Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2019 | 11(14): 14899–14901

 

 

First record of the micromoth Ethmia lineatonotella (Moore, 1867) (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae: Ethmiinae) from Bhutan

 

Jatishwor Singh Irungbam 1 & Meenakshi Jatishwor Irungbam 2

 

1,2 Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic.

1,2 Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Science, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic.

1 jatishwor.irungbam@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 meenakshi.irungbam@gmail.com

 

 

 

doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4173.11.14.14899-14901  

 

Editor: M. Monwar Hossain, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.          Date of publication: 26 November 2019 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: #4173 | Received 30 September 2019 | Finally accepted 24 October 2019

 

Citation: Irungbam, J.S. & M.J. Irungbam (2019). First record of the micromoth Ethmia lineatonotella (Moore, 1867) (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae: Ethmiinae) from Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(14): 14899–14901. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4173.11.14.14899-14901

 

Copyright: © Irungbam & Irungbam 2019. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation (BTFEC), Bhutan; National Biodiversity Centre (NBC), Bhutan; Grant Agency, University of South Bohemia (GA JU 038/2019/P), Czech Republic.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to the unknown reviewer/s who have help us to improve the quality of this article. We also thank the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTFEC), Bhutan, for providing financial assistance for the field visits and equipment; the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC), Bhutan, for coordinating the entire project; the Grant Agency, University of South Bohemia (GA JU 038/2019/P), for partial support during the preparation of the manuscript. Lastly, first author would like to thank Dr. Z.F. Fric, Institute of Entomology, CAS, Czech Republic for his support and encouragement during the preparation of this article.

 

 

Ethmia lineatonotella (Moore, 1867) is a micromoth that belongs to the family Depressariidae Meyrick, 1883, subfamily Ethmiinae Busck, 1909.  The genus Ethmia has a cosmopolitan distribution with about 231 described species from the Palearctic region (Sattler 1967), New World (Powell 1973), southeastern Asia (Robinson et al. 1994), and Australia (Nielsen et al. 1996).  In the Himalayan region, only 13 species are reported which shows that the genus is poorly studied and the data on the distribution and biology is lacking in the region (Kun 2004; Yen et al. 2009; Savela 2018).  Table 1 shows the species recorded from Himalayan regions along with their range of distribution.  Recent surveys in Bhutan have recorded 825 moth species but none of the Ethmia species were reported from Bhutan (Gielis & Wangdi 2017).  The members of the genus are nocturnal and distributed at low elevation and the larvae are defoliator, skeletonizer or flower-eater on Boraginaceae (Yen et al. 2009), while some European and American species feed on plants of family Rosaceae (Powell 1973) or family Ranunculaceae (Sattler 1967).  In the present paper, we report the sighting of E. lineatonotella (Moore, 1867) for the first time from Mendrelgang Village in Tsirang District, Bhutan.

The E. lineatonotella moth was recorded during the survey conducted at Mendrelgang Village (26.9500N & 90.1130E), Tsirang District, Bhutan as part of the moth documentation project initiated by the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC), Serbithang, Bhutan on the night of 6 May 2015, at around 20.30h.  Two individuals (Image 1 & 2) were attracted to the light trap (4 x 5 m white cloth sheet hanging facing north and south directions) fitted with fluorescent bulbs (Irungbam et al. 2016).  The moth was photographed and collected as voucher materials; later the specimens were curated and identified using the keys of the species provided by Robinson et al. (1994) and Kun (2004).  The materials are currently stored at Invertebrate Referral Centre, NBC, Thimphu.

 

Ethmia lineatonotella (Moore, 1867) (Image 1)

Hyponomeuta lineatonotella Moore, 1867, Proceedings of Zoological Society London 1867: 669, pl. 33, fig. 18.

Psecadia vitattopunctata Matsumura, 6000, Illustrated insects of the Japanese empire: 831.

Ethmia lineatonotella Sattler, 1967, Microlepidoptera Palaearctica 2: 124, pl. 8, 61, 103, fig. 63; Kun & Szabóky, 2000, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 46: 55, fig. 2–3, 26, 42; Yen, Wei, & Kun, 2009.  Biota Taiwanica, 17, fig. 10.

Specimens examined: BM-208, BM-209, 2 males, 05.v.2015, Bhutan, Tsirang, Mendrelgang Village, Mendrelgang Central School, 26.9500N & 90.1130E, 1,233m, coll. J.S. Irungbam.

