Topiris Walker 1863
Creators: name: Sterling, Mark J.
name: Price, Ben W.
name: Lees, David C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Xyloryctidae
Topiris

description: GenusTopirisWalker, 1863
Topiris Walker, 1863: 521. Type species Topiris candidella Walker, 1863 by original monotypy.
Note.
Topiris is a genus which displays strong morphological characters in both male and female genitalia. We divide the genus into three informal groups based on characters in the male genitalia. Two of these groups are supported sub-clades within Topiris. All three groups exhibit constant and easily recognisable characters in the male genitalia.
Diagnosis.
Smallish xyloryctid moths, unicolourous and almost completely unmarked. In both sexes the labial palps are long (at least 2.5 × diameter of the eye) and recurved (Figs 30, 31). R 3 is present in the forewing, R 3, R 4, and R 5 have a common stalk, and M 3 and CuA 1 are stalked (Figs 62, 64). This forewing venation distinguishes Topiris from other small whitish Oriental xyloryctids in Deloryctis, Linoclostis, Metathrinca and Ptochoryctis in which R 3 is not present (Fig. 65). In the male genitalia of all species the aedeagus has a recurved, filament-like distal projection (long in the salva and the albidella groups, generally short in the candidella group) (Figs 68, 69). In the female genitalia the antrum is long, straight, narrow and sclerotised almost throughout (Fig. 72) and the corpus bursae is large and elongate with no signum (Fig. 73). Additionally, in the candidella group the valva has a large, sclerotised process at the base of the costal ventral membrane and the distal half of the valva is tapered (Figs 78, 80) and in the albidella group the gnathos is not fused medially and has two narrow lateral posterior projections and there is a small sclerite medially in the aedeagus (Figs 47, 70, 74). The forewing venation characters of Topiris are shared with Athrypsiastis. However, in the male genitalia, Athrypsiastis lack the filament-like distal projection of the aedeagus and the medial posterior projection of the gnathos strongly projects posteriorly and is strongly sclerotised, whereas the medial posterior projection of the gnathos in Topiris is weakly sclerotised and weakly projects posteriorly (Figs 75, 76), or is absent in the case of the albidella group (Figs 47, 74). Topiris are known to occur from Thailand to Sulawesi whereas Athrypsiastis are more easterly, known from Sulawesi to New Guinea.
Description.
Adult. Head: Ocelli absent. Frons with appressed scales, vertex with a tuft of long, narrow scales projecting away from the base of the antennae, with further tufts of long scales projecting upwards from the occiput and / or from the sides of the occiput projecting inwards and posteriorly, overlaying a collar of broad lamellate scales projecting posteriorly from the anterior margin of the prothorax. Pilifers short and broad, bristled. Maxillary palps very small. Labial palps long (> 2.5 × diameter of eye) and strongly recurved. Haustellum with basal half covered with silver-white scales. Antennae ¾ length of forewing, scape thickly scaled, no pecten, pedicel short and broad, flagellum in male with dark pectinations, reducing at ¾ with apical portion filiform, pectinations with small white sensillae; flagellum in female filiform throughout. Thorax: Thorax with appressed lamellate scales. Tegulae short. Foreleg with tibial epiphysis. Tibial spurs 0–2 – 4. Hind legs with substantial tuft of long scales. Frenulum of male a single bristle from base of hindwing coupling with retinaculum under a scaled flap towards the base of Sc on the forewing. Forewing venation: R 1 from ~ ½ discal cell, R 3 present, R 3, R 4 and R 5 with a common stalk, R 3 pre-apical or to apex, R 4 and R 5 stalked, both post-apical. M 1, M 2 and M 3 parallel and evenly spaced. M 3 and CuA 1 stalked. CuP present. Hindwing venation: Sc and Rs widely spaced, M 2 and M 3 sometimes closely approximated, M 3 and CuA 1 stalked (Figs 62, 64). Forewings broad, hindwings at least as broad. Dorsal surface of forewings unicolourous and usually without any markings except for a small line of dark brown scales at the edge of the base of the costa. In some species and forms there is a patch of thicker scaling on the dorsum, appearing greyish or brownish. The forewing cilia are without lines. The pre-genital abdomen is concolourous with forewings with patches of short thick orange-brown tergal spines pointing posteriorly on posterior part of T 2 – T 7 and occasionally a small patch on T 8 (Fig. 66).
