A revision of the Japanese species of the family Bucculatricidae (Lepidoptera)

Abstract

The Japanese species of the family Bucculatricidae are taxonomically revised and the life histories of each species are investigated. In Japan, in the past only three species, Bucculatrix firmianella Kuroko, 1982, B. pyrivorella Kuroko, 1964, and B. citima Seksjaeva, 1989, had been recorded. We recently described B. hamaboella Kobayashi, Hirowatari & Kuroko, 2009 (Kobayashi et al., 2009) and recorded B. comporabile Seksjaeva, 1989 and B. demaryella (Duponchel, 1840) from Japan (Arita et al., 2009). In this study, a total of 23 species of the genus Bucculatrix Zeller were recorded from 18 different plant species belonging to 10 plant families. Four new species, B. muraseae sp. nov. (Host: Alnus japonica, Betulaceae), B. serratella sp. nov. (Host: Zelkova serrata, Ulmaceae), B. kogii sp. nov. (Host: Unknown), and B. tsurubamella sp. nov. (Host: Quercus acutissima, Fagaceae) are described. Eleven species, B. splendida Seksjaeva, 1992, B. laciniatella Benander, 1931, B. maritima Stainton, 1851, B. notella Seksjaeva, 1996, B. nota Seksjaeva, 1989, B. sinevi Seksjaeva, 1988, B. altera Seksjaeva, 1989, B. armata Seksjaeva, 1989, B. univoca Meyrick, 1918, B. thoracella (Thunberg, 1794), and B. cidarella (Zeller, 1839) are newly recorded from Japan. Bucculatrix sp. 1-4 recorded by Oku (2003) from Iwate Prefecture were also examined. In the course of this study, fifteen species were reared, and the biology of seven species is described for the first time. Sixteen of the Japanese species are grouped into three main types on the basis of larval habits for the first time. The 23 Japanese species are separated into 10 groups based on genital structures, mainly following the species groupings of Braun (1963) and Baryshnikova (2008). Female adults were examined from 18 species in Japan (excluding B. laciniatella, B. nota, and B. kogii). In all examined species, we found that the ductus seminalis is attached to the middle of the corpus bursae, here proposed as an autapomorphy of the genus Bucculatrix.