Untitled Document

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2019 | 11(7): 13931–13936

Moths of the superfamily Tineoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from the Western Ghats, India

¹Department of Zoology and Environmantal Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab 147002, India.

²Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India.

Abstract: Ten species of the superfamily Tineoidea were collected from different localities of the Western Ghats in the states of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala; of the genera Edosa Walker, Cimitra Walker, Monopis Hübner, Compsoctena Zeller, and Clania Walker are present. All the ten species are recorded for the first time from the Western Ghats.

doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4436.11.7.13931-13936 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:62F0A4E3-FE72-4F94-9DAF-5125754F706B

Editor: George Mathew, (Ex) Emeritus Scientist, KFRI, Peechi, India. Date of publication: 26 May 2019 (online & print)

Manuscript details: #4436 | Received 26 July 2018 | Final received 07 May 2019 | Finally accepted 15 May 2019

Citation: Katewa, A. & P.C. Pathania (2019). Moths of the superfamily Tineoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(7): 13931–13936. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4436.11.7.13931-13936

Copyright: © Katewa & Pathania 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: MoEF &CC, New Delhi (AICOPTAX).

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi for providing funds to carry out the research work. Thanks are also due to the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata & Head, Department of Zoology & Env. Sciences,

Punjabi Univ., Patiala for providing lab facilities.

The topography and climatic conditions of the Western Ghats are quite diverse and unique. The Western Ghats cover an area of about 160,000km² and stretches for 1,600km from the mouth of river Tapti in the north to Cape Camorin in the south and are one of the hot biodiversity spots of India with great diversity in flora and fauna. The average mountain ranges are with an average height of about 1,200m running parallel to the western coast of southern India in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Except for a single major gap of about 24km called Palghat Gap and some small passes like Goa Gap, Bhor Ghat, and Thal Ghat, these ranges of the Western Ghats are almost continuous. The Western Ghats are 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 Anaimudi Peak (2,695m) is the highest peak of the Western Ghats which lies in the ranges of the state of Kerala. The Anaimudi Peak also acts as a nodal point from where three ranges radiate to different directions, i.e., the Anaimalai Hills in the north, the Palni Hills in the north-east, and the Cardamom Hills in the south. According to Scoble (1995) the order Lepidoptera is divided into primitive Lepidoptera, early Heteroneura, lower Ditrysia, and higher Ditrysia. Further, the lower Ditrysia, the larvae of which are often concealed rather than external feeders, includes the superfamilies Tineoidea, Gracillarioidea, Yponomeutoidea, Gelechioidea, Cossoidea, Tortricoidea, Castnioidea, Sesioidea, Zygaenoidea, Immoidea, Copromorphoidea, Schreckensteinoidea, Urodoidea, Epermenioidea, Alucitoidea, Pterophoroidea, Hyblaeioidea, Thyridoidea, and Pyraloidea. Moths from three families—Tineidae, Eriocotidae, and Psychidae—were collected.

Survey-cum-collection tours were conducted from different localities of states Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala falling in the jurisdiction of Western Ghats during March 2003 to October 2006 (Fig. 1). The details are provided in Table 1. Due to nocturnal behaviour, adult moth diversity referable to different families, i.e., Tineidae, Eriocottidae, and Psychidae, the adults were collected with the help of a portable light trap (Image 1). The portable trap comprises a funnel (diameter top 30cm, bottom 6cm, height 30cm) fitted with baffle plates so that the moths once visiting the light get trapped around the lamp. The source of light to attract the moths was a 125w mercury vapour lamp fixed in the funnel. The funnel is fixed on the top of a collecting chamber (30cm x 30cm x 12cm) fitted with a sliding collecting tray (29cm x 29cm). For fumigation of chamber with 1,1,2,2- tetrachloroethane as a killing agent for the adult moth, a petri dish containing cotton soaked with the aforesaid chemical was placed in a corner of the tray. Some of the moths were captured individually in glass killing tubes of various sizes (2cm x 7cm to 5cm x 15cm) charged with ethyl acetate poured over the a layer of plaster of Paris at the bottom of the tube from various locations. Besides the portable light trap, some collection was also made by hanging the source of light (125w mercury vapour lamp) on a white sheet or a white-washed wall. As per techniques being used in lepidopterology (Lindquist 1956; Hodges 1958; Tagestad 1974; Robinson, 1976a; Zimmerman 1978; Nielson 1980; Sokoloff 1980; Mikkola 1986; Landry & Landry 1994), the entire collected specimens were processed for further biosystematics studies.

