Thyrocopa alterna Walsingham
Creators: name: Medeiros, Matthew J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Oecophoridae
Thyrocopa
Thyrocopa alterna

description: 4. Thyrocopa alterna Walsingham
(Figs. 9–12, 59, 67)
Thyrocopa alterna Walsingham, 1097b: 501, plate 14, fig. 22.
Lectotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Maui: Haleakala 5000’ [1524 m]: 1 3 (slide 4046 BMNH), May 1896, Perkins (BMNH), designated by Zimmerman 1978: figs. 653, 670 (as “ holotype).
Paralectotypes: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Hawaii Island: Hilo, 2000’ [610 m]: 1 3, Jan 1896, Perkins (BMNH). UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Maui: Haleakala, Olinda, 4000’ [1219 m]: 1 3, May 1896, Perkins (BMNH), Haleakala, 5000’ [1524 m]: 1 3 (slide #12), May 1896, Perkins (BPBM).
Thyrocopa alterna Walsingham; Zimmerman, 1978: 937, figs. 653, 670.
Thyrocopa adumbrata Walsingham, 1907b: 503, plate 14, fig. 26.
Lectotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Hawaii Island: Kona, 3000’ [914 m]: 1 Ƥ (slide 3942 BMNH), Sept. 1892, Perkins (BMNH), designated by Zimmerman 1978: figs. 652, 681 (as “ holotype ”).
Thyrocopa adumbrata Walsingham; Zimmerman, 1978: 937, figs. 652, 681. NEW SYNONYMY.
Thyrocopa inermis Walsingham, 1907b: 503, plate 14, fig. 27.
Lectotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Hawaii Island: Kona, 3000’ [914 m]: 1 3 (slide 4077 BMNH), Sep 1892, Perkins (BMNH), designated by Zimmerman, 1978: figs. 659, 676 (as “ holotype ”). Paralectotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Hawaii Island: Kona c. 5000’ [1524 m]: 1 Ƥ (slide 31584 BMNH), 4 Jul 1892, Perkins (BMNH).
Thyrocopa inermis Walsingham; Zimmerman, 1978: 987, figs. 659, 676. NEW SYNONYMY.
Diagnosis: Superficially very similar to T. abusa, but the male antennae are of T. alterna are surrounded by cilia, and the male genitalia are without a dorsal ridge. T. alterna is also similar to T. subahenea and T. usitata, but its wings generally have a lighter ground color.
Description: Scales light brown or brown, sometimes lighter near apex. Antenna (Fig. 59) ca. 0.6–0.7x forewing length; very dense, very short (<0.5x the width of a segment), cilia surround an unscaled male flagellomere; slightly longer, scattered individual cilia on female. Labial palpus mottled light brown and brown; third segment ca. 0.7–0.8x length of second. Thorax: Very light whitish-brown to brown. Forewing length 8–15 mm; ground color light brown to brown, with a few darker scales scattered throughout; discal area with two or three blackish spots near cell; costal margin sometimes much darker than rest of wing, particularly in Maui specimens; rarely with evenly spaced spots on distal half of costa and along termen at the vein endings. Hindwing very light whitish-brown to light brown except anal margin, which is sometimes darker and occasionally with black line or spots near fringe; fringe very light whitish-brown to light brown. Abdomen: Very light whitish-brown to light brown. Male genitalia (Fig. 67) with apex of uncus deeply cleft; sacculus long, somewhat pointed near apex, with scooped-out appearance. Female genitalia typical of genus; signum long.
Food plants: Swezey reared a larvae from “living stem of Perrottetia ” (Hawaiian = “olomea”) (this information from a label in the BPBM collection).
Flight period: At least May–Nov.
Distribution: Maui, Hawaii Island.
Remarks: One specimen from Volcano is considerably darker than the rest, but with the same genitalia and male antennae (Fig. 11). A pair in copula was also collected at high elevation on Mauna Kea (LA22 3 and LA22Ƥ, mounted together on the same pin). Individuals from Maui generally are smaller than those from Hawaii Island.
