Nemophora auricapitella 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 : 36-37

Nemophora auricapitella Kozlov , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AEECF79D-AC50-4984-88CA-063161511013

( Figs. 39, 40 , 80 , 102 , 119 )

Holotype ♂, Myanmar, Myeik (approx. 12° 26' N, 98° 36' E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘ Holo- │ type’; 7 × 14 mm, print + black ink ‘Mergui, │ TENASSERIM. │ Doherty 1888 │ No 49857’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham │ Collection │ 1910-427’; 7 × 17 mm, black frame, black ink + print ‘Chrysothauma │ aeneobasellum Typ │ W. ♂ │ Named by Wlsm.’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29450’; 7 × 19 mm, print ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ │ Nemophora │ auricapitella Kozlov’ ( NHM) [examined] . Paratype. 1 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow border, print ‘ Para- │ type’; 7 × 14 mm, print + black ink ‘Mergui, │ TENASSERIM. │ Doherty 1888 │ No 49856’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham │ Collection │ 1910-427’; 7 × 17 mm, black frame, black ink + print ‘Chrysothauma │ aeneobasellum Typ │ W. ♀ │ Named by Wlsm.’; 7 × 19 mm, print ‘ PARATYPE ♀ │ Nemophora │ auricapitella Kozlov’ ( NHM) [examined] .

Diagnosis. Nemophora auricapitella externally resembles N. aglaospila ( Figs. 10, 11 ) and a typical form of N. engraptes , from which it differs by the unpatterned basal third of forewing (except for a thin dark brown line along the costal margin). It also differs from N. aglaospila by the presence of carinae on phallus, and from N. engraptes by the glossy golden medial part of vertex.

Description. Male ( Fig. 39 ). FWL 6.1 mm, WLR 0.36. Vertex and frons glossy golden. PLB 0.4 × vertical eye diameter (0.9 × length of scape), light pale yellow. Proboscis light yellowish brown. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.1–1.2; occipital distance 0.4. Antenna 3.0 × FWL. Scape coppery brown; flagellum bronze, basally with pale yellow rings. Tegulae and thorax glossy golden. Forewing ( Fig. 80 ) light bronze basally to dark bronze apically, with thin dark brown line along costa. Fascia wide (0.20–0.22 × FWL) at costa and narrow (0.05–0.07 × FWL) at dorsum; its internal margin diffuse, formed by dark brown scales; external margin with narrow yellow band sometimes reaching dorsum. Apical third of forewing with variable pattern generally consisting of three yellow stripes bordered by dark brown scales: oblique stripe arises from costa at 0.65 × FWL towards middle of outer wing margin; protuberance connects middle of this stripe with costal margin between RS3 and RS4; and oval spot expands along outer margin and connects oblique stripe with wing apex. Fringe bronze to coppery bronze. Hindwing base and anal field whitish, semitranslucent; apical part dark brown with coppery tint; costal area light grey; fringe grey to brown. Legs bronze to coppery bronze; bases of all tarsomeres light whitish yellow. Epiphysis at 0.5, almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dark coppery brown; distal parts of all sternites glossy golden.

Female ( Fig. 40 ). FWL 5.1 mm, WLR 0.41. Antenna>0.9 × FWL (tip broken); flagellum dark coppery brown with pale yellow rings. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 102 , 119 ). Tegumen onion-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii elongate, 0.7 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.2 × length of valva, with slightly concave lateral margins and straight distal margin. Tips of valvae extend beyond tip of tegumen. Basal parts of valvae (0.3 × valvar length) nearly twice as wide as distal parts; ventral and dorsal valvar margins concave; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae not fused basally (connected by anellus only). Anellus 0.45 × length of valva. Transtilla with moderately long medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.45), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.15 × length of vinculum, almost straight; basal half slightly swollen, apical half thin, with two shallowly C-shaped asymmetrical carinae; the left carina is longer and articulated slightly closer to base of phallus than right carina. Base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped, tip pointed.

Distribution. Myanmar (this study).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from aureus (Latin: golden) and caput (Latin: head) and refers to glossy golden colour of vertex.

Comments. Although Walsingham clearly labelled a holotype, he never published the description of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 33–40. Adults of Nemophora spp. 33, N.paradisea (Butler, 1881), female, from Kanzanji,Yogo-cho, Shiga Prefecture, Honshu, Japan; 34, N. decisella (Walker, 1863), male, from Rampayoh River, Brunei; 35, ditto, female, lectotype of Adela sythoffi Snellen, 1901, from Preanger, Java, Indonesia; 36, N. caeruliantenna Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al., 2023, male, from Changwat Nan, Thailand; 37, N. sakaii (Matsumura, 1931), male, from Khao Yai National Park, Thailand; 38, ditto, female, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 39, N. auricapitella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Myeik, Myanmar; 40, ditto, female, paratype, from the same locality. 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 100–105. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 100, N. caeruliantenna Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al., 2023; 101, N. sakaii (Matsumura, 1931); 102, N. auricapitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 103, N. umbripennis Stringer, 1930; 104, N. aurifera (Butler, 1881); 105, N. nielseni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 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.

FIGURES 119–121. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 119, N. auricapitella Kozlov, sp. nov., holotype, from Mergui, Myanmar, gen. prep. 29450 (NHM); 120, N. umbripennis Stringer, 1930, from Hakodate, Japan, gen. prep. 31284 (NHM); 121, N. aurifera (Butler, 1881), from Japan, gen. prep. 30662 (NHM); a: genital complex, ventral view; b: phallus; c: apex of phallus. Scale: 0.2 mm (valid for a and b only).

FIGURES 9–16. Adults of Nemophora spp. 9, N. aurora Kozlov, 1997, female, from Sa Pa, Vietnam; 10, N. aglaospila (Meyrick, 1928), male, from S. E. Borneo, Indonesia; 11, ditto, female, from Nam-Lik Eco-Village, Vientiane Province, Laos; 12, N. sinicella (Walker, 1863), male, from Maymyo, Shan Hills, Myanmar; 13, ditto, female, from Huai Nam Dang, Thailand; 14, N. ahenea Stringer, 1930, male, holotype, from Iwawakisan, Kii Province, Honshu, Japan; 15, ditto, female, from Mt. Mikusa, Hyogo Prefecture, Honshu, Japan; 16, N. vietnamensis Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Quảng Chu, Vietnam. Scale: 2 mm.