In the present research work, 43 specimens belonging five genera of 10 species of moths of the superfamily Tineoidea was collected and identified from available literature (Hampson 1892; Robinson 1976; Robinson & Tuck 1993; Robinson et al. 1994; Rose & Pathania 2003; Pathania & Rose 2004; Pathania et al. 2006), and with the reference collections housed in the National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, IARI, New Delhi and from the Museum of Department of Zoology & Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala. All the colections are deposited in the Museum of Department of Zoology & Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala (No TIN.1-43). The details are provided below:

TineidaeLatreille, 1810, Considerations generals Animaux Crustaces Arachnides Insectes: 347, 363 (as Tineites).

Type-genus: Perissomasix Warren & Rothschild, 1905, Novit. Zool. 12: 33, included in Fletcher 1929 and in G.N.M.W. 6 within the Tineidae.

Chrysoryctis Meyrick, 1886, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (5)17: 530. Type species: Oecophora irruptella Walker, 1864, List Specimens Lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 29: 686.

Episcardia Ragonot, 1895, Bull. Soc. ent. Fr.: 105. Type species: Psecadia lardatella Lederer, 1858, Wien. ent. Monatschr. 2: 151.

Sphallesthasis Gozmany, 1959, Acta. Zool. Hung., 5: 347. Type species: Sphallesthasis similis Gozmany, 1975, ibidem 5: 348.

Bilobatana Zagulajev, 1975, Fauna SSSR 108: 250. Type species: Tinea caerulipennis Ershoff, 1874, in Fedchenko, Reise Turkestan 2(5) 3: 97.

Type-species: Edosa hemichrysella Walker, 1866, List Specimens Lepid. Insects. Colln. Br. Mus. 35: 1819, by monotypy.

Edosa glossoptera Rose & Pathania, 2003, Uttar Pradesh, J. Zool. 23(3): 201–211.

Material examined: Reg.no TIN/1, 28.ii.2004, 1 male, Goa, Ponda District, Ponda, 15.399⁰N, 74.0124⁰E, 85m, coll. A. Katewa.

Material examined: Kerala: Palakkad District, Agli, 11.101⁰N, 76.647⁰E, 520m, 07.x.2003, 01 male; Karnataka: Uttar Kannada District, Ganeshgudi, 14.793⁰N, 74.686⁰E, 480m, 21.vii.2004, 01 male; Gujarat: District The Dangs, Waghai, 20.773⁰N, 73.497⁰E, 180m, 28.ix.2005, 01 male; Maharashtra: Mumbai District, Malshej Ghat, 19.340⁰N, 73.774⁰E, 690m, 02.x.2005, 01 males, (Reg. no TIN/2–6), coll. A. Katewa.

Distribution: Nilgiri Hills, northern Coorg, Sri Lanka (Meyrick 1911), Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab (Rose & Pathania 2003).

Remarks: Edosa opsigona (Meyrick) has earlier been reported from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and it is collected from states Kerala, Gujarat and Maharashtra for the first time in the Western Ghats.

Edosa neoopsigona Rose & Pathania, 2003, Uttar Pradesh, J. Zool. 23(3): 201–211.

Material examined: Goa: Sanguem District, Molem, 15.386⁰N, 74.229⁰E, 110m, 23.ii.2004, 1 male; Ponda District, Ponda, 15.399⁰N, 74.012⁰E, 85m, 28.ii.2004, 1 male, (Reg. no TIN/7–8), coll. A. Katewa.

Distribution: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir (Rose & Pathania 2003).

