__NOTOC__ ''Clarkeophlebia'' is an enigmatic and almost-unknown gelechioid moth

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

. It contains a single

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, ''Clarkeophlebia argentea'', and is apparently

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Fatu Hiva Fatu-Hiva (the "H" is not pronounced, see name section below) is the southernmost island of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With Motu Nao as its closest neighbour, it is also the ...

in the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

. It was originally described as ''Acanthophlebia'', but this name had earlier been given to a genus of prong-gilled mayflies. Its relationships are not well determined. While it is superficially similar to the

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

concealer moth Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. ...

'' Fabiola tecta'' (which is larger and less colorful), in its anatomical details it seems more similar to '' Adeana leucoxantha'' (another puzzling Polynesian moth) and/or ''

Asymphorodes ''Asymphorodes'' is a genus in the subfamily Cosmopteriginae of the cosmet moth family (Cosmopterigidae). It is placed here based on the presence of pleural lobes on the 8th sternite of the males, which is an apomorphy for the cosmet family.Clar ...

''. However, it is unique in bearing strange spines of unknown function on the wings, at least in the males.Clarke (1986) ''Clarkeophlebia'' is tentatively considered a

cosmet moth The Cosmopterigidae are a family of insects (cosmet moths) in the order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidopt ...

(

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cosmopterigidae) here, but this was thought about ''Asymphorodes'' as well; more recently however the latter genus has been assigned to the palm moths of the (somewhat disputed) family Agonoxenidae. This may thus be correct for ''Clarkeophlebia'' (and ''Adeana'') too.

Description

''C. argentea'' is a tiny "

micromoth Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not monophyletic) grouping of moth families, commonly known as the "smaller moths" ( micro, Lepidoptera). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, so are harder to iden ...

" with a generally hairless and smooth body and a wingspan of only 5 mm in the only known specimen (a male). It is, however, rather colorful and boldly marked by gelechioid moth standards. In its overall coloration it is blackish, with some bright and metallic marks; in the

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

, the underside of each hindwing bears a peculiar spine near the base, and there is a smaller spine at the trailing edge of each forewing; the function of these spines is unknown and they are possibly absent in females. The hindwing spines are large enough to be discernible with a high-quality

magnifying glass A magnifying glass is a convex lens—usually mounted in a frame with a handle—that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. A magnifying glass can also be used to focus light, such as to concentrate the Sun's radiation to create ...

already, despite the moth's diminutive size. The medium grey head is covered with a smooth layer of scales and bears a well-developed and very scaly

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

;

ocelli A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...

are absent, and a white stripe runs along the side of the head. The labial

palp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the secondary pair of forward appendages among chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicera ...

s are slim and curve backwards; they reach far beyond the vertex in length, with the third segment being somewhat longer than the second. The latter is grey like the head on the outside, with a white spot near the tip, and silvery towards the midline; the third palp segment is black and bears a white lengthwise stripe. Its black serrated antennae have grey rings and bear fine hairs, with a comb of short hairs on the scape as is typical for cosmet moths and some relatives; the scape is shorter than the head. The body is smooth, with a black

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

and a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

; the tegula is likewise brassy. Near the junction of the thorax'

tergite A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; : ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral, dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The Anatomical terms of location#Anterior ...

s and

pleura The pleurae (: pleura) are the two flattened closed sacs filled with pleural fluid, each ensheathing each lung and lining their surrounding tissues, locally appearing as two opposing layers of serous membrane separating the lungs from the med ...

, there is a silver lengthwise line on each side. The 8th

sternite The sternum (: sterna) is the ventral portion of a segment of an arthropod thorax or abdomen. In insects, the sterna are usually single, large sclerites, and external. However, they can sometimes be divided in two or more, in which case the su ...

