Palpita cirralis ( Swinhoe, 1897 )

Rao, B. S. K. & Sivaperuman, C., 2022, New records of pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) from India, Zoosystematica Rossica (Zoosyst. Rossica) 31 (1), pp. 20-26 : 22

Palpita cirralis ( Swinhoe, 1897)

( Figs 1B , 2B, 2E )

Material examined. India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Great Nicobar I.: 2 males, 1 female, near Laxmi Nagar Vill. , 6°55.561 ′ N 93°53.973 ′ E, 31 m, 11.XI.2018, K.C. Gopi et al. leg. (reg. nos. ZSI/ ANRC T –7498, T –7499, T –7500) ; 1 female, 1 male, Gobind Nagar , 7°00.326 ′ N 93°53.343 ′ E, 10 m, 5.XI.2018, B.S.K. Rao leg. (reg. nos. ZSI/ ANRC / T/7791 , 7792 ) ; 1 male, 2 females, Galathea Wildlife Sanctuary , 6°49.389 ′ N 93°52.072 ′ E, 45 m, 18.XII.2019, B.S.K. Rao leg. (reg. nos. ZSI/ ANRC / T/10561 , 11637 , 11054 ) ; 1 female, Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve , birdwatching point, 6°59.948 ′ N 93°52.773 ′ E, 136 m, 15.XI.2018, K.C. Gopi et al. leg. (reg. no. ZSI/ ANRC / T/11053 ) ; North Andaman I ., 1 male, Diglipur , Bahadur Tikrey Vill., 13°22.751 ′ N 92°57.585 ′ E, 123 m, 8.I.2019, B.S.K. Rao leg.; Swaraj Dweep I ., 2 females, Kalapathar Basti-II, 11°57.424 ′ N 93°00.999 ′ E, 7 m, 11.XI.2019, B.S.K. Rao leg. (reg. no. ZSI/ ANRC / T / T –7501, 12459) .

Redescription. Wing span 25–26 mm. Coloration silvery white. Frons flat, silvery; vertex rounded. Labial palpi upturned, basal segment with shades of grey, tip brownish black with silvery scales. Ocelli present, situated posterior to scapus, surrounded with white and ochreous scales. Scapus carved at base. Antenna filiform, almost reaching postmedial line of forewing. Thorax and patagia white.

Forewing slightly sinuous, with tuft of scales at base, golden brown costa, brown patches at subcosta and at middle of cell followed by blackish discocellular, and more distally brown patches beyond end of the cell. Apex acute.

Hind wing white, with a disocular spot and rounded apex. Both wings with light fuscous marks at submarginal line and with whitish cilia. Ventral side of wings whitish.

Femur greyish white. Tibia brownish grey, outer spur of hind tibia dark brown, one-third as long as inner spur.

Abdomen whitish, in males with black anal tuft.

Male genitalia. Uncus short, broad and robust, with strongly widened spatulate apex, dorsally covered with stouter spines. Valva with bluntly pointed apex. Vinculum strongly sclerotised. Saccus triangular. Harp pointed. Juxta short. Aedeagus very long, with two filiform cornuti.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales elliptical, densely covered with fine hairs. Anterior apophyses long, posterior apophyses short. Antrum strongly sclerotised, U-shaped. Ductus bursae short. Corpus bursae globular, without signa.

Distribution. Borneo ( Brunei, Sabah, southern Borneo), Indonesia and West Malaysia including Singapore ( Swinhoe, 1897; Hampson, 1899; Whitaker et al., 2014). First record for India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

Figures

Fig. 1. Crambidae. Adults, general view. A, Glyphodes cosmarcha Meyrick, 1887; B, Palpita cirralis (Swinhoe, 1897); C, Pachynoa xanthochyta (Turner, 1933); D, Pagyda arbiter (Butler, 1879).

Fig. 2. Crambidae. Male genitalia (A–C), female genitalia (D–F). A, D, Glyphodes cosmarcha Meyrick, 1887; B, E, Palpita cirralis (Swinhoe, 1897); C, Pagyda arbiter (Butler, 1879); F, Pachynoa xanthochyta (Turner, 1933). Scale bars: 1 mm (A–C), 2 mm (E–F).