Remarks: Edosa neoopsigona Rose & Pathania is reported for the first time from the hot biodiversity spot of Western Ghats.

Edosa paraglossoptera Rose & Pathania, 2003, Uttar Pradesh, J. Zool. 23(3): 201–211.

Material examined:Kerala: Palakkad District, Agli, 11.101⁰N, 76.647⁰E, 520m, 07.x.2003, 01 male; Karnataka: Uttar Kannada District, Ganeshgudi, 15.284⁰N, 74.530⁰E, 480m, 21.vii.2004, 01 male; Gujarat: The Dangs District, Waghai, 20.773⁰N, 73.497⁰E, 180m, 28.ix.2005, 01 male, (Reg. no TIN/9–11), coll. A. Katewa.

Remarks: Edosa paraglossoptera Rose & Pathania is being reported for the first time from the areas.

Edosa satleri Rose & Pathania, 2003, Uttar Pradesh, J. Zool. 23(3): 201–211.

Material examined: Tamil Nadu: Nilgiris District, Doddabetta, 11.400⁰N, 76.735⁰E, 2640m, 01.x.2003, 01 male; Gujarat: The Dangs District, Ahwa, 20.758⁰N, 73.686⁰E, 520m, 29.ix.2005, 02 males, (Reg. no TIN/12–14), coll. A. Katewa.

Remarks:Edosa sattleri Rose & Pathania is a new record from the Western Ghats.

Cimitra seclusella Walker, 1864, List specimens lepid. lnsects ColIn Br. Mus.pt. 28, P 479.

Material examined: Kerala: Palakkad District, FRH, Parambikulam, 76.355⁰E, 10.202⁰N 580m, 16.ix.2004, 02 males, Idukki District, Vallakadavu, 77.206⁰N, 9.601⁰E, 780m, 09.ix.2004, 04 males, 10.ix.2004, 01 male, 12.ix.2004, 01 male; District Pathanamthitta, Wadaserikera, 9.264⁰N, 76.787⁰E, 30m, 07.ix.2004, 02 males; Karnataka: Uttar Kannada District, Ganeshgudi, 15.284⁰N, 74.530⁰E, 480m, 14.x.2005, 01 male, 16.x.2005, 01 male, (Reg. no TIN/15–26), coll. Katewa A.

Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Myanmar, Vietnam, western Malaysia, Jawa (Robinsonet al. 1994), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab (Pathania et al. 2006).

Remarks: The genus Cimitra Walker with seven species is reported only in tropical Africa and Cimitra seclusella Walker is the onlyspecies to be available in Southeast Asia (Robinson et al. 1994). Pathania et al. (2006) have reported it for the first time from the Shivaliks in northern India. It is a new record from the Western Ghats.

Tineinae Latreille, 1810, Considerations generales Animaux Crustaces Archnides Insectes 347, 363 (as Tineidae).

Type-species: Tinea rusticella Hübner, 1776, Samml. eur. Schmett. 8: 61, pl. 3 fig. 17, pl. 49 fig. 339, by monotypy.

Tinea monachella Hübner, 1796 (Tineae), in Sammlung Europaischer Schmetterlinge, pt. 8, p. 65, pl. 21, fig. 143.

Blabophanes monachella Meyrick, 1883, Ent. Mon. Mag.,20, p. 36; 1894, Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. p. 27.

Monopis monachella Meyrick, 1895, Handbook British Lepidoptera, p. 785; Semper, 1902, Schmetterlinge Philippinischen Inseln,2, p. 705; Meyrick, 1914, Ent. Mitteil, Suppl., 3, p. 59; 1928, Rev. Handbook British Lepidoptera, p. 823; 1930, in de Joannis, Ann. Soc. ent. France, 99, p. 742; Walsingham 1897, Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond, p. 63; 1907, in Sharp, Fauna Hawaiiensis, 1, pt. 5, p. 727; Rebel, 1901, in Staudinger andRebel, Cat. Lepidopteren palaearktischen Faunengebietes, pt. 2, p. 236; no. 4536; Pierce and Metcalfe, 1935, Gen. Tineina British Is., p. 97; pl. 59; Diakonoff, 1948, Treubia, 19, p. 219; Walsingham, 1897, Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond., p. 63.