Male genitalia. Uncus anteriorly broad with anterior margin of dorsal surface weakly emarginate or almost straight, apical section spatulate or slightly bilobed (but tapering towards posterior apex in albidella group), small additional sclerites present in some members of salva group. Gnathos fused medially, with small, lightly sclerotised medial plate with single medial projection, weakly projecting posteriorly (Fig. 75) (albidella group: gnathos not fused medially with two narrow lateral posterior projections (Figs 47, 74)). Band of tegumen broad, strongly or moderately arched, lateral extensions of tegumen equal to or longer than width of tegumen band. Vinculum U shaped (but diverging strongly distad of saccus in candidella group (Fig. 77)), generally projecting substantially beyond base of valvae (but projecting weakly in candidella group). Saccus generally large (but small in candidella group). Anellus lobes broad. Valva with setose ventral membrane from costa (with a long, sclerotised setose process from the base in candidella group (Fig. 78)), basal projection of costal margin setose where present, apex of valva often with tuft of bristles, small elongate ventral sclerite near saccular margin, usually with a projection joining to base of saccular process. Sacculus large, longer than broad. Saccular process developing from distal part of sacculus, folded ventrad, large and distinctive, generally commencing close to costa of valva, straight towards base, generally without strong bristles apically. Aedeagus with recurved, filament-like distal process. Bulbus ejaculatorius long, generally two coils and a long hood.
Female genitalia. Papillae anales short and broad. Apophyses posteriores longer than apophyses anteriores. Ostium small and circular. S 8 variable. Antrum long straight and narrow, sclerotised almost throughout and also usually scobinate. Ductus bursae long and thin with contrasting membranous posterior and scobinate anterior sections. Corpus bursae large elongate, without signum.
Biology and early stages.
The biology and early stages of members of the genus are almost unknown, with the exception of T. salva, which (as a species of Athrypsiastis) has been reported as a pest of the genera Citrus (Rutaceae) and Morus (see account of T. salva for details). Also on the basis of the similarities in the COI of T. salva and the exemplar identified as “ Linoclostis gonatias ” for the mitogenome analysed by Su et al. 2020, we consider that the species there described as a pest of tea Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze and Oil-seed Camellia C. oleifera C. Abel (Theaceae) is T. salva and not Linoclostis gonatias Meyrick (for which Robinson et al. 2001: 246 cite C. sinensis as a host). Males of many of the species of Topiris have been collected at light. Females have been collected occasionally at light. Topiris have been found in lowland, mangrove, montane and secondary forest. The tectiform resting posture of T. salva is illustrated in Figs 30, 31, and in numerous pictures on iNaturalist (under Athrypsiastis salva) (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=1391516) from China and Hong Kong.
Distribution.
The genus Topiris is known from China, Thailand, Indonesia (Borneo and Sulawesi), Malaysian Borneo (Sarawak), Brunei, and Peninsular Malaysia.
Status and conservation.
Topiris salva is the correct identity of the records of “ Linoclostis gonatias ” as a pest species in China and possibly Taiwan (Sonan 1939). Only T. salva, T. schneeweissella, and T. sp. RMNH.INS.20000 (BIN, BOLD: AAL 9269) have been recorded post- 2000.
Note on Walker’s etymology.
Francis Walker sometimes used ancient place names of no particular significance as generic names (Hoare 2010). ‘ Topiris ’ is referred to in classical literature as a town in the province of Thrace, situated near Abdera and the mouth of the river Nestus, Greece.
description: Published as part of Sterling, Mark J., Price, Ben W. & Lees, David C., 2025, A revision of the hitherto neglected genus Topiris Walker, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Xyloryctidae) with taxonomic notes on the genus Athrypsiastis Meyrick, 1910, pp. 297-368 in ZooKeys 1229 on pages 297-368, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1229.119155