Revision of the Japanese species of Epicephala Meyrick with descriptions of seven new species (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae).

Epicephala moths are involved in obligate mutualisms with their Phyllanthaceae hosts, in which the female moths assure pollination and, in return, their progeny develop by consuming the seeds. Ecological, molecular and geographical data suggest that the genus includes several hundred species, but the majority remains to be formally described. Here we revise the Japanese species of Epicephala Meyrick, 1880. In addition to two previously named species, seven species are newly described: Epicephala anthophilia sp. n., Epicephala lanceolatella sp. n., Epicephala perplexa sp. n., Epicephala obovatella sp. n., Epicephala corruptrix sp. n., Epicephala parasitica sp. n. and Epicephala nudilingua sp. n. The first four are species involved in obligate pollination mutualism, while the fifth is a pollinating seed parasite and the last two are derived non-pollinating seed parasites of herbaceous Phyllanthus. Each of the nine Japanese Epicephela species is specialized to a single plant species in the genera Glochidion, Breynia or Phyllanthus, except for Epicephala obovatella and Epicephala corruptrix that each utilizes two closely related Glochidion species. Considerable variations are found in pollination and oviposition behaviors among species, which are reflected in their proboscis and ovipositor morphologies, respectively. Molecular phylogeny indicated that there have been repeated transitions in oviposition mode during the diversification of Epicephala, which were accompanied by changes in ovipositor morphology, as suggested by a correlation analysis. Keys to species are provided.

冠头蛾（Epicephala moths）与其叶下珠科（Phyllanthaceae）寄主存在专性互利共生关系，在这种关系中，雌蛾确保授粉，作为回报，它们的后代通过食用种子发育。生态学、分子学和地理学数据表明，该属包括数百个物种，但大多数仍有待正式描述。在此我们对日本的冠头蛾属（Epicephala Meyrick，1880）物种进行了修订。除了两个先前已命名的物种外，还新描述了七个物种：嗜花冠头蛾（Epicephala anthophilia sp. n.）、小披针冠头蛾（Epicephala lanceolatella sp. n.）、迷惑冠头蛾（Epicephala perplexa sp. n.）、倒卵冠头蛾（Epicephala obovatella sp. n.）、腐败冠头蛾（Epicephala corruptrix sp. n.）、寄生冠头蛾（Epicephala parasitica sp. n.）和裸舌冠头蛾（Epicephala nudilingua sp. n.）。前四个是参与专性授粉互利共生的物种，而第五个是授粉种子寄生者，最后两个是草本叶下珠属（Phyllanthus）的衍生非授粉种子寄生者。日本的九个冠头蛾物种中，除了倒卵冠头蛾和腐败冠头蛾各自利用两种密切相关的算盘子属（Glochidion）植物外，每个物种都专化于算盘子属、黑面神属（Breynia）或叶下珠属中的一种植物。在物种间的授粉和产卵行为中发现了相当大的差异，这分别反映在它们的喙和产卵器形态上。分子系统发育表明，在冠头蛾的多样化过程中，产卵模式发生了多次转变，相关分析表明，这伴随着产卵器形态的变化。提供了物种检索表。