Bladophanes longella Butler, 1881, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. Scr., 7, p. 396, no. 29: Walsingham, 1887, in Moore, Lepid. Ceylon, 3, p. 503, pl. 209, fig. 1.

Material examined: Kerala: Palakkad District, Mukkali, 11.058⁰N, 76.540⁰E, 560m, 22.ix.2004, 01 male; Karnataka: Uttar Kannada District, Ganeshgudi, 15.284⁰N, 74.530⁰E, 480m, 16.x.2005, 01 male, (Reg. no TIN/27–28) coll. A. Katewa.

Distribution: India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka (Fletcher 1921), and Punjab (Pathania & Rose 2004).

Remarks: In the abense of any precise information about the locality, the collection of Monopis monachella (Hübner) from the Western Ghats plugs this void to some extent as far as its distribution is concerned in India.

Tinea longella Walker, 1863, List Specimenss lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., pt. 28, p. 479.

Material examined:Karnataka: Kodagu District, Nisargadhama, 12.440⁰N, 75.936⁰E, 1080m, 17.xi.2002, 01 male; Uttar Kannada District, Kulgi, 15.166⁰N, 74.637⁰E, 360m, 17.vii.2004, 01 male; Maharashtra: Mumbai District, Malshej Ghat, 19.340⁰N, 73.774⁰E, 690m, 02.x.2005, 01 male, (Reg. no TIN/29–31), coll. A. Katewa.

Distribution: Northeastern India, Sikkim, Nepal, western Malaysia, Thailand (Robinson et al.1994) and Himcahal Pradesh (Pathania & Rose 2004).

Remarks: In view of above, Monopis longella (Walker) is being reported for the first time from the Western Ghats.

Eriocottidae Spuler, 1898, Sber. Phys. med. Soc. Erlangen 30: 36 (as Eriocottinae).

Type-genus: Eriocottis Zeller, 1847, Isis Oken, Leipzig: 812, included in Fletcher 1929 within Incurvariidae.

Compsoctena Zeller, 1852, Lepid. Microptera, quae J.A. Wahlberg in Caffrorun terra collegit: 86.

Compsoctena robinsoni Pathania & Rose, 2004, Zoos’ Print Journal 19(6): 1501–1504.

Material examined: Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram District, FRH, Vithura, 8.675⁰N, 77.085⁰E, 120m, 04.ix.2004, 02 males; 05.ix.2004, 01 male; Karnataka: Uttar Kannada District, Ganeshgudi, 15.284⁰N, 74.530⁰E, 480m, 21.vii.2004, 02 males; Kodagu District, Sampaje, 12.497⁰N, 75.556⁰E, 100m, 13.xi.2002, 01 male; Tamil Nadu: Nilgiris District, Doddabetta, 11.400⁰N, 76.735⁰E, 2,640m, 01.x.2003, 02 males, (Reg. no TIN/32–39), coll. A. Katewa.

Remarks: Eight specimens collected from the Western Ghats were compared with the type material and have been identified as Compsoctena robinsoni Pathania & Rose. The species is being reported for the first time from the area under reference.

Clania Walker, 1865, Cat. Lep. Het. Brit. Mus. 4: 963, Type- species: Oiketicus lewinii Westwood.

Clania crameri Westwood, P.Z.S. 1854, p. 236; Moore, Lep. Ceyl. ii, pl. 118, figs. 1, 1a (larva-case); C. & S. no. 490.

Material examined: Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram District, Vithura, 8.675⁰N, 77.085⁰E, 1120m, 04.ix.2004 01 male; Idukki District, Vallakadavu, 77.206⁰E, 9.601⁰E, 780m, 11.ix.2004, 01 male; Goa: Sanguem District, Mollem, 15.386⁰N, 74.229⁰E, 110m, 24.ii.2004, 01 male; Ponda District, Ponda, 15.399⁰N, 74.012⁰E, 85m, 29.ix.2004, 01 male, (Reg. no TIN/40–43) coll. A. Katewa.

