Nigilgia atribractea, Kallies, Axel, 2013

Kallies, Axel, 2013, New and little known Brachodidae from tropical Asia and Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera, Cossoidea), Zootaxa 3641 (3), pp. 241-259 : 256-257

Nigilgia atribractea sp. nov.

( Figs 23 , 35 )

Material examined. Holotype. Ƥ “Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, Y. Basset coll. / Hand collecting/ beating, feeding Y, F / F. Torto59, Ficus microcarpa, Mazidaberi 17/1/1995 ” (USNM). Paratype, 1Ƥ, same data as holotype (USNM).

Description (paratype, female, Fig. 23 ). Alar expanse 13–15 mm. Head: labial palpus minute, grey, basal segment white; frons dark grey, shining. Thorax: dark grey, shining; legs grey; hindcoxa white, spurs white, mid- and hindtarsus each with two small white spots dorsally. Forewing: covered with black scales, each of which with distinct white spot in centre, such scales lacking from fasciae and termen; with broad black, golden-bordered transverse fascia at about 1/3, which widens somewhat towards posterior margin; with Y-shaped black transverse mark at about 2/3 that has a golden inner border; outer arm of Y-shaped mark distinctly widened towards apex, with single golden outer border extending from subapical area, without reaching the posterior margin; black area before termen relatively wide, in lower part with golden longitudinal streak extending indistinctly towards fringe, and with ill-defined golden streak in lower angle. Hindwing: dark grey with white fringe. Abdomen: grey.

Genitalia. Female (Gen. Prep. AK444, Fig. 35 ). Ovipositor long, but relatively wide; ostium round, situated in broad evenly curved indentation at posterior edge of last sternite; ductus bursae long, narrow, without distinct internal coil-like structure towards bursa; bursa globular, with large crescent-shaped signum with triangular extension in the middle.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to a number of congeners that occur in southeast Asia, including N. venerea , N. cuprea , and N. anactis . It differs from N. venerea by the single golden line bordering the outer arm of the Yshaped mark on the forewing (two golden lines in N. venerea ), and by the distinctly different female genitalia (with a small, simple, spot-like signum in N. venerea ). N. atribractea sp. nov. differs from N. anactis by the wider inner black fascia of the forewing that lacks white speckles (arrow, Fig. 23 ; narrower in N. anactis and with white speckles present in the lower part of the fascia). It also differs from both N. cuprea and N. anactis in details of the female genitalia (ductus bursae relatively wide and simple in N. atribractea sp. nov.; very narrow, with a coil-like internal structure towards the bursa in N. cuprea and N. anactis ; signum very wide in N. atribractea sp. nov.; narrower in N. cuprea and N. anactis ). N. atribractea sp. nov. differs from an undescribed species from Papua New Guinea (see below) and from Nigilgia browni sp. nov. by the different structure of the genitalia and by the coloration of the forewing scales (with a white spot in the centre in N. atribractea sp. nov., with a white spot at the distal end in N. browni sp. nov.).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 27. Phycodinae. Adults. 18. Paranigilgia brandti sp. nov., male, paratype, West Papua (Indonesia), alar expanse 19.0 mm (CAK). 19. Paranigilgia mariannae sp. nov., male, paratype, Sulawesi (Indonesia), alar expanse 20.0 mm (ANIC). Figs 20 – 22. Nigilgia anactis Diankonoff, 1982. 20. male, China, alar expanse 12.5 mm (CAK). 21. female, China, alar expanse 14.0 mm (CAK). 22. female, India, alar expanse 14.5 mm (BMNH) (arrow indicates inner black transverse fascia with white speckles near posterior margin). 23. Nigilgia atribractea sp. nov., female, paratype, Papua New Guinea, alar expanse 15.0 mm (USNM) (arrow indicates inner black transverse fascia without white speckles near posterior margin). Figs 24 – 25. Nigilgia browni sp. nov., males, Christmas Isl (Australia) (BMNH). 24. Paratype, alar expanse 9.5 mm. 25. Holotype, alar expanse 10.0 mm. 26. Nigilgia sp., female, West Papua (Indonesia), alar expanse 16.5 mm (USNM). 27. N. anactis, live specimen, Hong Kong (image Mark Sterling).

FIGURES 33 – 36. Phycodinae. Nigilgia spp., female genitalia. 33. N. anactis, India, Gen. prep. AK 702 / BM 32399 (BMNH). 34. N. anactis, China, Gen. prep. AK 607 (CAK). 35. N. atribractea sp. nov., Papua New Guinea, Gen. prep. AK 444 (USNM). 36. Nigilgia sp., female, West Papua (Indonesia), Gen. prep. AK 28 (USNM).