Antennal sensilla in the endemic New Zealand moth family Mnesarchaeidae:morphology and phylogenetic implications (Lepidoptera: Mnesarchaeoidea)

摘要

A scanning electron microscope study of the antennal sensilla in fivespecies of Mnesarchaea, sole genus in the endemic New Zealand moth family Mnesarchaeidae was made to elucidate their potential phylogenetic significance. Twelve sensillum types are described. Eight are common to all the species: multiporous long sensilla basiconica, multiporous sensilla trichodea, multiporous sensilla coeloconica, uniporous sensilla chaetica, aporous sensilla chaetica, aporous long-haired sensilla styloconica, aporous BMWs sensilla and sensilla campaniformia. Some sensillum types occur only in members of one of the two species groups currently recognized. The multiporous multibranched sensilla basiconica are present only in the fallax-group (paracosma, undescribed species 1), while the multiporous sensilla auricillica and the atypical short-styled sensilla styloconica appear restricted to the acuta-group (acuta, fusilella, undescribed species 2). The Mnesarchaeidae share with some other homoneurous moth families the presence of long-haired sensilla styloconica, and with the Neopseustidae also the aggregation of pores on some subtypes of sensilla basiconica (viz, the multibranched type and sensilla auricillica). The multibranched sensilla basiconica in the fallaxgroup are in some aspects different from the sensilla ascoidea present in Micropterigidae and Opostegidae; they may be considered as a good autapomorphy of this species group. The aporous short-styled sensilla auricillica recorded from the Mnesarchaea acuta-group seem so far to have been described elsewhere only from a hepialid among the homoneurous moths.