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

description: 23. Thyrocopa nihoa sp. nov.
(Figs. 41, 87)
Thyrocopa new species near abusa, Zimmerman, 1978: 936, figs. 668, 669.
Holotype: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Nihoa Island: 1 3, 13–20 Aug 2005, P.T. Oboyski (BPBM). Paratypes: UNITED STATES: HAWAII: Nihoa Island: 3 3, 5 Ƥ (slide 06A02), 13–20 Aug 2005, P.T. Oboyski (all BPBM except one Ƥ in BMNH); 15 m: 1 male, 4 Ƥ, Jun 1980, S. Conant (BPBM); E. Palm Val., 150 m: 1 Ƥ, 27–28 Apr 1983, W.C. Gagne (BPBM); Middle Valley: 2 3 (slide LA13), 1 Ƥ (slide LA12), 1 Sep 2004, S.L. Montgomery (BPBM); Miller Val, above campsite: 2 3, 2 Ƥ, 20–25 Jun 1990 (BPBM).
Diagnosis: This is the only Thyrocopa that occurs on Nihoa Island; it can be distinguished morphologically by the cilia surrounding the flagellomere
Description: Head: Scales mottled brown and dark brown, lighter in color near apex. Antenna ca. 0.8x forewing length; dense, extremely short, piliform cilia surround flagellomere in male, cilia extremely short dorsally; female with short, piliform cilia on ventral side of flagellomere. Labial palpus mottled very light brown to brown or dark brown; third segment ca.1.0x length of second. Thorax: Mottled light brown and brown or dark brown, with scales lighter near apex. Forewing length ca. 7 mm; ground color brown with a few darker and lighter scales scattered throughout; discal area clouded with poorly defined blackish spots in cell; curving poorly defined whitish band through terminal area; evenly spaced spots on distal half of costa and along termen at vein endings. Hindwing very light brown, except anal margin, where faint spots are sometimes visible; fringe very light brown. Abdomen: Brown. Male genitalia (Fig. 87) with uncus barely apically cleft; sacculus short and tapering to sharp apex. Female genitalia typical for genus; signum long.
Food plants: Unknown.
Flight period: Specimens have been collected in August and September.
Distribution: Nihoa Island.
Remarks: According to Zimmerman (1978: 936), a “reared specimen made a cocoon of thin white silk into which it incorporated an astonishing and varied amount of debris. Included are numerous pellets of Lepidoptera frass, several kinds of plant parts and fragments, parts of dead insects, cast larval skins of insects, the larval cases of two species of Hyposmocoma, and representatives of terrestrial Mollusca of the families Tornatellinidae and Endodontidae!” Zimmerman pointed out that while this species superficially resembles T. abusa, the genitalia are quite different.
The photograph of the female abdominal pelt in Zimmerman (1978: fig. 668, slide Z-II-28-65-B) shows a gap in the transverse band of spines in segment V. However, this appears to be an anomaly; the female I examined (slide LA12) had a complete row of spines, typical of Thyrocopa.
Etymology: The name “ nihoa ” refers to Nihoa Island, the only locality where this moth occurs.
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 31-32, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.275119