Nemophora sporodesma ( Meyrick, 1928 ) Kozlov, 2023

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2023, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) of India and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5300 (1), pp. 1-81 : 10-11

Nemophora sporodesma ( Meyrick, 1928) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 1, 2 , 69 , 140 )

Nemotois sporodesma: Meyrick 1928: 464 .

Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada, Allandei [unidentified locality]; labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto- │ type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Allandei │ Kanara │ RM[axwell]. 9.11.[19]24’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ sporodesma │ 1/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29451’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois sporodesma │ Meyrick, 1928 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotype ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 7 mm, print + black ink ‘Dibidi, │ N. Coorg. LN[ewcome]. │.2.[19]12'; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ sporodesma │ 2/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 3 × 22 mm, black ink ‘ sporodesma Meyr. ’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♀ │ Nemotois sporodesma │ Meyrick, 1928 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].

Nemotois sporodesma: Clarke 1955: 292 .

Diagnosis. Nemophora sporodesma differs from all other Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka by the light forewing pattern formed by bicolourus scales, which are dark basally and creamy apically, so that at high magnification the light pattern looks spotted. In the wing pattern N. sporodesma resembles N. phryganeella ( Fig. 3 ), from which it differs by the long vinculum (2.9 × length of valva), long anellus (0.6 × length of valva) and hook-shaped tip of phallus.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ). FWL 5.3 mm, WLR 0.37‒0.38. Vertex and frons entirely covered with glossy golden scales, with only a few yellow piliform scales behind compound eyes; antennal sockets not surrounded by piliform scales. PLB 0.55 × vertical eye diameter (0.8 × length of scape), pale yellow. Proboscis light brown, base covered with glossy golden scales. Eyes slightly enlarged; interocular index 1.0; occipital distance 1.0. Antenna 3.4 × FWL. Scape dark coppery bronze; base of flagellum dark coppery bronze, with light yellow to bronze rings on each flagellomere; at about 0.5 × FWL colour of flagellum gradually changes to light bronze. Tegulae and thorax from glossy golden to coppery bronze. Forewing ( Fig. 69 ) glossy golden; costal margin in basal part suffused with dark brown scales. Light pattern formed by bicoloured scales, which are brown basally and pale yellow apically; thus, the light transverse forewing band looks spotty at high magnification. Transverse band narrow (0.05‒0.07 × FWL), approaches costa at 0.5 × FWL; on both sides surrounded by dark brown lines. Apical part of forewing with oblique spot, directed from costa to termen, a pair of oval spots near wing apex and minor dorsal spot near fascia. Fringe bronze to brown. Basal third of hindwing nearly translucent, apical part brown with coppery tint; costal area grey; fringe light brown to light grey. Legs glossy golden to coppery bronze, dorsal side darker than ventral side; bases of all tarsomeres white. Epiphysis at 0.5, reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown to bronze, distal margins of sternites are ligher than proximal margins.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). FWL 4.5 mm. Antenna>0.7 × FWL (tips broken). Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 140 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, wide. Socii elongate, 3 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.9 × length of valva, V-shaped, with almost straight lateral margins; distal margin W-shaped. Tip of tegumen extends beyond tips of valvae. Ventral valvar margin bent at 0.7 × length of valva; tip of valva pointed. Valvae fused basally up to 0.45 × total length; their internal margins indistinct. Anellus 0.6 × length of valva, narrow proximally. Transtilla with small triangular medial process. Juxta 0.5 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.6), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.05 × length of vinculum, gently S-shaped in lateral view; base narrowly funnel-shaped; apical part hook-shaped, tip pointed.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Comments. I failed to find localities named ‘Allandei’ and ‘Dibidi’ in any available source of information. The permanent slide of the male genitalia had been prepared before I examined the lectotype; therefore no drawings of non-deformed genital structures are available.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Adults of Nemophora spp. 1, N. sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928), male, lectotype, from Allandei (unidentified locality in Dakshina Kannada), Karnataka, India; 2, ditto, female, from Dibidi (unidentified locality in Kodagu), Karnataka, India; 3, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India; 4, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 5, ditto, female, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 6, N.engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Kandy, Sri Lanka; 7, ditto, male (aberrant), lectotype of Nemotois pollinaris Meyrick, 1907, from Maskeliya, Sri Lanka; 8, Nemophora engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), female, from Kandy, Sri Lanka. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 69–92. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 69, N. sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 70, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 71, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907); 72, N. engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), typical form; 73, N. ornamentella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 74, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907); 75, N. manipurella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 76, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023; 77, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 78, N. assamensis Kozlov, 1997; 79, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907); 80, N. chionites (Meyrick, 1907); 81, N. cassiterites (Meyrick, 1907); 82, N. griseella (Walsingham, 1880); 83, N. ischnodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 84, N. asterodoxa (Meyrick, 1928); 85, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907); 86, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907); 87, N. atkinsonii (Moore, 1887); 88, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); 89, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922); 90, N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1907); 91, N. indica (Walker, 1863); 92, N. ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURES 140–143. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp.140, N.sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928), lectotype, from Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India, gen. prep. 29451 (NHM); 141, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov., holotype, from Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, gen. prep. 29996 (NHM); 142, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907), from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, gen. prep. 31288 (NHM); 143, N. engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), paralectotype, from Kandy, Sri Lanka, gen. prep. 30636 (NHM); a: genital complex, ventral view; b: phallus; c: apex of phallus. Scale: 0.2 mm (valid for a and b only).