Trachycentra calamias Meyrick 1886

Trachycentra calamias Meyrick

Trachycentra calamias Meyrick, 1886b:288; 1907:142; 1929a:507.—Swezey, 1942b:215.—Viette, 1949a:316.—Clarke, 1955 [1955–1970]:69.—Dale and Herring, 1959:13.

Male genitalia slide USNM 25021. Harpe saccus broad, triangular with an outer, long, curved process; neck long, narrow; cucullus large, oval. Gnathos consisting of two long, curved arms. Uncus very lightly sclerotized, pointed. Socius very small, slender. Vinculum narrow, short. Tegumen very long, slender. Anellus a lightly sclerotized plate. Aedeagus short, straight, lightly sclerotized.

HOLOTYPE.—In the British Museum (Natural History).

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Tonga.

DISTRIBUTION.—Tonga, Fiji, Marquesas Islands, Samoa, Society Islands.

Hiva Oa: Trail to Mt. Feani, 1200 ft (365 m), 1. Nuku Hiva: (Meyrick, 1929a:507).

FOOD PLANTS.—Hibiscus tileaceus L., Erythrina (under bark); Cocos nucifera L.

We collected a series of larvae but were able to rear only a single specimen (Em. 15 Mar 1968). Unfortunately, we did not discover the cannibalistic habit of the larvae until it was too late.

The larva of calamias is a case maker and carries its case as it burrows and feeds under the bark.

Swezey (1942b:215) states that “larvae of this moth were found feeding in the core of a coconut tree top which was damaged by the rhinoceros beetle. Some of the larvae were boring into the living tissues of the mass of undeveloped leaves, free without cases. Other larvae were feeding in the mass of rotting tissues and those which were apparently the older ones were in brown cases many of which were covered with fibers placed longitudinally and overlapping like thatch. Pupation took place within these shaggy cases.”

In the male there are two large deciduous coremata posteriorly from inside the abdomen.

Opogona Zeller, 1853:504.

TYPE-SPECIES.—Opogona dimidiatella Zeller, 1853:507; by monotypy.

Trachycentra calamias is a moth of the family Tineidae described by Edward Meyrick in 1886. It is found on the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia and Tonga.

The wingspan is 27–32 mm. The forewings are whitish ochreous, slightly brownish tinged, suffused with ochreous whitish towards the costa and the hind margin. There are faint indications of numerous small brownish-ochreous spots and two small tufts of raised black-tipped scales on the submedian fold before and beyond the middle. There are also some blackish scales forming an obscure X-shaped mark in the disc beyond the middle. The hindwings are fuscous grey, with a whitish apex.

The larvae have been recorded feeding in the tops of coconut trees.