Menurella tribulatrix (van Nieukerken & Hoare ex Hoare & van Nieukerken 2013) van Nieukerken et al. 2016

Pectinivalva tribulatrix is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in northern Queensland (Cape Tribulation).

The wingspan is 3.5 mm for males and 3.2 mm for females. The thorax and forewings are entirely shining grey fuscous. The hindwings are grey, with an androconial pocket in the basal half.

Mine

The larvae feed on Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a narrow, long gallery, either completely meandering, or partly straight and following a major vein. The frass is black, broken and dispersed over the total gallery width, not leaving clear margins. The edges of the gallery are not straight but irregular. The exit-hole is located on the underside and consists of a semicircular to oval hole. Pupation takes place in a reddish-brown cocoon.

Male (Fig. 17). Wingspan 3.5 mm, forewing length 1.5 mm. Head: frontal tuft yellow to ferruginous, collar white; eyecaps basally white, exteriorly grey; antennae grey, 25 segments. Thorax and forewing entirely shining grey fuscous, cilia-line indistinct. Hindwing basally wide, grey, with androconial pocket in basal half; cilia grey. Underside: forewing and hindwing dark brown. Abdomen grey brown, with small white anal tufts. Female (Fig. 18). Wingspan 3.2 mm, forewing length 1.4 mm. Head: as male, but eyecaps shining white, no grey, antennae with 17 segments. Coloration as male, but hindwing narrower, grey. Abdomen shining dark grey, wide blunt abdominal tip. Male genitalia (Figs 70–72). Capsule ca. 235 μm long, ovoid. Anterior edge of vinculum with shallow excavation. Tegumen rounded, without ventral extensions. Uncus triangular, slightly indented in middle, lobes with ca. 3–4 setae on each. Gnathos central element long, not reaching beyond uncus, parallel edges, rounded tip. Valva ca. 190 μm long, reaching well beyond tegumen, strongly curved; medial edge slightly excavated and ending in obtuse angle; pectinifer consisting of 15–16 broad, blunt elements; dorsal surface towards apex with long setae. Sublateral processes short. Juxta not visible. Aedeagus (Fig. 72) ca. 280 μm long; tubelike sclerite associated with cathrema ca 2/3 aedeagus length, anteriorly bilobed; vesica otherwise with a few small cornuti. Female genitalia (Fig. 101–103). Total length ca. 335 μm. T9 produced on each side into prominent anal papillae, each with a group of 7 setae. Apophyses anteriores moderately narrow, curved inwards; apophyses posteriores narrow, straight, longer than anteriores. Lateral sclerotizations of vestibulum strongly developed, forked, the bifurcations diverging widely. Ductus spermathecae with 6 convolutions. Corpus small, about as long as wide, folded, covered with many pectinations; signum of concentric bands of fence-like spinules, indistinct. Larva. Green. Fieldnotes state that it feeds with dorsum upwards, which may be incorrect. Larva not preserved.

Northern Queensland, Cape Tribulation.