New or poorly known Microlepidoptera from the Mascarenes (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae, Bedellidae, Batrachedridae, Carposinidae, Epermeniidae, Gelechiidae, Tineidae, Tortricidae)

Peragrarchis martirea (Carposinidae), Epermenia senaciae (Epermeniidae), Opogona transversata and Tineovertex flavilineata (Tineidae) are described as new species, and Idioglossa bigemma mascarena (Batrachedridae) as a new subspecies, from the Mascarene island of La Réunion, and Mauritius. Eleven species are new for the fauna of La Réunion, two are new for the fauna of Mauritius. New host plants are reported for twelve species. Opogona reunionella Guillermet, 2011 was found to be a new synonym of Opogona siccata (Meyrick, 1910), based on the study of type material and additional specimens.


Material and methods
For the specimens collected at light: Osram HWL 160W mixed lamps were used to attract the moths.For the specimens reared from larvae: larvae was searched in field and fed on their respective host-plant until maturity in sealed containers.Containers were numbered and when possible, the larvae was imaged in several stages.Adults bred from larvae where kept alive for 24 hours in a separate recipient to allow genitalia to sclerotize.
The silvery and brownish scales seem to chip off quite easily on all wings.One of the collected specimens had almost no scales left on the forewing, another one (fig.6) had perfectly scaled forewings but no scales and mark ings left on the hindwings.
Etymology: Named after the Mascarene islands.

Biology: unknown.
Remarks: The nominal species, Idioglossa bigemma Wa l sin g h a m , 1881 was described from KwaZulu-Natal/ South Africa and recorded by M ey r ic k (1910) from a single specimen from Mauritius.Actually this species gave me a lot of headache.The only specimen conserved in the BMNH seems to be the Mauri tian specimen from the Meyrick collection, labelled: Idioglossa bigemma 1/1 Wals.E. Meyrick det. in Meyrick Coll.;Meyrick Coll. B.M. 1938-290; Mauritius NM. 06; NHMUK010304567.I ignore how Meyrick determined the species and if he could see the specimens from the Walsingham collection or not.Though the specimens collected in Réunion are rather similar to the Mauritian specimen there are some differ ences in wing markings to the drawing published by Walsingham and they are also much smaller in size (7.5-8.0 mm instead of 10.0 mm).The brownish strike at the base of the forewing was not illustrated by Walsing ham and the V-shaped brownish marking at 1/4 of same seems to point into the opposite direction, to the base of the forewing instead.I really wonder if there are not even two different species involved or not.It will certainly be necessary to study South African specimens to clear the status of this species in the Mascarenes.

Genus: Peragrarchis DiAKONOFF, 1959
Type species: Peragrarchis rodea (Diakonoff, 1950) At present five described species are included in this genus -all of them are known only from few or single specimens from the Oriental or Pacific region (Andaman Islands, Austral Islands, China, New Guinea and New Hebrides).The following new described species is the first of this genus from the afrotropical ecozone.
Description (plate 3: fig.13; plate 4: figs 14-16): Wing span: 9-11 mm (most specimen have a wingspan of 9.0-9.5 mm, only one measures 11 mm).Antennae are filiform, brownish-grey, reaching 2/3 of forewing length.Base of antennae beige-ochreous, broadend.Head and shoulders are beige-ochreous sprinkled with a few brownish scales.Palpi are upturned, beige-ochreous with some darker scales on the external side, terminal joint darker sprin kled with brown-blackish.Thorax and abdomen greyish-brown, the male has later ally on the first segment of the abdomen two abdominal pockets with hair brushes.Legs: femur ochreous-brown, tibia and tarsi are ochreous, ringed blackish.Forewings are brownish with irregular clearer ochreousbeige and darker-brownish fields, along costa up to 2/3 and along dorsum sprinkled irregularly with a few blackish-brownish scales.There are three small blackish marks in the middle of the wings in cell, the first near base, the second at half, and the third at 3/4.A larger blackish field in the apical fifth and along the base of dorsum of the forewing.Cilia are greyish, blackish at tornus, with three to four tuffs of blackish scales, one larger at 1/3 and 2-3 smaller, sometimes fused, between 1/2 and 3/4 of forewing consisting at some specimen only of 3-7 scales.Hindwings are brownish-grey.
Biology (plate 4: figs 17a-18): The larvae feed inside of the fruits of its hostplant.The mature larvae (fig.17a) partly quit the fruit for pupation though many pupated inside the ripening fruits (fig.17b).About 1/3 of the eclosed adults were pretty worn but fully functional.Five specimens had almost no scales on the wings and abdomen.I believe that those specimens might have pupated inside the fruits and might have lost their scales in dried fruits or on eclosure.There seems to be more than one generation per fructifi cation period.I collected some 20 fruits in early July from which one specimen eclosed (09-vii-2015).Later, at around mid-July I collected the remaining fruits of the same bush (estimated 120-150 berries) from which another 55 speci mens were bred between 07-viii and 23-viii-2015.The following year, in 2016, the same plant carried only a few shrinkled berries (approx.15) from which I bred three supplementary specimens (06-ix-2016).

