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Cosmopterix ebriola Hodges, 1962
Cosmopterix ebriola Hodges, 1962: 50. Holotype /: United States: Archbold Biological Station, Highlands Co., Florida, 30.v.1959, R.W. Hodges (CUIC) [not examined].
Material examined.― 1?, 3/. Cayman Islands: 1/, Grand Cayman, N. coast of, North Side, 9.vii.1938, 17.iv-26.viii.1938, coll. C.B. Lewis, G.H. Thompson; gen. slide BM 29937 (BMNH). United States: 1?, South Carolina, Charleston Co., McClellanville, Wedge Plantation, 1.v.1981, leg. R.W. Hodges; gen. slide JCK 5797. 1/, same locality, 24.iv.1981; gen. slide JCK 5743 (USNM). 1/, Paratype (without abdomen), Florida, Lake Placid, Archbold Bio Sta, 4.iv.1959, R.W. Hodges.
Diagnosis.― Cannot be separated with certainty from C. fernaldella and C. scirpicola on external characters, but differs in the male and female genitalia. In the male genitalia of C. ebriola the strongly sclerotized part of the distal half of the right brachium elongate, and with a long and bill-like apex; the width of the bulbous part of the aedeagus is two-thirds of its length. In the female genitalia the sterigma is shorter than the apophyses anteriores. In the male genitalia of C. fernaldella the strongly sclerotized part of the distal half of the right brachium is even more elongate, but the apex is very short and rather blunt; the width of the bulbous part of the aedeagus is one-half of its length. In the female genitalia the sterigma is more than one-third longer than the apophyses anteriores. In the male genitalia of C. scirpicola the strongly sclerotized part of the distal half of the right brachium is semi-circular, and also with a long and bill-like apex; the width of the bulbous part of the aedeagus is two-thirds of its length. In the female genitalia the sterigma is about as long as the apophyses anteriores. The shape of the signa is also slightly variable in all the three species. It varies from almost circular to somewhat elongate and therefore it cannot be used as distinguishing character.
Description.― Male, female. Forewing length 4.5-4.9 mm. Head: frons shining pale ochreous with greenish and reddish reflections, vertex and neck tufts shining ochreous-brown with reddish reflection, medially and laterally lined white, collar ochreous-brown; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment three-quarters of the length of third, greyish brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally, third segment white, lined dark brown laterally; scape dark brown with a white anterior line, white ventrally; antenna shining dark brown, a white line from base to beyond one-half, followed towards apex by respectively a more or less vaguely annulated part of approx. ten segments, three whitish, three dark brown, two whitish and approximately 20 dark brown segments at apex. Thorax and tegulae ochreous-brown, thorax with a white median line, tegulae lined white inwardly. Legs: brownish grey, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments, femora of midleg and hindleg shining ochreous-white, tibiae of midleg and hindleg with oblique basal and medial white lines and white apical rings, tarsal segment one of midleg dorsally white, tarsal segments one to three and five of hindleg dorsally white, segment four apically white, spurs white, ventrally ochreous-grey. Forewing ochreous-brown, five white lines in the basal area, a costal from one-quarter to the transverse fascia, a subcostal from base to one-third, very gradually bending from costa in distal half, a straight medial above fold, from one-quarter to just before the transverse fascia, a subdorsal below fold, as long as the medial, but slightly further from base, a narrow dorsal from beyond base to one-third, a broad pale yellow transverse fascia from beyond the middle, slightly narrowed towards dorsum with short apical protrusion, bordered at the inner edge by a tubercular silver metallic subcostal spot, outwardly with a patch of blackish brown scales and a similarly coloured subdorsal spot, the subdorsal spot about half the size of the subcostal and slightly further from base, both spots inwardly lined dark brown, by the specimen from Cayman Islands the inner subcostal and subdorsal spots are united and form a fascia at the inner edge, bordered at the outer edge by two tubercular silver metallic costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot a little larger than the costal and slightly more towards base, both spots edged brown inwardly, a broad white costal streak from the outer costal spot and a similar white streak from the outer dorsal spot, a broad shining white apical line from the apical protrusion, cilia ochreous-brown, ochreous-grey towards dorsum. Hindwing shining brownish grey, cilia ochreous-grey. Underside: forewing shining greyish brown, the white apex line indistinctly visible, hindwing shining brownish grey. Abdomen ochreous with golden gloss, laterally shining pale grey with purplish reflection, ventrally shining yellowish white, anal tuft yellowish white (fig. 37).
Male genitalia. Right brachium of uncus short and stout with a strongly widened central section, gradually tapering distally, apex narrow and pointed, slightly downwardly bent, left branchium short and egg-shaped. Valvae with upper margin strongly concave, lower margin slightly concave, caudal margin almost straight. Anellus lobes large, slightly bent in middle and strongly widening in apical half, apex blunt. Aedeagus with bulbous part wide bottle-shaped, strongly narrowing distally to about one-quarter of width, basal part short, about one-third of length of bulbous part, lateral lobes short and more or less triangular (fig. 138).
Female genitalia. Posterior edge of sternite VII concave with a hump in middle. Sterigma long with a narrow projection in basal half, widening distally, apical half slightly tapering. Ductus bursae about two-thirds of length of corpus bursae. Corpus bursae elongate, two circular signa with a small sclerite in the centre (fig. 218).
Biology.― Unknown. Adults have been collected from March to May and in July.
Distribution.― USA: from northern Florida and southern Mississippi to central Florida (Hodges, 1978), South Carolina; Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman (fig. 314).
Remarks.― It is not possible to separate C. ebriola, C. fernaldella and C. scirpicola on the external characters alone. Furthermore, all three species show some variability in e.g. the features of antenna and forewing. Hodges (1978) gives differences in the hind tibia between the species, but this could not be confirmed.