Taxonomic study of Palumbina Rondani (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Thiotrichinae) in Japan: biology, immature stages, and a new species

The genus Palumbina Rondani, 1876 belongs to the family Gelechiidae, which was until recently believed to comprise 26 species worldwide and mainly occurring in the Oriental region. Previously, only P. pylartis (Meyrick, 1908) had been recorded from this genus in Japan. In this study, five other species were identified. Four species were recorded for the first time in Japan, and another was newly described: P. acerosa Lee & Li, 2018; P. grandiunca Lee & Li, 2018; P. macrodelta (Meyrick, 1918), P. operaria (Meyrick, 1918) and P. muraseae Kyaw & Yagi, sp. nov. The host plant and larval feeding habits of P. pylartis, P. acerosa, P. grandiunca, and P. muraseae Kyaw & Yagi, sp. nov. were revealed. The immature stages of P. grandiunca, P. pylartis, and P. muraseae Kyaw & Yagi, sp. nov., including larval and pupal morphology, were first documented for the genus in which the larval chaetotaxy of P. pylartis and P. grandiunca is well observed. In their larval chaetotaxy, the details of their interspecific variation in the relative position and length of some setae are described. The pupal morphology of the species examined in this study is almost identical to the genus Thiotricha except for different traits on the abdominal segments A7 and A10. The traits of larval chaetotaxy and pupal morphology are also discussed for the subfamily. Photographs of the adult, male and female genitalia, and information on their biology and immature stages are provided.

Automated summary

Five species of the genus Palumbina were identified in Japan, with four species being recorded for the first time and one newly described. The host plants and larval feeding habits of these species were investigated, and the larval and pupal morphology, particularly the chaetotaxy, were documented for the first time in the genus.