Pubitelphusa (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae: Litini) —A New Genus for Two Species Assigned to Telphusa and concubina

Abstract

Pubitelphusa is proposed as a new genus for Gelechia latifasciella Chambers in North America and Concubina trigonalis Park and Ponomarenko in the Palearctic Region. Pubitelphusa latifasciella, most recently assigned to Telphusa, is redescribed, and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A neotype for G. latifasciella is designated. Concubina trigonalis is transferred to Pubitelphusa.

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Pubitelphusa (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae: Litini) —A New Genus
for Two Species Assigned to Telphusa and concubina
Author(s): Sangmi Lee and Richard L. Brown
Source: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 115(1):70-74.
2013.
Published By: Entomological Society of Washington
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.115.1.70
URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.4289/0013-8797.115.1.70
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PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
115(1), 2013, pp. 70–74
PUBITELPHUSA (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE: LITINI) —A
NEW GENUS FOR TWO SPECIES ASSIGNED TO
TELPHUSA AND CONCUBINA
S
ANGMI
L
EE AND
R
ICHARD
L. B
ROWN
(SL) School of Life Sciences, Box 874501, Arizona State University, Tempe,
Arizona 85287-4501, USA. (e-mail: microlepi@hotmail.com); (RLB) Mississippi
Entomological Museum, Box 9775, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762-9775,
USA. (e-mail: moth@ra.msstate.edu)
Abstract.—Pubitelphusa is proposed as a new genus for Gelechia latifasciella
Chambers in North America and Concubina trigonalis Park and Ponomarenko in the
Palearctic Region. Pubitelphusa latifasciella, most recently assigned to Telphusa,is
redescribed, and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A neotype for G. latifasciella
is designated. Concubina trigonalis is transferred to Pubitelphusa.
Key Words: Neotype designation, male genitalia, female genitalia, forewing pattern
variation, Palearctic, Nearctic
DOI: 10.4289/0013-8797.115.1.70
Telphusa (Chambers 1872) was de-
scribed to include Telphusa curvistrigella
(Chambers 1872), the type species by
monotypy and a junior synonym of
Telphusa longifasciella (Clemens). The
genus differs from others in Litini by hav-
ing a gnathos with a hook shaped mesial
projection and a saccular part of the valva
that is stout and shorter than the costal part
(Lee and Brown 2008). The most recent
checklist of Gelechiidae in America north
of Mexico (Lee et al. 2009) included
seven species in Tel p h u s a , including T.
latifasciella (Chambers 1875), which was
listed as incertae sedis.
Telphusa latifasciella was described
by Chambers (1875) in the genus Gelechia
based on two specimens: a distinctively
marked specimen with a contrasting white
fascia, one of a series of specimens from
Missouri reared from oak by Murtfeldt,
and an additional specimen from Texas.
Chambers noted that other specimens
reared by Murtfeldt had the white fascia
“dusted by dark brown, as to appear gray
to the naked eye,” but he considered
specimens with this variation to be the
same species as the described specimens.
The Palearctic genus Concubina was
described by Omelko and Omelko (2004)
to include C. subita Omelko and Omelko
with figures of genitalia provided. Park and
Ponomarenko (2007) provided a trans-
lation of the original Russian diagnosis
in their description of a new species, C.
trigonalis. They distinguished Concubina
by the absence of a gnathos, a reduced cu-
cullus (=costal part of valva), and a reduced
sacculus that is fused with the vinculum.
Their description of C. subita stated that
the gnathos was absent, but their figure 3
shows that the gnathos (as defined by
Hodges 1998) is present with symmetrical
lateral basal sclerites that are articulated

with a club shaped mesial projection un-
derneath the uncus. Although Concubina
remains a valid genus, C. trigonalis is not
congeneric with the type species, C. subita.
M
ATERIAL AND
M
ETHODS
Specimens were examined from the
Canadian National Collection (CNC),
Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ),
the Mississippi Entomological Museum
(MEM), and the United States National
Museum of Natural History (USNM). Dis-
section and slide mounting methods for
genitalia followed Clarke (1941), except
preparations were stained in eosin and
mounted in Euparal. Videos demonstrat-
ing these methods have been provided by
Brown et al. (2009, 2011). In addition, the
tegumen, vinculum and valva, and phallus
were detached from each other and moun-
ted separately following the method of
Pitkin (1986). Characters of the genitalia
and wings were examined with a stereo-
microscope (Leica M125) at 7.8–160x. Im-
ages were made with a Leica stereomicro-
scope with Leica Application Suite 3.8.0
©
.
Terminology follows Klots (1970) with
modification of Kristensen (2003) for gen-
italia and Wootton (1979) for wing venation.
Pubitelphusa gen. nov.
Type species: Gelechia latifasciella Chambers
1875
Description.—
Imago (Figs. 1–3). Head
and thorax with appressed scales. Antenna
longer than half forewing length. Labial
palpus upcurved, with third segment as
long as or longer than second. Forewing
lanceolate, with tufts of raised scales, with
R
s3
and R
s4
stalked, M
1
closer to R
s3+
R
s4
than M
2
;M
2
close to M
3
;M
1
,M
2
,andM
3
separate; CuA
1
and CuA
2
separate; CuP
absent. Hindwing with R
s4
and M
1
weakly
separate or connate; M
2
,M
3
,CuA
1
,and
CuA
2
separate.
Male genitalia (Figs. 4–7). Sternite VII
broad, posterior margin rounded; tergite
VIII tongue-shaped; uncus subrectangular
with incised apex, densely setose ventrally
with setae directed laterally; gnathos with
mesial projection club-shaped, subequal in
length with uncus; tegumen with outer and
inner margins heavily sclerotized, ventral
halves directed laterally; valva reduced,
costal part absent; ventral sclerite (fused
vinculum and sacculi) with vinculum
reduced to small plate bearing processes
representing reduced sacculi; phallus
broad, stout, slightly shorter than length
of tegumen, cornuti absent.
Female genitalia (Fig. 8–10). Sternite
VIII without modifications; apophyses
posteriores about 2x length of apophyses
anteriores; ostium bursae bordered lat-
erally by sinuate ridges; ductus bursae
about 2x as long as corpus bursae; signum
rhomboid with serrate margins.
Diagnosis.—
Pubitelphusa is defined
by the male genital characters: 1) uncus
with dense setae on ventral surface;
2) gnathos with club-shaped mesial
Figs. 1–3. Imagos of Pubitelphusa latifasciella (Chambers).
VOLUME 115, NUMBER 1
71

