Nymphicula ochrepunctalis, 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 : 405-407

Nymphicula ochrepunctalis sp. n.

Description of imago (fig. 7). Wingspan 11 mm. Head pale ochreous; labial palpus terminal segment longer than second, pale ochreous; second segment with some pale brown scales. Antenna brownish ochreous; collar, tegulae and thorax pale ochreous.

Forewing base whitish; a dark fuscous subbasal fascia, bordering antemedian band which is broad white tinged ochreous, outwardly edged dark fuscous; medial zone irrorate dark brown from dorsum to costa; terminal area orange, not reaching costa; first strigula white inwardly edged dark fuscous; second strigula with lower half shining grey, inwardly edged dark brown towards costa; tornal spot barely separated from medial zone, not touching margin; terminal cilia fuscous except white above tornus.

Hindwing base whitish more or less suffused fuscous; antemedian band indistinct, brownish with a conspicuous deep ochreous spot in disc; a deep ochreous tornal streak with elongate metallic spot in tornus and beyond; medial zone as forewing; submarginal line strong, just paler than scaling of medial zone; five eye-spots, confluent especially 4 and 5, separated by metallic spots; orange between eye-spots and margin.

Abdomen ochreous; legs pale ochreous, fore- and mid-legs darker above especially on joints, second tarsus of male foreleg with pale ochreous scales.

Tympanal organs (fig. 33) Venulae secundae evenly curved outwards, slightly divergent; venula media weak, about half length of venulae secundae.

Male genitalia (fig. 55) Abdomen without hair pencils; gnathos over half uncus; valva length 4 x width; juxta finely spined. Aedeagus with sclerotised tip and curved cornutus.

Female genitalia (fig. 78) Ostial chamber weak, half length of bursa; courpus bursae bulbous anteriorly, signum comprising a dentate strip along its length, more heavily sclerotised near the edges of the strip posteriorly.

Material examined. Holotype ♀ "Smith Point, Cobourg Peninsula, N.T., 26.i.77 " in Coll. ANC.

Paratypes: 1 ♂ "Claudia River, Queensland, 13.11.85 " Genitalia slide No. 13087; 2 ♀♀s "Black Point, Cobourg Pen. N.T. 25.i. 77 in coll. ANC; 1 ♀ data as holotype in coll. ANC; 1 ♀ "Fanny Bay, Darwin, N.T., 3.iii.1967 " in coll. ANC; 1 ♀ "Port Darwin" BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 17639 in coll. BMNH; 1 ♀ " Papua New Guinea, Western Dist., Rouka, Morehead River, 14.iii.–28.v.1962 " in coll. ANC

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the ochreous spot in the hindwing.

Derivation. from the ochreous spot in the middle of the hindwing.

Distribution. Australia: Northern Terrritory, Queensland; Papua New Guinea, Western Province.

Nymphicula queenslandica (Hampson)

Cataclysta queenslandica Hampson, 1917: 376

Redescription of imago (fig. 8). Wingspan 13–15 mm. Head pale ochreous; labial palpus with terminal segment longer than second, pale straw; second segment clothed with pale brown scales. Antenna pale ochreous. Collar deep ochreous. Thorax pale ochreous.

Forewing: base pale ochreous, suffused brown; subbasal band brown; antemedian fascia broad, white, reaching from dorsum to sub-costal vein; costa brown from base to two-thirds of its length; medial zone small, triangular, white, densely scaled with brown except near dorsum; an indistinct white spot between medial zone and yelloworange terminal area in middle of wing; first strigula inwardly edged brown; second strigula narrow and straight, its lower two-thirds suffused metallic grey; tornal crescent almost touching termen; terminal cilia fuscous, except above tornus.

Hindwing: base white suffused pale fuscous; subbasal band broad, white with diffuse brownish transverse line in middle; antemedian band brownish, sometimes heavily suffused orange, and including orange spot; a yelloworange tornal streak with metallic spots before and beyond it; medial zone white, lightly and evenly sprinkled with brown scales; submarginal line a slightly paler brown than scales in medial zone; five black eye-spots connected by metallic spots; orange between eye-spots and margin.

Abdomen pale ochreous; legs pale ochreous, brown above on femur; tibia and joints of fore- and mid-legs.

Tympanal organs (fig. 34) with venulae gently curved and diverging anteriorly, then bent towards one another.

Male genitalia (fig. 56): abdomen without internal cornuti. Valva ovate with apex rather pointed, length 3.5 x breadth. Aedeagus with a mass of scobinate sclerotisation towards apex and a short cornutus.

Female genitalia (fig. 79): Ostium broad; ductus bursae nearly as wide as corpus bursae, signa comprising a spinose band extending to three-quarters of length of bursa.

Material examined. Holotype male, 2♂♂s & 2 ♀♀s in coll. BMNH, ( BMNH Pyralidae slides Nos. 17585 & 17640); 2♂ Dunk I., Q; 1♂ Cairns, Q. 4.xii.1986; 1♀ Kuranda, F.P. Dodd Feb. [19]04; 1♀ Annan R. nr Helenvale, Q; 1♀ Townsville, F.P. Dodd 29.iii. [19]00; 1♀ Brisbane, 8.iii. [18] 94 in ANIC.

Diagnosis. Similar to edwardsi but the tornal spot on the hindwing does not reach the termen. Distribution. Queensland, Australia. (Brisbane, Cairns, Dunk Island, Claudie River, Helenvale, Townsville, Cedar Bay south of Cooktown).