Distribution: Shanghai, India (Canara, Nilgiris), Sri Lanka, Borneo, Celebes (Hampson 1892).

Remarks: Hampson (1892) has listed the species from Canara and Nilgiris, yet the same is reported for the first time from two other states, i.e.,Kerala and Goaof the said ecozone.

During our survey-cum-collection tours, 10 species of the superfamily Tineoidea have been collected from six states of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala falling in the jurisdiction of Western Ghats. Tineoidea is one of the ditrysiian superfamily of micro moths are generaly known as cloth moths, bagmoths etc. The main characters are antenna filiform, maxillary palpus usually five segmented and forewing with vein R5 terminating on costa or apex of family Tineidae and antenna often bipectinate, maxillary palpus usually four segmented and forewing with vein R5 terminating on termen in family Eriocottidae. These species are recorded for the first time from the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is one of the largest forest area in the southern part of India. The tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, scrub jungles, sholas, savannas are the dominant vegetation in the mentioned areas.

Hampson, G.F. (1892). Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma, Moths. Vol. I. Taylor & Francis, London, xiii+527pp.

Hodges, R.W. (1958). A method for preparing fresh microlepidoptera for spreading. Lepidoptera News 12: 205.

Landry, J.F. & B. Landry (1994). A technique for setting and mounting microlepidoptera. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 48(3): 205–227.

Lindquist, O.H. (1956). A technique for pinning and spreading small microlepidoptera. Canadian Entomologist 138(1): 24–25.

Mikkola, K. (1986). Tower spreading, a handy method for provisional field preparation for microlepidoptera. Notulae Entomologicae 66: 101–102.

Nielson, Z. (1980). Entomology. The denish scientific expedition to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego 1978–1979. Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography 80: 9–13.

Pathania, P.C. & H.S. Rose (2003). Studies on the external genitalia of two species of Monopis Hubner (Lepidoptera:Tineidae:Tineinae) associated with birds. Journal of Applied Zoological Research 15(2): 198–201.

Pathania, P.C. & H.S. Rose (2004). First record of the genus Compsoctena Zeller (Lepidoptera: Eriocottidae) from India. Zoos’ Print Journal 19(6): 1501–1504. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1056.1501-4

--Pathania, P.C., H.S. Rose & R. Sood (2006). Taxonomic studies on a species of the genus Cimitra Walker (Hapsiferinae: Tineidae: Lepidoptera) from India. Zoos’ Print Journal 21(6): 2278–2278. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1394.2277-8

Robinson, G.S. (1976). A taxonomic revision of the Tinissinae of the world (Lepidoptera: Tineidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 32(7): 255–300.

Robinson, G.S. (1976). The Preparation of slides of Lepidoptera genitalia with special reference to microlepidoptera. Entomologist’s Gazette 27(2): 127–132.

Robinson, G.S. & K. Tuck (1993). Diversity and faunistics of small moths (Microlepidoptera) in Bornean rainforest. Ecological Entomology 18: 385–393.

Robinson, G.S., K.R. Tuck & M. Shaffer (1994). A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of South-East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, Malaysia, 1308pp+1–32pls.

Rose, H.S. & P.C. Pathania (2003). Taxonomic studies on the genus Edosa Walker (Lepidoptera: Tineidae: Perissomasticinae) from India. Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology 23(3): 201–211.

Scoble, J.M. (1995). The Lepidoptera Form, Function and Diversity. Oxford University Press, xi+404pp.

Sokoloff, E. (1980). Practical hints for collecting and studying the Microlepidoptera. Amateur Entomologist 16: 1–39.

Tagestad, A.D. (1974). A technique for mounting microlepidoptera. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 47: 26–30.

Zimmerman, E.C. (1978). Microlepidoptera. Ins. Hawaii, vol. 9. University Press of Hawaii, Honololu, xviii+1903pp.