Nemophora ceylonella 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 : 33-34

Nemophora ceylonella Kozlov , sp. nov.

( Figs. 40 , 92 , 124 )

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F35194E6-3766-49CD-BC2B-B9745C78B401

Holotype ♁: Sri Lanka, Central Province, Hasalaka (7° 21′ N, 80° 57′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘Holo- │ type’; 6 × 12 mm, print ‘Ceylon: Kan. Dist. │ 5miNW Mahiyangana │ 30Mar – 9 Apr 1971 │ P. & P. Spangler’; 4 × 13 mm, print ‘Malaise trap at │ Hasalaka │ Irrigation Bungalow’; 7 × 16 mm, print ‘HOLOTYPE ♁ │ Nemophora │ ceylonella Kozlov’ ( USNM).

Diagnosis. Nemophora ceylonella differs from all Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka by its extremely small size (male FWL 3.8 mm). This species externally resembles N. scitulella ( Figs. 41, 42 ), from which it differs by the large brown costal spot in the yellow basal part of the forewing, short medial process of transtilla and the hook-shaped apical part of phallus.

Description. Male ( Fig. 40 ). FWL 3.8 mm, WLR 0.41. Vertex pale yellow to light brown; frons glossy golden. PLB 0.2 × vertical eye diameter (0.6 × length of scape), light brown. Proboscis brown, base with a few golden scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.7; occipital distance 0.36. Antenna 3.4 × FWL; pegs present. Scape and flagellum light brown with bronze tint; basal 25‒30 flagellomeres with dark brown rings; Tegulae and thorax glossy golden. Basal 0.25 × FWL pale yellow, with large brown costal spot; apical 0.75 × FWL dark coppery bronze ( Fig. 92 ). Fascia narrow, 0.07 × FWL at both costa and dorsum; consists of pale yellow band, which reaches costa at 0.4 × FWL; external margin of this band protrudes apically to 0.6 × FWL. Fringe dark brown to brown, apically with golden lustre. Hindwing dark coppery brown; costal area grey; fringe brown. Legs light brown; apices of all tibiae coppery brown; tarsomeres coppery brown with yellow apices. Epiphysis at 0.5, almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown; distal margins of pregenital sternites light yellowish brown.

Female unknown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 124 ). Tegumen onion-shaped. Socii almost round, 1.3 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 3.3 × length of valva, V-shaped, with almost straight lateral margins; distal margin gently W-shaped. Tip of tegumen extends beyond tips of valvae. Valvae fused basally to 0.3 × length of valva; their internal margins indistinct. Ventral margin of valva with a lobe reaching 0.8 × length of valva; dorsal valvar margin straight; tip of valva rounded. Anellus 0.5 × length of valva. Transtilla with short medial process. Juxta 0.45 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.50), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 0.8 × length of vinculum, shallowly S-shaped; tip flat, wide, hook-shaped; base narrowly funnel-shaped.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Etymology. The species is named after a historical name of Sri Lanka ( Ceylon).

Comments. Metathorax with hind wings is kept in gelatine capsule pinned under the specimen.

Figures

FIGURES 33–40. Adults of Nemophora spp. 33, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880), male, lectotype, from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India; 34, ditto, female, from Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, India; 35, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922), male, from Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India; 36, ditto, female, from Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India; 37, N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 38, ditto, female, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 39, N. indica (Walker, 1863), male, lectotype of Nemotois chrysogona Meyrick, 1922, from Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India; 40, Nemophora ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka. 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 122–127. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 122, N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1907); 123, N. indica (Walker, 1863); 124, N. ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 125, N. scitulella (Walker, 1864); 126, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922); 127, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912); 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 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.