Salient Vestiture and Morphological Characters of the Pharate Female Bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis (Lepidoptera: Psychidae)

Abstract

The pharate adult female bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis (Haworth), encased in the pupal shell in its larval bag, has a previously unreported distinctive vestiture that is important in reproduction as well as other surface features that may be important taxonomically. Lateral and ventral surfaces of the thorax, and anterior surface of abdominal segment I have dense elliptical tufts of loosely attached amber-colored hair-scales that dispense pheromone. Abdominal segment VII and the posterior part of VI have a dense tuft of upright hair-scales that are persistent unless the female is mated. Anterior scales of the thorax and posterior hair-scales of segment VII are hexagonal, possess a lumen, and arise from uniform cuticular sockets. Posterior scales are dense, uniformly distributed, and lack an elliptical twist. The opisthognathous head is devoid of scales and is reduced. Anterior tentorial pits are prominent. Compound eyes are formed from two separate or contiguous groups of loosely associated ommatidia. A dense band of upright obovate lamellar scales with irregular sockets encircles abdominal segments I to VI and are shed and compressed by the female to form a plug protecting the eggs in the pupal case.