Additional material examined: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: 1 3 (abdomen missing), 1899, Blackburn (BMNH). Hawaii Island: 2800’ [853 m], Puna District, Olaa FR, Olaa Back Rd.: 1 3 (slide 28763 BMNH), 15 Jun 1976, K. & E. Sattler (BMNH); 6400’ [1951 m], Hamakua District, Pohakuloa: 1 3, 4 Jul 1976; Hakalau NWR, Pua Akala, 1800 m: 1 3, 30 Jun 1999, P.L. Little (BPBM); Hakalau NWR, Pua Akala, 1820 m: 1 3, 28 Oct 1999, P.L. Little (BPBM); Hakalau Forest NWR, Pua Akala Section: 1 3, 5 Ƥ, 12 Mar–7 Jul 2002, F.G. Howarth & D.J. Preston (BPBM); Hakalau Forest NWR, Malua Section: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, 14 Mar 2002, F.G. Howarth & D.J. Preston (BPBM); Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kahuku Unit, Park/Kau FR Boundary, 3560’ [1085 m]: 1 Ƥ (slide Jon1), 20 Jul 2006, J. Giffin (BPBM); Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kahuku Unit, Park/Kau FR Boundary, 2880’ [878 m]: 1 3 (slide Jon2), 29 Jun 2006, J. Giffin (BPBM); Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Loa Strip Rd., 6600’ [2012 m]: 1 3 (slide 31574 BMNH), 8 May 1973, K. & E. Sattler; Kohala FR, 3744’ [1141 m], Waimea Res. Rd.: 1 Ƥ (slide Jon5), 20 Nov 2005, J. Giffin (BPBM); Kona, 4000’ [1219 m]: 1 3, 1893, Perkins (BMNH); Mauna Kea, 9200’ [2804 m]: 1 3 (slide LA22 3), 1 Ƥ (slide LA22Ƥ), 9 Jun 2004, S.L. Montgomery (BPBM); Puna District, Volcano, 3800’ [1158 m]: 6 3 (slides 28755, 28758, 28771, BMNH), 8 Ƥ, 2 May–5 Jul 1973, K. & E. Sattler (BMNH); Puu Waawaa Forest Bird Sanctuary: 11 3 (slide 07B13), 3 Ƥ (slide 07B23), 5–7 Jun 2007, M.J. Medeiros & J.J. Anderson (BPBM); S. Hilo, Kapue 2900’ [884 m]: 1 3, 9 Feb 2002, S.L. Montgomery (BPBM); S. Hilo, Onomea 2200’ [671 m]: 2 3, 8 Feb 2002, S.L. Montgomery (BPBM); S. Hilo, Onomea 3000’ [914 m]: 3 3 (slides MJM40, MJM27, MJM18), 13 Jan 2002, S.L. Montgomery (BPBM). Maui: 3000’ [914 m], W. Maui FR, Kaulalewelewe (Puu Kukui Trail): 1 3 (slide 31575 BMNH), 24 Aug 1976, K. & E. Sattler (BMNH); Haelaau: 1 Ƥ, 21 Dec 1929, larvae reared from Perrottetia by O.H. Swezey (BPBM); Makawao FR, 965– 1114 m: 2 3 (slides LA93 and LA96), 23–24 Mar 2005, W. Haines (BPBM); near Puu Luau, 5500’ [1676 m]: 1 3 (slide MJM 17), 28 Apr 1945, E.C.Z. Zimmerman (BPBM); Puu Kukui Watershed, Kaluanui Valley, “banana patch:” 1 3 (slide LA74), 5 Apr 2006, W. Haines (UHIM).
description: Published as part of Medeiros, Matthew J., 2009, A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae), pp. 1-47 in Zootaxa 2202 on pages 11-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.275119