Moths of the superfamily Gelechioidea (Microlepidoptera) from the Western Ghats of India

Sixteen species belonging to 13 genera—Stegasta Meyrick, Anarsia Zeller, Hypatima Hübner, Helcystogramma Zeller (Gelechiidae), Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, Hygroplasta Meyrick, Torodora Meyrick (Lecithoceridae), Apethistis Meyrick, Cophomantella Fletcher, Stathmopoda Herrich-Schäffer, Tonica Walker (Oecophoridae), Ethmia Hübner (Ethmidae), and Eretmocera Zeller (Scythridae)— of the superfamily Gelechioidea have been collected from different localities of the Western Ghats. Other details such as synonymy, material examined, distribution, and remarks are also provided. Fifteen species are recorded for the first time from the Western Ghats.


INTRODUCTION
The main characters of superfamily Gelechioidea are maxillary palpus always four segmented, scaled and folded over with base of the haustellum, labial palus upturned 3 rd segment long and acute, head decorated with smooth scale, cheatosemata absent, dorsal surface of hind tarsus with long, slender scales, pupal antennae meeting mesially before their apexes, larval abdominal segment 1-8 with setae L1/L2 closely approximated or on the same pinaculum (Common 1970(Common , 1990Hodges 1978Hodges , 1986Minet 1990Minet , 1991. The Western Ghats is one of the hot biodiversity spots quite diverse and unique and about 160,000 km 2 and stretches for 1,600 km from the river Tapti in the north to Cape Camorin in the south and is very rich in flora and fauna. The average height of about 1,200 m running parallel to the western coast of southern India covering six states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. It is known by various names in different areas, i.e., as the Sahyadri mountains in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nilagirimalai in Tamil Nadu, and Sahyaparvatam in Kerala. The highest peak of the Western Ghats is The Anaimudi peak (2,695 m) in the state of Kerala. The Anaimalai hills in the north, the Palni hills in the northeast and the Cardamom hills in the south are the three ranges that radiate to different directions. Gelechioidea is one of the large groups represented by 1,478 genera of 18,489 species on a world basis (Van Nieukerken et al. 2011).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A survey-cum-collections tour was undertaken from 29 localities of 19 districts in the six states in the Western Ghats for the collection of superfamily Gelchioidea moths from March 2003 to October 2015 (Image 1A). The details of the visited localities are provided (Table 1). Gelechioidea (Microlepidoptera) has been collected with the help of a portable light trap (Image 1B) and single tube collecting technique and vertical sheet method. Some of moths were captured individually in glass killing tubes of various sizes (2 x 7 cm to 5 x 15 cm) charged with ethyl acetate poured over the plaster of Paris dried at the bottom of the tube from near restaurants, hotels, forest rest houses, bus depots, and railway stations around the localities being visited. As per techniques being used in lepidopterology (Lindquist 1956;Hodges 1958;Tagestad 1974;Robinson 1976;Zimmerman 1978;Nielson 1980;Sokoloff 1980;Mikkola 1986;Landry & Landry 1994), the entire collected specimens were processed for further biosystematics studies. All the collecton are deposited in the Insect Museum, Department of Zoology & Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala and National PAU Insect Museum, Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab.

OBSERVATIONS
In the present research work, 16 species of moths of superfamily Gelechioidea have been collected and identified from the Western Ghats, India (Table 1). The details of subfamilies, genera and number of species recorded from the study area are provided below ( I. Stegasta Meyrick Stegasta Meyrick, 1904, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 29: 258 (key), 313.
Genitalia: Uncus small, bifid, valvae symmetrical, elongate, broader at base and apically, costal margin slightly concave near cucullus, with a long setose lobe, apically rounded, sacculus margin almost straight, basally slightly convex, with a small spine-like projection directed towards costa at distally near cucullus, apex broader, about 3/4th length of the genitalia, with one long lobe at side, strongly sclerotized, another long spindle shaped at middle, strongly sclerotized, coecum small and broader; cornutus long, horn-like in vesica (Rose & Pathania 2004).
Remarks: While reporting Anarsia patulella (Walker) as a new record from Taiwan,  has mentioned that this species occurs almost throughout the Oriental region, including the southern part of China. He observed that the valvae in the male genitalia show certain variations but no such variation has been recorded in the presently dissected specimens. The species is recorded for the first time and is common in Karnataka and Gujarat of the Western Ghats as evident on the basis of present surveys.

