Nemophora ferruginea 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 : 38

Nemophora ferruginea Kozlov , sp. nov.

( Figs. 46 , 96 , 128 , 158 )

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C606347C-5777-4AF1-BED8-71FACE0BF934

Holotype ♁: India, Meghalaya, Cherrapunji (25 o 16′ N, 91 o 42′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘Holo- │ type’; 9 × 15 mm, print + black ink ‘Cherra Punji │ KHASIAS. │ IX 1894 │ Nat. (Doncaster.) │ 72169’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham │ Collection │ 1910–427’; 10 × 23 mm, pencil ‘Ferruginea │ ♁ type’, with red mark ‘MS.’; 9 × 16 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29976’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘HOLOTYPE ♁ │ Nemophora │ ferruginea Kozlov’ ( NHM).

Diagnosis. Nemophora ferruginea differs from all Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka by the rust coloured (i.e. dark ochreous with red tint) pattern that occupies the greater part of the apical half of the forewing.

Description. Male ( Figs. 45 ). FWL 9.2 mm, WLR 0.35. Vertex with sparse dark ochreous-brown piliform scales; frons medially with iridescent bronze scales, through which brown colour of head capsule is seen, laterally with elongate, dull, ochreous scales. PLB 0.45 × vertical eye diameter (0.65 × length of scape), ochreous brown, with a few raised piliform scales. Proboscis brown, basally with ochreous scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.1; occipital distance 0.15. Antenna 2.6 × FWL. Scape and proximal part of flagellum (up to 0.3 × FWL) coppery black, then colour abruptly (within 2–3 flagellomeres) changes to white; scape and 4–5 basal flagellomeres with narrow ochreous ventral line. Basal 12–16 flagellomeres dorsally thickened by semi-erect black scales. Tegulae and thorax presumably bronze (the specimen is greasy). Forewing ( Fig. 96 ) bronze, in apical part with coppery iridescence. Basal spot presumably small, oval (forewing base abraded, further details indistinguishable). Medial band of fascia wide, rust coloured, reaches costa between 0.35 and 0.50 × FWL; at dorsum slightly narrower than at costa; on both sides surrounded by narrow silver-grey bands bordered by dark brown scales. Rust colour in apical half of forewing forms Λ-shaped spot, with proximal leg adjacent to the external silver band of fascia and distal leg reaching tornus; intensity of rust colour decreases towards tornus, where rust-coloured scales are scattered over bronze background. Fringe bronze. Hindwing bronze, apically with coppery iridescence; costal area yellowish grey; fringe light brown to yellowish white. Legs bronze to brown; tarsomeres dorsally coppery brown. Epiphysis at 0.6, not reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dark brown.

Female unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 128 , 158 ). Tegumen widely dome-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii oval, 0.8 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 3.1 × length of valva, V-shaped, with straight lateral margins; distal margin gently W-shaped, with small medial protuberance. Tips of valvae and tegumen are at about same level. Ventral margin of valva with prominent (0.6 × length of valva) lobe directed posteroventrally; dorsal margin nearly straight; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.3 × total length; their internal margins indistinct. Anellus 0.35 × length of valva. Transtilla with moderately long medial process. Juxta 0.5 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.45), with widely rounded tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.1 × length of vinculum, in lateral view shallowly sickle-shaped. Distal 0.3 of dorsal wall of phallus forms a spoon-like lobe with serrate margins; ventrolateral parts form two horn-like processes on both sides of this lobe; right process shallowly C-shaped, left process in lateral view S-shaped. Base of phallus widely funnel-shaped.

Distribution. India (Meghalaya).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from ferrugineus (Latin: rust coloured) and refers to a forewing coloration of this species.

Comments. Although Walsingham clearly labelled a holotype, he never published the description of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 41–48. Adults of Nemophora spp. 41, N. scitulella (Walker, 1864), male, from Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; 42, ditto, female, from Hambantota, Sri Lanka; 43, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922), male, lectotype, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 44, ditto, female, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 45, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912), male, paralectotype, from Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, India; 46, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 47, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 48, ditto, female, paralectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 93–108. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 93, N. scitulella (Walker, 1864); 94, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922); 95, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912); 96, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov.; 97, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912); 98, N. kashmirella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 99, N. solstitiella (Walsingham in Walsingham & Durrant, 1900), typical form; 100, N. fuscomaculella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 101, N. nitidulella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 102, N. fletcherella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 103, N. angustialata Kozlov, sp. nov.; 104, N. pyrites (Meyrick, 1907); 105, N. smaragdaspis (Meyrick, 1924); 106, N. chrysidias (Meyrick, 1928); 107, N. athlophora (Meyrick, 1912), typical form; 108, N. costimaculella Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 128–133. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 128, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov.; 129, N. kashmirella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 130, N. solstitiella (Walsingham in Walsingham & Durrant, 1900); 131, N. fuscomaculella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 132, N. nitidulella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 133, N. fletcherella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 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 156–159. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 156, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922), paralectotype, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India, gen. prep. 30658 (NHM); 157, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912), lectotype, from Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, India, gen. prep. 31272 (NHM); 158, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov., holotype, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, gen. prep. 29976 (NHM); 159, N. kashmirella Kozlov, sp. nov., holotype, Kashmir, India, gen. prep. 29970 (NHM); a: genital complex, ventral view; b: phallus; c: apex of phallus. Scale: 0.2 mm (valid for a and b only).