Nymphicula conjunctalis, Agassiz, David, 2014

Agassiz, David, 2014, A preliminary study of the genus Nymphicula Snellen from Australia, New Guinea and the south Pacific (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae: Acentropinae), Zootaxa 3774 (5), pp. 401-429 : 404

Nymphicula conjunctalis sp. n.

Description of imago (fig. 4). Wingspan 11 mm. Head pale ochreous; labial palpus terminal segment longer than second, pale ochreous; second segment with some fuscous scales beneath; antenna and thorax pale ochreous. Forewing base ochreous; subbasal fascia indistinct, fuscous; antemedian fascia white reaching from dorsum to subcostal vein; medial zone white irregularly scaled dark brown; first strigula narrow; second strigula narrow, lower two-thirds filled with metallic grey, diverging strongly to costa, white inwardly edged dark brown near costa; tornal spot a slightly triangular crescent not touching termen; a few traces of dark brown along termen, cilia pale fuscous.

Hindwing basal quarter white; antemedian band orange-brown; metallic tornal spot distinct; medial zone scaled dark brown bounded by a strong straight submarginal line; ochreous between eye-spots and submarginal line; five eye-spots so confluent as to be scarcely distinguishable except for four metallic spots between, with an orange dot on margin; cilia inner third fuscous, outer two-thirds whitish, more fuscous towards apex. Abdomen and legs pale ochreous, joints of foreleg darker above.

Tympanal organs (fig. 30) with venulae secundae parallel except diverging with strong curves at anterior end.

Male genitalia unknown.

Female genitalia (fig. 75). Ostium long and narrow. Bursa a long tubular shape with the posterior end bent back to make a U-shape; signa consisting of a spinose band from near collar to posterior end of bend in bursa.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, data: Holmes Jungle, 3.2 km N of Berrimah, N.T., 15 May 1973, E.D.Edwards & M.S.Upton - in coll. ANIC, slide No. 13091.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species in the genus by the conjoined eyespots of the hindwing.

Derivation. from the conjoined terminal eyespots of the hindwing.

Distribution. Australia, Northern Territories, Holmes Jungle, only one known specimen.