larval chaetotaxy ofP. pylartisandP. grandiuncais well observed. In their larval chaetotaxy, the details of their interspecific variation in the relative position and length of some setae are described. The pupal morphology of the species examined in this study is almost identical to the genusThiotrichaexcept for different traits on the abdominal segments A7 and A10. The traits of larval chaetotaxy and pupal morphology are also discussed for the subfamily. Photographs of the adult, male and female genitalia, and information on their biology and immature stages are provided.