Nemophora szabokyi Kozlov, 2024

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2024, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Zootaxa 5423 (1), pp. 1-66 : 14-15

Nemophora szabokyi Kozlov , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:815E1FFC-0A4B-4467-84D8-B5FC6BDAA014

( Figs. 5 , 65 , 91 )

Holotype ♂: Thailand, Nan (approx. 19° 10' N, 101° 06' E); labelled: 9 × 12 mm, print ‘ THAILAND │ Changwat Nan │ 30 km E of Pua │ 1700 m, 20.II.1998 │ leg. Márton Hreblay │ & Csaba Szabóky’; 8 × 18 mm, red paper, black ink ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ │ Nemophora │ szabokyi Kozlov │ in litt. 2000’ ( HNHM) [examined] . Paratype. 1 ♀, labelled: 9 × 12 mm, print ‘ THAILAND │ Changwat Nan │ 30 km E of Pua │ 1700 m, 18.II.1998 │ leg. Márton Hreblay │ & Csaba Szabóky’; 8 × 18 mm, red paper, black ink ‘ PARATYPE ♀ │ Nemophora │ szabokyi Kozlov │ in litt. 2000’ ( HNHM) [examined] .

Diagnosis. In forewing pattern N. szabokyi resembles N. lapikella Kozlov, 1997 , N. chalybeella ( Bremer, 1864) and N. biprocessa Sun, Wang & Li, 2022 . From all these species N. szabokyi differs by the long (3.2 × length of valva), Yshaped vinculum and by the two short, thick, serrate hook-shaped carinae articulated to the ventral side of phallus at 0.8 × its length (counting from the base). In forewing pattern N. szabokyi likely differs from N. lapikella and N. chalybeella by the presence of the wide longitudinal spot located along the costal margin in the basal part of forewing and of narrow yellow stripes inside dark brown longitudinal spot in the apical part of forewing; however, the validity of these diagnostic traits remains questionable until their variation is studied in N. szabokyi .

Description. Male ( Fig. 5 ). FWL 9.1 mm, WLR 0.26. Vertex straw-yellow, with sparse brown scales; frons glossy golden. PLB 1.0 × vertical eye diameter, straw-yellow, tip light brown. Proboscis light brown. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.4. Antenna 3.3 × FWL, with simple inwardly directed pegs. Scape and proximal third of flagellum dark brown, with bronze luster; then colour of flagellum gradually changes to light grey. Tegulae and thorax coppery brown; dorsum marginally with bands of yellow scales. Forewing ( Fig. 65 ) pale yellow, with ochreous tint; internal border of yellow medial band of fascia at 0.55 × FWL; this yellow band on both sides is bordered by brown fields with indistinct external margins; external brown filed has narrow internal band formed by shining grey scales. Basal field of forewing with characteristically shaped yellow longitudinal spot near costal margin; otherwise the pattern is typical for the degeerella species group. Apical field medially with longitudinal dark brown spot containing two yellow stripes and reaching upper part of outer wing margin. Fringe dark brown. Hindwing dark brown; costal area yellowish brown, with distinct triangular spot, external margin of which almost matches internal margin of yellow band in forewing fascia. This spot, best visible from underside, reaches 0.3 × hindwing width; fringe brown. Fore and mid legs dark brown dorsally and pale yellow ventrally; hind legs pale yellow, apices of all leg parts dark brown. Epiphysis at 0.5, not reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dark brown, dorsally violet shining; distal parts of sternites with pale yellow bands.

Female. FWL 7.0 mm, WLR 0.29. Antenna longer than forewing (tip broken); basal part of flagellum (0.8 × FWL) densely covered with black coppery shining scales. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 91 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii elongate, 1.1 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 3.2 × length of valva, Y-shaped, with concave lateral margins; proximal half of vinculum narrow (1.5 × diameter of phallus), with parallel lateral margins; distal margin straight. Tip of tegumen extends far beyond tips of valvae. Ventral valvar margin gently S-shaped; dorsal valvar margin with medial indentation; tip of valva rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.35 × total length; internal valvar margins distinct. Anellus 0.3 × length of valva. Transtilla with narrow pointed medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head extremely narrow (WLR 0.3), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.15 × length of vinculum, C-shaped (see from side), with two thick serrate hook-shaped carinae articulated at 0.8 × its length (counting from base); tip of phallus flattened, bifurcate; base narrowly funnel-shaped.

Biology. Moths were collected by a light trap in an old-grown tropical forest.

Distribution. Thailand (this study).

Etymology. The species is named after one of its collectors, Csaba Szabóky, a prominent Hungarian lepidopterologist.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Adults of Nemophora spp. 1, N. bifasciatella Issiki, 1930, female, from Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand; 2, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Phan Xi Pang, Vietnam; 3, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov., male, paratype, from Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand; 4, ditto, female, paratype, from the same locality; 5, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Changwat Nan, Thailand; 6, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 7, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 8, N. tanakai Hirowatari, 2007, male, paratype, from Tam Dao, Vietnam. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 63–88. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 63, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 64, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov.; 65, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 66, N. aglaospila (Meyrick, 1928); 67, N. sinicella (Walker, 1863); 68, N. ahenea Stringer, 1930; 69, N. vietnamensis Kozlov, sp. nov.; 70, N. cleodoxa (Meyrick, 1922); 71, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912); 72, N. punctifasciella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 73, N. satrapodes (Meyrick, 1894); 74, N. thailandensis Kozlov, sp. nov.; 75, N. melichlorias (Meyrick, 1907); 76, N. nigripunctella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 77, N. chalcoptera Kozlov, sp. nov.; 78, N. caeruliantenna Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al., 2023; 79, N. sakaii (Matsumura, 1931); 80, N. auricapitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 81, N. umbripennis Stringer, 1930; 82, N. aurifera (Butler, 1881); 83, N. nielseni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 84, N. meyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 85, N. yeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 86, N. rubicunda Kozlov, sp. nov.; 87, N. pecuniosa (Meyrick, 1921); 88, N. kuznetzovi Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURES 89–93. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 89, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 90, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov.; 91, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 92, N. aglaospila (Meyrick, 1928); 93, N. sinicella (Walker, 1863); a: genital complex, ventral view (right valva not shown); b: genital complex, lateral view; c: juxta; d: phallus, ventral view; e: phallus, lateral view. Scale: 0.2 mm.