projection; 3) ventral sclerite with pair of
processes.
Etymology.—
The generic name is de-
rived from a combination of the prefix of
Latinnoun“pubi” from “pubes” (hair of
genitalia, Latin), referring to the hairy uncus.
Pubitelphusa latifasciella
(Chambers), comb. nov.
Gelechia latifasciella Chambers 1875: 251
Telphusa latifasciella: Busck 1902[1903]: 496
Description.—
Imago (Figs. 1–3). Wing
length 11.0–14.0 mm. Head light gray or
off-white, sprinkled with dark gray scales.
Antenna dark gray, greater than half the
length of forewing. Labial palpus off-
white, second segment with three dark
gray annuli: one at base, one beyond middle,
and one before apex, third segment with
two dark gray annuli: one near base, one
beyond middle. Thorax and tegula dark
gray, sparsely sprinkled with off-white
scales, with tufts of raised scales on lat-
eral mesoscutum. Forewing ground color
gray, with tufts of raised scales, subbasal
fascia dark gray, median fascia dark gray
with two spots, postmedian fascia dark
Figs. 4–11. Male and female genitalia of Pubitelphusa latifasciella (Chambers). 4–8. Male geni-
talia: 4. entire, 5. sternite (s) and tergite (t) VIII, 6. uncus and tegumen, 7. gnathos (arrow), 8. process of
vinculum (arrow) and phallus; 9–11. Female genitalia: 9. entire, 10. ostium bursae (arrow), 11. signum.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
72

gray with two spots; some specimens
off-white between subbasal and median
fasciae and variably shaded with gray
between other fasciae, some specimens
with variable shades of gray between all
fasciae, some specimens unicolorous dark
gray with faint indications of fasciae; ve-
nation as in description of genus. Hindwing
ground color gray with brown to gray
fringe; venation as in description of genus.
Male genitalia (Figs. 4–8). As in de-
scription of genus, except tegumen an-
gled near middle and ventral sclerite
with two digitate processes.
Female genitalia (Fig. 9–11). As in
description of genus
Type.—
Neotype here designated by
Sangmi Lee, 2012: female, with the fol-
lowing labels “Chambers. Mo.,” “Type
2940,” “genitalia slide No.3276, R.W.
Hodges,” “Telphusa latifasciella Cham.,
NB, 1920,” “This is not type, according to
labels may be part of type series, R.W.
Hodges, 1964.” Miller and Hodges (1990)
considered this female specimen from
Missouri, subsequently labeled by Nathan
Banks or subsequent curator as “Type
2940, to be a pseudotype because the
specimen has the dark variation without
the white fascia described by Chambers
(1875). This is the only extant specimen
that has a type locality similar to either
of the two described by Chambers. The
specimen is intact, except for gluing the
left wings and part of abdomen on
pointer. Deposited in MCZ.
Biology.—
The larva has been recorded
as a leaf roller of Quercus rubra L.,
Q. alba L., Q. velutinana Lam. and Quercus
spp. (Chambers 1875; Carroll and Kearby
1978; Linit et al. 1986; Le Corff and
Marquis 1999). Kearfott (1907) reported
this species from huckleberry (Vaccinium
sp.), but voucher specimens have not been
seen to validate this host record.
Distribution.—
This species occurs
from southern Ontario and Quebec to
central Florida, and west to Wisconsin,
Oklahoma, and Texas.
Diagnosis.—
This species is superfi-
cially similar to species in Xenolechia,
especially in individuals lacking a broad
off-white or light gray area between the
subbasal and median fasciae on the fore-
wing, but can be differentiated by the male
genitalic characters; for male genitalia
of Xenolechia, see Lee and Brown (2008:
14, Fig. 32). The male of P. latifasciella
has an uncus that is densely setose ven-
trally and a ventral sclerite composed of
a reduced vinculum supporting the re-
duced, digitate sacculi. It is differentiated
from P. trigonalis in the following di-
agnosis of that species.
Pubitelphusa trigonalis
(Park and Ponomarenko), comb. nov.
Concubina trigonalis Park and Ponomarenko
2007: 807
Diagnosis.—
This species is very
similar to P. latifasciella in wing pattern
and female genitalia. The male genitalia
have a similar uncus that is ventrally
setose and a club-shaped mesial projection
of the gnathos. However, P. trigonalis dif-
fers in having a tegumen with an inner
margin that is gradually curved outwardly
from the posterior to anterior axis, whereas
the inner margin is somewhat angled near
its middle in P. latifasciella. The ventral
sclerite of P. trigonalis consists of a reduced
vinculum that supports two triangular pro-
jections, presumably the reduced sacculi,
whereas in P. latifasciella, the vinculum
supports two digitate projections.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank John Brown (United States
National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC),
Jean-Franc¸ois Landry (Canadian National
Collection, Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, Ottawa, Canada), and Philip
VOLUME 115, NUMBER 1
73

Perkins (Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard University) who made specimens
available for this study.
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