Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southwestern Pacific: a revision with the establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand

Abstract

With the discovery of new taxa and developments in biogeography and molecular phylogenetics, it has become clear that the diversity of Micropterigidae in the SW Pacific region is inadequately represented by the current taxonomy. The existing taxonomy implies a single lineage in this region, while an unpublished molecular analysis reveals the presence of three distinct lineages in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, hence the need for revision. Currently only three named species are described from eastern Australia, all placed within the genus Sabatinca Walker. This revision isolates porphyrodes Turner 1932, from northern Queensland, as a new monotypic genus Austromartyria, here recognised as a member of a diverse ‘southern sabatincoid lineage’ distributed around the Southern Hemisphere. The bulk of the fauna covered in this revision includes: S. calliplaca Meyrick 1902, together with 6 new taxa in a new Australian genus Tasmantrix; S. sterops Turner 1921 plus a new species from New Caledonia, in another new genus Aureopterix. The New Zealand species Sabatinca zonodoxa Meyrick 1888, is synonymised with S. rosicoma Meyrick 1914 and placed in a new monotypic genus Zealandopterix. Finally, a new genus Nannopterix is erected for a new species from New Caledonia. The assemblage of four new genera (excluding Austromartyria) together comprise the basal lineage of Micropterigidae, previously referred to as the ‘Australian-group.’ All five new genera are distinguished from Sabatinca s.str., the focus of diversity in the region (confined to New Caledonia and New Zealand), but not revised here.