is slightly modified in shape. The

legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

are glossy, with the fore- and midlegs a smooth and shiny grey except for the black tarsi; the first two tarsus segments are white-tipped. The hindlegs are metallic black, the scaly tibia has a white spot at midpoint and another one at the tip, and two white spots on the tarsi. The straight-margined forewings are fringed with thort hairs and otherwise smooth, lance-shaped and pointed, with an almost straight leading and an oblique outer edge, and have 11 veins. Of these, lb is simple at the base and ends in a broad and shallow pit from which rises a short stout spine. ''C. argentea'' has a vein 1c, and vein 2 runs from the angle of the forewing cell. Veins 3 and 4 run close to the preceding, and are coincident; vein 5 is vestigial. Veins 6 and 7 share a common stalk; the latter runs to the costa and from the stalk veins 8 and 9 also arise. Vein 11 arises slightly beyond the middle of the cell, and vein 10 runs closer to it than to vein 9. The hindwings are likewise narrow, with a hairy fringe, and have an open cell and very much reduced veins; only veins 6 and 7 are clearly discernible, while vein 3 and/or 4 seem to be present (though reduced) too. Vein 6 and 7 arise from a stalk and the latter runs to the wingtip. The aforementioned long spines are located near the underside at the base of each hindwing. The forewing color is mainly black with 4 metallic stripes of silvery-blue or -violet, 2 in each main direction: the first runs along the

proximal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

fourth of the leading edge, the second from the wingbase and almost parallel to the first, extending into the cell for about one-third of the total wing length. The third and fourth silver stripe run from the leading to the trailing edge of the forewing, one through the center of the wing and the last at the outer wing's fourth. Between the first two silver stripes there is an oval patch of brassy scales, separated from the silver by the black background color. The hairy fringe shades from black at the termen to grey at the wingtip. The hindwings are dull reddish-brown and unmarked, with a paler fringe. The male genitalia of ''C. argentea'' are asymmetrical and lack socius and

uncus The uncus is an anterior extremity of the parahippocampal gyrus. It is separated from the apex of the temporal lobe by a sulcus called the rhinal sulcus. Although superficially continuous with the hippocampal gyrus, the uncus forms morphol ...

. The

clasper In biology, a clasper is a male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating. Male cartilaginous fish have claspers formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin which serve to channel semen into the female's ...

's harpe is broad at the base, with a short and barely constrained neck; the cucullus narrows towards the tip, the brachia are long and curved and expand tipward, and the tegumen is shorter than wide. The

aedeagus An aedeagus ( or aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation (zoology), copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, th ...

has a slender S-shape; the manica bears a high keel on the upperside. The

microscopic slide A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 26 mm (3 by 1 inches) and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope. Typically the object is #Mounting, mounted (secured) on the slide, ...

preparation of the

's genitals is specimen USNM 25139. The female genitals are of course still unknown.

Ecology

Essentially nothing is known about this species'

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

. The

( USNM 100828) was collected on March 11, 1968 at the coastal village of Omo'a on

(). There, the

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

is heavily influenced by human activity, and includes plants such as ''

Artocarpus ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more ...

'' species,

Papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

(''Carica papaya''),

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

(''Cocos nucifera''),

Sea Hibiscus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zeal ...

(''Hibiscus tiliaceus''), Indian Mango (''Mangifera indica''), ''

Musa Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam province, Iran * Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran * Musa Kalayeh, Gilan province, Iran * Abu M ...

'' (bananas), Thatch Screwpine (''Pandanus tectorius''), the

paspalum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall per ...

grass '' Paspalum paniculatum'', Apple Guava (''Psidium guajava''),

Tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

(''Tamarindus indica''),

Portia Tree ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

(''Thespesia populnea''), as well as

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

sedges,

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s and

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es. It is unlikely, however, that these moths use the non-native species as foodplants, and the only known specimen may have been a vagrant from less disturbed habitat higher up Omo'a Valley. There, native plants such as '' Bidens henryi'', '' Cheirodendron bastardianum'', ''

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

'', and

East Polynesian Blueberry East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

('' Vaccinium cereum'') are still more plentiful, and it may be that the species'

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

l foodplants are found among these.

Footnotes

References

* (1986): Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago. ''Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology'' 416: 1-485
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(214 MB!) {{Taxonbar, from=Q5127522 Cosmopterigidae Monotypic moth genera Fauna of the Marquesas Islands Moths of Oceania Fatu-Hiva