A Vivid Orange New Genus and Species of Braconid-Mimicking Clearwing Moth (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) Found Puddling on Plecoptera Exuviae.

Marta Skowron Volponi

doi:10.3390/insects11070425

Abstract

A clearwing moth with a distinct orange, black and white colour pattern was found sucking up fluids from Plecoptera (stonefly) exuviae on rocks, surrounded by water, on a river bank in Thailand. During this process, known as puddling, the sesiid ejected brown liquid, indicating that it was not imbibing water alone. The behaviour was documented via video recording. Morphological and DNA analyses indicate that the moth is a new genus and species of the tribe Osminiini and it is described herein as Aurantiosphecia piotrii genus et species nova. Two species of Aschistophleps Hampson, 1893 have been transferred to the newly established genus. The barcode sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase I gene was obtained with universal invertebrate primers after two sets of standard Lepidoptera primers failed to generate a product. Sections on behaviour, conditions of occurrence and possible mimicry models are included. The unique colouration and body posture of A. piotrii suggest that it is a braconid wasp mimic, with the mimicry model potentially also being the sesiid’s parasitoid.

Highlights

Oriental clearwing moths of the tribe Osminiini have been studied from the late XIX century [1], through the early [2] and late [3,4] XX century, until the 2000s [5,6]
These studies have shown that representatives of this tribe are highly diverse in their external and genital morphology, as well as, as indicated in more recent studies, in the model species they mimic, which range from stingless bees [7], through potter [8] and spider wasps [6], to pyrrhocorid bugs [9]
Many described species are represented by one, often old and destroyed, type specimen alone, with no information on its biology, habitat, behaviour, or even natural body posture. It is surprisingly uncommon for authors describing a new species to identify a group potentially serving as a mimicry model in the evolution of a new taxon of Sesiidae

Summary

Introduction

Oriental clearwing moths of the tribe Osminiini have been studied from the late XIX century [1], through the early [2] and late [3,4] XX century, until the 2000s [5,6]. Nothing is known about the behaviour of the representatives of this tribe, apart from several studies published by the author and colleagues in recent years [7] This is mostly due to their rarity, elusive nature and common association with unique habitats, as well as difficulties in locating these moths in the field without the use of synthetic pheromones. Many described species are represented by one, often old and destroyed, type specimen alone, with no information on its biology, habitat, behaviour, or even natural body posture.

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Conclusion