Nymphicula beni, 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 : 407-408

Nymphicula beni sp. n.

Description of imago (fig. 10). Wingspan 15mm. Head pale ochreous; labial palpus with terminal segment just longer than second, whitish with some brown hairs basally; second segment covered on the outside with brown hairs. Thorax whitish ochreous mixed fulvous. Abdomen pale fuscous; hair pencils arising from between segments 6 & 7, and at the base of the genitalia.

Forewing with costa arched; basal two-thirds of costa brown; base brownish; subbasal fascia white, narrow; antemedian fascia orange; median area fairly evenly scattered with brown scales; first strigula white, second strigula white in costal half, leaden dorsally, edged on both sides fuscous; tornal spot leaden.

Hindwing with base white mixed pale fuscous; tornus silver-grey, preceded by yellow streak from hind margin halfway to base; antemedian fascia white, edged brown; lunule yellow; median area evenly scaled dark brown; five eye-spots separated by silver studs, narrowly surrounded with yellow; a clear white submarginal band.

Foreleg of male with dense blackish brown scales on first and second tarsi; remainder of legs pale straw.

Tympanal organs (fig. 36) Venulae strong, divergent.

Male genitalia (fig. 58) Hair pencils about twice length of 7th segment. Uncus twice length of gnathos; valva spatulate, length about 8 times width. Aedeagus with a small cornutus.

Female genitalia (fig. 81) Ductus bursae fairly short; corpus bursae with sclerotised spinose patch extending for four-fifths of its length, the remaining one-fifth at the anterior end is narrower.

Material examined. Holotype ♂ Papua New Guinea | Southern Higlands| Tari, 5300ft | 10.i.1986 |D.J.L. Agassiz. and 3 paratypes (1♀, 2 ♂♂) same locality, 3–5.i.1986. BMNH Pyralidae slides Nos 23116, 23117.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to N. nigristriata , but has broader forewings with a more arched costa. The males are readily distinguished by the presence of hair pencils.

Derivation. after Mr Ben Probert, former Kiap of the Southern Highlands, who gave assistance.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, Tari, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.