Discovery of Dichocrocis frenatalis Lederer, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Spilomelinae) in mangrove environments of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and tribal placement of the genus

Dichocrocis frenatalis Lederer, 1863, the little-known type species of the polyphyletic genus Dichocrocis, was discovered in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. We provide a redescription of the adult morphology, including the male genitalia with highly developed hair-pencil structures, as well as female gen...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yuki Matsui, Nakatada Wachi, Yutaka Yoshiyasu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2025-06-01
Series:ZooKeys
Online Access:https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/155924/download/pdf/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dichocrocis frenatalis Lederer, 1863, the little-known type species of the polyphyletic genus Dichocrocis, was discovered in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. We provide a redescription of the adult morphology, including the male genitalia with highly developed hair-pencil structures, as well as female genitalia. The phylogenetic placement of this genus, and therefore its type species, within Spilomelinae has been uncertain, but our molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological evaluation support the placement of the genus Dichocrocis in the tribe Steniini. Additionally, as a novel ecological observation, we report that the Japanese population of this species is abundant in mangrove environments, where the adults frequently aggregate on the underside of leaves and are preyed upon by a mangrove-associated robber fly.
ISSN:1313-2970