Nemophora phoenicites ( Meyrick, 1907 )

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 : 26-27

Nemophora phoenicites ( Meyrick, 1907)

( Figs. 30, 31 , 86 , 119 , 150 )

Nemotois phoenicites: Meyrick 1907: 993‒994 [incorrect original spelling: a ligature of the letters o and e should not be used in scientific names ( ICZN 1999: Art. 27)].

Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Karnataka, Coorg, Dibidi [unidentified locality]; labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto-│type’; 5 × 7 mm, print + black ink ‘Dibidi, │ N. Coorg. │ Newcome. │ 10.8.[19]06’; 12 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ phoenicites │ 1/5 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 12 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290.’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁│ Nemotois phoenicites │ Meyrick, 1907 │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. │ Newcome. │ 14.8.[19]06’; 12 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ phoenicites │ 2/5 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 12 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290.’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29428’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁│ Nemotois phoenicites │ Meyrick, 1907 │M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].

Nemotois phoenicites: Meyrick 1912a: 6 [justified emendation: ICZN 1999: Art. 19.2], 1912b: 7; Clarke 1955: 247.

Nemophora phoenicites: Das & Singh 2022: 265 .

Other material. India. Maharashtra. 4 ♁ 2 ♀, Pune , 19.viii.1928 (Maxwell) ( NHM) .

Diagnosis. Nemophora phoenicites externally resembles N. acaciae Agassiz & Kozlov, 2015 described from Kenya, from which it differs by the glossy golden medial part of vertex, the absence of dark spot at the forewing base, lighter (glossy golden) tegulae, thorax and basal part of the forewing, larger occipital distance between enlarged compound eyes in males, longer antenna, the absence of the deep incess on the ventral margin of valva and narrow (not protruded laterally) apex of phallus. From all Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka N. phoenicites differs by the combination of the incomplete light band in dark forewing fascia and the glossy golden tegulae, thorax and basal part of the forewing.

Description. Male ( Fig. 30 ). FWL 5.7‒7.2 mm, WLR 0.31‒0.34. Vertex medially with appressed glossy golden scales, marginally with raised yellow piliform scales; frons glossy golden. PLB 0.3‒0.4 × vertical eye diameter (0.8‒1.0 × length of scape), yellow, tip bronze. Proboscis brown, base with bronze scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 0.9‒1.1; occipital distance 0.6‒0.7. Antenna 2.6‒3.3 × FWL. Scape and base of flagellum coppery bronze; flagellomers 12‒25 with light yellow or white marks on external side; at about a middle of forewing colour of flagellum turns to yellowish or silver white. Tegulae and thorax glossy golden to dark bronze; tegulae usually slightly darker than dorsum. Forewing ( Fig. 86 ) glossy golden to dark coppery bronze; basal half darker near costa. Internal margin of fascia reaches costa at 0.45 × FWL. Fascia narrow (0.10‒0.13 × FWL); proximal band dark brown, with short line of light bronze to yellow scales in costal half of forewing; distal band narrow, pale ochreous brown. Fringe bronze. Hindwing light bronze basally to bronze apically; costal area grey; fringe bronze to brown. Legs bronze; base of first tarsomer and apices of all tarsomeres pale yellow. Epiphysis at 0.45, not reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown to bronze.

Female ( Fig. 31 ). FWL 5.0‒ 5.3 mm. Antenna 1.2‒1.3 × FWL; scape and base of flagellum dark coppery bronze, then colour of flagellum gradually changes to light bronze and at about a middle of forewing colour it turns to silver grey. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 119 , 150 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with short medial ridge. Socii oval, 1.2 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.6‒2.7 × length of valva, V-shaped, with straight lateral margins and almost straight distal margin. Tips of valvae slightly extend beyond tip of tegumen. Basal part of valva (0.5 × valvar length) nearly twice as wide as its distal part, with semicircular ventral margin; distal part narrow, with straight ventral margin; dorsal valvar margin concave; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.3 × total length; their internal margins distinct. Anellus 0.45 × length of valva. Transtilla with short medial process. Juxta 0.45 × length of phallus; arrow head small, extremely wide (WLR 1.0), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.05‒1.10 × length of vinculum, almost straight; base narrowly funnell-shaped, tip formed by two pointed processes: longer ventral, with straight tip, and shorter dorsal, with corkscrew-shaped tip.

Distribution. India (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra). The record from Kerala is based on a photograph (https:// www.inaturalist.org/observations/85343390).

Comments. I failed to find the type locality ‘Dibidi’ in any available source of information.

Figures

FIGURES 25–32. Adults of Nemophora spp. 25, N. ischnodesma (Meyrick, 1928), male, from Pidaung, Myanmar; 26, ditto, female, holotype, from Guwahati,Assam, India; 27, N. asterodoxa (Meyrick, 1928), male, holotype, from Somwarpet, Karnataka, India; 28, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Yala, Sri Lanka; 29, ditto, female, from Hambantota, Sri Lanka; 30, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Pune, Maharashtra, India; 31, ditto, female, from Pune, Maharashtra, India; 32, N. atkinsonii (Moore, 1887), male, holotype, from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. 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 115–121. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 115, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023; 116, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 117, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907); 118, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907); 119, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907); 120, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); 121, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922); 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 148–151. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 148, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907), from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, gen. prep. 31289 (NHM); 149, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), from Puttalam, Sri Lanka, gen. prep. 31285 (NHM); 150, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907), from Pune, Maharashtra, India, gen. prep. 31294 (NHM); 151, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880), from Kugti, Himachal Pradesh, gen. prep. 31817 (NHM); a: genital complex, ventral view; b: phallus; c: apex of phallus. Scale: 0.2 mm (valid for a and b only).