III. Hypatima Hübner
Description: Forewing with anal margin with a dark semicircular bloach on medially, extending more than half distance across wing, a similar mark beyond cell, a broad preapical pale fascia extending from 2/3rd length of anterior margin to tornus, a small black spot on cell distally, hindwing with vein M2 relatively arched (Rose & Pathania 2003 China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Java, Australia . Genitalia: Male genitalia with aedeagus broad and long (Rose & Pathania 2003d).

VII. Torodora Meyrick
Remarks: Meyrick (1908) proposed the genus Apethistis from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the family Gelechiidae. It is transferred to the family Oecophoridae (Hodges, 1978). The genus is represented by fourteen species from India (Gaede 1937;Clarke 1965), out of which two, viz., metoeca and insulsa Meyrick have studied from the northwestern Shivaliks by Rose & Pathania (2003a). The former species is a new record from the Western Ghats.  Meyrick, 1925).
Remarks: The species S. balanarcha Meyrick completely conform to the characterization of the genus (Pathania et al. 2009) and is a first record from the Western Ghats. Tonica niviferana Meyrick, 1905, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist.Soc. XX-167. Description: Forewing with a black spot near base, one black scales streak and a small triangular spot present near middle of costa, vein Sc join by a bar at 3/4th with discal cell, CuP visible at anal margin (Pathania et al. 2006) Material  ; Dehradun, Pusa (Roonwal et. al. 1964) and Kangra (Srivastava et al. 2005;Pathania et al. 2006).
Larval host plant: Bombax malabaricum (Fletcher 1921 Description: Vertex covered with silver grey scales, black scales at middle basally, labial palpus small, recurved, second segment long, without brush of elongate scales, black and silver grey, third segment small, acute, black and silver grey, antenna long, filiform, basally silver grey then fuscous, longer than three-fourth length of forewing, thorax silver grey with black spots, forewing silver grey scaled, elongate, three black spot at base, four row of black spot oblique, first near base of costa with three black spots, second at middle with two black spot, third at two-third from base with three spots, fourth near apex with three sports, one black spots near anal margin distally and a row of black spots on the termen, costa slightly arched, apex subacute, termen slightly convex, tornus convex, anal margin convex, termen with cilia silver grey in colour, hindwing yellow with black margin at apex,prothoracic and mesothoracic legs silver grey and black in colour, metathoracic leg yellow, hind tibia with long, hair like erect scales on the dorsal surface. Material examined: Reg. no. ETHM/1-9, India, Karnataka: Dist. Kodagu, Baghamandala, 900m, 25.xi.2003, 02 males, 05 females;Dist. Uttar Kannada, Ganeshgudi, 480m, 13.xi.2003, 01 female;Dist. Chikmagalure, Kallathy Falls, 960m, 26.vii.2004, 01 male, coll. A. Katewa. Distribution: India: Southern India. Elsewhere. Sri Lanka, Taiwan (Domingo et al. 2003).
Remarks: The species hilarella can be easily identified by the spots present on forewing and the black apical spot of hindwing. The male and female genitalia of this species is being described for the first time, besides being reported for the first time from area under reference.  (Roonwal et al. 1964); Uttranchal, Punjab (Pathania et al. 2009). Genitalia: Male genitalia with socii relatively small, broad, gnathos beak-like, with left arm small, aedeagus short, curved at middle (Pathania et al. 2009).
Remarks: The genus Eretmocera Zeller contains forty species and occurs in Afrotropical, Palaearctic, Oriental and the Australian regions, with maximum number of species reported from Africa. According to Landry (1991), "Eretmocera includes the most colourful moths of the Scythridids with patches of bright yellow, orange or red on the forewings and/or abdomen, contrasting with the dark piceous brown ground colour and the brilliant colouration of the abdomen. Also, the base of the proximal arm of the gnathos are fused into a long tube and the vinculum is forked basally in the male genitalia". The species is recorded for the first time from the area under reference.