Figs. 9C, 41L, 42K, 43K, 56L, 73E, F, 83.
Philodoria sp. 9; Johns et al. 2018: fig. 2.
Type locality. Kanepuu (Lanai).
Etymology. The specific epithet, lama (pronounced 'La-mah') is a noun in apposition taken from the Hawaiian name of the host plant, Diospyros.
Type material. Holotype ♂, Kanepuu, Lanai, 24.viii.2014 (stored), K. Bustamente leg., host: Diospyros sandwicensis, 5.viii. 2014, CJ382, SK744♂ in BPBM. Paratype 4 (3♂, 1♀), All types were preserved in BPBM. 3♂, 1♀, Lualailua, Maui, 24.v.2016 (stored), K. Bustamente leg., host: D. sandwicensis, Spring. 2016, CJ540, SK 813♀, SK814 ♂. The holotype was mounted by placing four wings without mountant under a coverslip (2/3 of two forewings and apical half of two hindwings); four paratypes: a female specimen mounted as a dry pinned specimen with the nearly entire right forewing without mountant under a coverslip; CJ540 / SK813); two male specimens mounted as dry pinned specimens with its near complete forewing without mountant under a coverslip; a male specimen mounted by placing two forewings without mountant under a coverslip (two near complete forewings slightly damaged at base; CJ540 / SK814). The head, antenna, thorax, and legs for all specimens were sacrificed for molecular analysis.
Additional material. 1♂, Lualailua, Maui, 30.xii.2013 (stored), C.A. Johns leg., host: D. sandwicensis, 24.xii.2013, CJ161, PHIL0037♂ (abdomen only) in BPBM.
Diagnosis. The forewing pattern, genital structure and larval habit are very similar to those of P. splendida Walsingham and P. basalis Walsingham, but are distinguished from them because of the basal oblique fascia of the forewing, slender saccus and longer coecum in male genitalia, and coecum which is about 1/4 length of phallus in P. lama, but about 1/6~1/5 length in P. splendida (Figs. 9C, 42I, 43I, 73E, F).
Description: Adult (Figs. 9C, 73E, F). Forewing length 3.4, 3.5 mm in two paratypes. Head and frons brown; maxillary palpus reduced; labial palpus ocherous to brown with dark brown scales at apex. Antenna grayish fuscous, about 4.2 mm long in paratype. Thorax gray. Forewing dark shiny, pale leaden gray with brownish ocherous patches enclosing gray fascia: bp sometimes absent in Lanai specimens, from base along to dorsum 1/4, sometimes from near base of costal fold to near dorsum 1/ 4 in Maui specimens; tf from costal 1/3 to dorsal 1/2, tp after the middle to apical portion, distinctly narrowing in the dorsum, extending to dorsal 2/3, containing two short, shiny, steel gray costal spots; apical portion with black as and a large jet-black terminal patch from tornus to apex, containing two upright steel-gray spots near its opposite extremities; a single bright white spot in its middle; a very narrow ocherous line along the base of tornus; cilia shining, leaden gray with a blackish fringe line; two white costal streaks, long one extend apex; terminal cilia often blackish. Hindwing coppery brown; cilia tawny. Abdomen tawny brown, white below. Legs grayish fuscous, with white spots on the tarsal joints; spurs white with fuscous scales.
Male genitalia (Figs. 41L, 42K, 43K) (n=3). Capsule 810 µm. Tegumen slightly shorter than length of valva; valva 460 µm long, similar to P. splendida except minute spines on dorsal process covered from apically to basally and on inner margin (Fig. 41L). Phallus 560 µm long (Fig. 43K).
Female genitalia (Fig. 56L) (n=1). 1240 µm long. Lamella antevaginalis 160 µm in length. Corpus bursae 770 µm long. Similar to P. basalis and P. splendida.
Distribution. Oahu, Lanai, and Maui.
Host plants. Ebenaceae: Diospyros sandwicensis (A.DC.) Fosberg and/or D. hillebrandii (A.DC.) Fosberg. We could not separate the two Diospyros species, D. sandwicensis and the closely related D. hillebrandii.
Biology. (Fig. 83). Biology unknown, but it is presumably similar to that of P. basalis and P. splendida. Larvae form an elongate blotch mine on the adaxial leaf surface (Fig. 83A–C). One mine per leaf (Fig. 83A). Most of the “Taco” cocoons were still attached to the leaf and leaves with cocoons were both on ground and on tree, based on observations at Lualailua, Maui.
Remarks. We have observed Philodoria leaf mines on Diospyros on Oahu, but we were unable to find any mines with larvae in them (Fig. 83D). Swezey (1910a) described the Diospyros leaf-miner, Gracilaria [sic] (= Caloptilia) mabaella from Oahu and did not mention the unnamed Philodoria leaf miner on Diospyros. Zimmerman (1978a) noted that Caloptilia mabaella might be an introduced species from Japan or North America. We observed the P. lama and Caloptilia mabaella (CJ333) (Fig. 73D), occurring sympatrically at Kanepuu, Lanai. The mine of Caloptilia is distinguished from that of P. lama by the brown in coloration and oval cocoon which is situated at the end of the mine.