5. Homaloxestis plocamandra (Meyrick, 1907)

(Figs. 3, 6, 6 a–b, 9)

Lecithocera plocamandra Meyrick, 1907: 737 . TL: Sikkim, India. Type in BMNH.

Homaloxestis plocamandra; Clarke, 1965: 95; Gozmány, 1973: 414, 1978: 72; Park, 2004: 40.

Diagnosis. Wingspan 14–16 mm (Fig. 3). This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following: antenna shiny creamy white, upper surface of forewing without pale orange band along costa, mesopleura with a long hair-pencil, and dorsal edge of the hind tibia with long hairlike scales in the male. The species is very similar to H. grabia Wu & Park, described from Sri Lanka, but H. grabia (Fig. 6 c) can be distinguished by the longer hair-pencils on the mesopleura and a sharply pointed median process on ventral margin of valva.

Male genitalia (Figs. 6, 6 a–b). Also see Clarke (1965: pl. 47, figs. 3a–b). Basal lobes of uncus rather broad, roundly concave on caudal margin. Gnathos moderate. Valva slender; costa gently concave; distal half densely setose; ventral margin strongly sinuate with short spines along margin, with protrusion at lower corner. Juxta small, concave medially, with expansions latero-caudally, truncated at apices. Aedeagus as long as valva, narrowed towards apex; apex pointed on dorsal surface; cornuti consisting of a row of 7–10 larger denticles, a series of smaller ones, and numerous spicules.

Female genitalia (Fig. 9). Antrum small, cup-shaped, as wide as ductus bursae. Ductus bursae broadly inflated at middle, with many conical spines. Signum rhomboid, with a grove centrally.

Material examined. 5Ψ, 1ɗ, Luzon, Dinalupihan, Roosevelt Nat. Park, 9.V.1999 (Mey & Ebert), gen. slide no. CIS- 5021, 5041; 1Ψ, Luzon, Banquet, 19–21.XI.1997 (Mey, Ebert & Nuss), gen. prep. no. CIS-5269; 1Ψ, Luzon, Coto, Mt. Zambales, 150 m, 9–10.XI.1998 (Mey & Spiedel); 1ɗ, same locality, 5–7.XI.1998 (Mey & Spiedel); 2ɗ, same locality, 110 m, 5–6.V.1999 (May & Ebert), gen. prep. No. CIS-5266; 7Ψ, Panay, Iloilo San Bernadine, 400 m, 12.IV.1995 (Mey), gen. prep. no. CIS-5264; 2Ψ, Mindanao, Calimintao, 8– 10.III.1994 (Mey), gen. prep. no. CIS- 5267.

Distribution. Philippines (new record), Thailand, Nepal, northern India.

Remarks. We were surprised to find H. plocamandra Meyrick in the Philippines; it previously was known from northern India, Nepal, and Thailand (Gozmany, 1978; Park, 2004) but not from China or Taiwan, which are considerably closer to the Philippines.