Id io p h a n tis croconota MEYRiCK, 1918
Description: Wingspan: 13.5-14.5mm (plate 6: figs 21-23).Forwings are dark brown with a large ochreous yellow dorsal stripe, a black apical dot and whitish longitudinal apical mark.The abdomen of the male has a coremata on the eight segment.Male genitalia: plate 6: figs 25-25b.This species was described by a single female specimen from Antananarivo/Madagascar (M e y r ic k , 1918) and had not yet been illustrated, nor recorded outside of Madagascar.
Biology: Hostplants are Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels.and Syzygium jambos L. (Alston) (Myrtaceae).The larvae (fig.24b) ties two opposite leafs together and feed inside.The pupae (fig.24a) are cream-whitish and its reddish eyes are well visible.It pupates between the tied leafs.Pupal stage: 14 days.Most probably this is an introduced species, both food plants are considered beeing introduced species to the Malagasy region (Lavergne, C., 2011).In La Réunion this species does not seem to feed on other endemic Syzygium ssp., nor other Myrtaceae.The specimens at light were all collected in Réunion, La Possession, alt.400 m.Most specimens bred from larvae were collected in the same town at an altitude of 550 m, 20°55'32"S/55°22'46"E, one specimen at an altitude of approximately 20 meters in Saint-Paul on Syzygium cumini.Parasites: From one larva found on Syzygium jambos was bred a Braconidae, Wilkensonellos spec., that might be an undescribed species (determination: Pascal Rousse, France).Though it might have parasitized also another species that was bred from the same lot: Macarostola eugeniella (Vie t t e , 1951) (Gracillariidae) and for the moment I cannot attribute it with certainty to a species.
Remarks: I would like to thank Dr. David Lees (BMNH) for allowing me to study the types of several Idiophantis species, including Idiophantis croconota (labeled: NMMUK010304534; Abdomen missing; Idiophantis croconota M ey r ., E. Meyrick det., in Meyrick Coll.; Meyrick Coll., BM 1938-290; Antananarivo, Madagascar, M. II; Holotype).Twelve specimens (some raised from larvae) were placed at the same museum in July 2016 for thanking Mr Lees and the British Museum for their frequent help and efforts.Two additional specimens were also deposited at the ZMHB -Zoologisches Museum der Humboldt Univer sität, Berlin in June 2016 for study to Dr. Mey.

Tineidae
A m p h ixystissicca ta (M eyri ok, 1910) Amphixystis reunionella Guillermet, 2011, syn. nov.Description (plate 7: figs 26-27; 30): This species has a wingspan of approx.8.0-8.5 mm.Forewings are whit ish-grey with blackish markings that show to be a little variable.In many specimens also the left and the right wing are marked differently (see figs 26; 30).Particularly the blackish strikes on costa show some variations in position and length.This species, described from Mauritius was illustrated by Ro b in so n & Tuck (1997).Thanks to Dr. David Lees ofthe BMNH I could study its lectotype (NHMUK010304529, labeled: Oinophila siccata 2/2 Meyr., E. Meyrick det. in Meyrick Coll.; Meyrick Coll.1938-290; Mauritius NM.08; Lectotype) and it shows to be identical to speci mens that I collected in Réunion from where this species was recently redescribed as Amphixystis reunionella G u il l e r m e t , 2011.Type and female genitalia of A. reunionella were illustrated in its original publication.These illustrations and the female genitalia from the specimens from La Réunion (figs 28-29) shows the fully identity, this is why Amphixystis reunionella G u iller m et, 2011 is a synonym of Amphixystis siccata (M e y r ic k , 1910).
Biology: Its biology remains unknown.All my recorded specimens were caught inside of my living room, mostly on or around some leather furniture.The only other biological substrates in the room are papers (journals & books), wooden furniture, dried flowers and cotton material (curtains & rugs).This species seems to be present throughout the year and I only collected a few samples for the determination of the species.
Distribution: A widespread species, known from Australia (R o bin so n & N ie l s e n , 1993), China, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Samoa, South America, Sri Lanka, West Indies (Zim m e r m a n , 1978).Records from Africa include the Republic of Congo, Mauritius and Seychelles (de Prins & d e Pr in s, 2016), recorded new to La Réunion.
Remarks: Z im m er m a n (1978: 365-368) illustrated its head, male & female genitalia as well as the wing venations.
Remarks: From the description of Opogona iridogramma M e y r ic k , 1924 from Rodrigues island I learnt that the description of that species matches perfectly also to Opogona incorrectella Vie t t e , 1957.This species was described by M e y r ic k (1924) after a female with a wingspan of 7mm as follows: "Head and throax dark violet-fuscous, face and fillet pale shining ochreous.Forewings lanceolate; dark purple-bluefuscous; slender straight transverse pale iridescent-metallic line before middle, a similar transverse mark from costa at 2/3, a dot on costa before apex, and one on tornus: cilia dark fuscous.Hindwing and cilia rather dark bronzyfuscous.Fore-wings beneath strongly iridescent." No image of Opogona iridogramma was published and the type was not available.Further studies will be neces sary to clarify, whether these two taxa are synonyms.
Female genitalia (plate 10: figs 50-52): stout ductus bursae, about 2.5 times of the length of corpus bursae; corpus bursae with six aligned signa, four smaller, two larger, somewhat of half-round shaped.
Etymology: Named after its yellowish transverse line.
specimens in La Réunion, La Possession, 400 m).Seven specimens (two dissected) were given to the collec tions of the BMNH in July 2016.This is a common species in natural habitats in Réunion.In February & March 2016 I bred eight specimens from larvae collected in La Réunion, La Montagne, alt.900 m on Pandanus montanus B ory (Pandanaceae).