Diagnosis: Wingspan with 45mm.  Head with filiform antenna, scape with yellow scales, yellowish flagellum, with brown scales distally.  Maxillary palp consisting of four segments and yellow in colour and Labial palp yellow in colour with a black ring on medial segment.  Frons and vertex yellowish with black scales apically.  Thorax yellowish with six black spots; tegulae white with a pair of black spots at base.  Forewing longer than abdomen, covered with black marking on yellowish background.  Basal part consists of seven spots, four characteristic long striae; two larger spots at outer edge of cell between veins Cu2 and M2.  Hindwing with strong costal brushes and yellow cilia; Forelegs and midlegs faint yellow with clack rings; and orange coloured abdomen. Tarsus black with light tip.  Hindleg orange; abdomen similarly orange-coloured.  Unfortunately, the genitalia had been destroyed due to a fungal infection and so we could not examine the genitals.

Ethmia lineatonotella can be easily distinguished from other similar species group by the presence of four striae on the forewing (Image 1) whereas E. trifida has three, E. palawana has only one while they are reduced to a single dot in E. thomaswitti and is lacking in E. galactarcha (Kun 2004).  Sattler (1967) placed E. lineatonotella in the E. assamensis species group which consist of five species.  Later, Kun (2004) transferred E. lineatonotella to E. lineatonotella species group which contains five species (E. lineatonotella Moore, 1867; E. galactarcha Meyrick, 1928; E. palawana Schultze, 1925; E. trifida Kun, 2004; E. thomaswitti Kun, 2004).  E. lineatonotella is distributed through India (Darjeeling, Assam), Myanmar, Vietnam, and Taiwan (Kun & Szabóky 2000).  Geilis & Wangdi (2017) who have surveyed moths in different localities of Bhutan also have not recorded E. lineatonotella.  The present record of the species from Mendrelgang village, Tsirang District is a new record for Bhutan.

 

 

Table 1. The checklist of Genus Ethmia reported from the Himalayan region.

 

 

Species

Global distribution

1

Ethmia ermineella (Walsingham, 1880)

Northern India, Nepal, Myanmar, Tibet, western China.

2

Ethmia assamensis (Butler, 1879)

Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

3

Ethmia lineatonotella (Moore, [1868]) *

Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan.

4

Ethmia trifida Kun, 2004

India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Brunei, Sabah, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, Sumatra.

5

Ethmia nigroapicella (Saalmüller, 1880)

India, Myanmar, Hawaii, Taiwan, Seychelle Islands, Kei Island, Samoa, Madagascar.

6

Ethmia szabokyi Kun, 2001

India, Nepal.

7

Ethmia lapidella (Walsingham, 1880)

India, China, Japan, Taiwan.

8

Ethmia didyma Kun, 2002

Nepal.

9

Ethmia acontias Meyrick, 1906

India, Sri Lanka.

10

Ethmia hilarella (Walker, 1863)

Southern India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan.

11

Ethmia anatiformis Kun, 2001

Nepal.

12

Ethmia crocosoma Meyrick, 1914

India, Nepal

13

Ethmia pingxiangensis Liu, 1980

Northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand.

 

For images - - click here

 

 

References

 

Geilis, C. & K. Wangdi (2017). A Field Guide to the Common Moths of Bhutan. National Biodiversity Centre (NBC), 100pp.

Irungbam, J.S., M.S. Chib & K. Wangdi (2016). Taxonomic review of the superfamily Pyraloidea in Bhutan (Lepidoptera). Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 9(3): 355–382.

Kun, A. (2004). A review of the Ethmia lineatonotella species group, with description of new Indonesian species (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 50(4): 53–78.

Kun, A. & C. Szabóky (2000). Survey of the Taiwanese Ethmiinae (Lepidoptera, Oecophoridae) with descriptions of three new species. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 46: 53–78.

Nielsen, E.S., E.D. Edwards & T.V. Rangsi (eds.) (1996). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera 4: XIV+529 pp.

Powell, J.A. (1973). A systematic monograph of new world Ethmiid moths (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 120: 1–302.

Robinson, G.S., K.R. Tuck & M. Shäffer (1994). Smaller moths of South-East Asia. London: The Natural History Museum, 309pp.+32pls.

Sattler, K. (1967). Ethmiidae. In: Amsel, H.G., F. Gregor & H. Reisser (eds.). Microlepidoptera Palaearctica. Volume 2. Wien: Verlag Georg Fromme & Co., 185pp+106pls.

Savela, M. (2018). Lepidoptera and some other life forms. http://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/gelechioidea/depressariidae/ethmiinae/ethmia/. Accessed on 31 March 2018.

Yen, S-H., C-H. Wei & A. Kun (2009). Biota Taiwanica. Hexapoda: Lepidoptera, Elachistidae - Ethmiinae. National Sun Yat-Sen University & National Science Council, 55pp+11pls.