Nemophora nieukerkeni Kozlov, 2024

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2024, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Zootaxa 5423 (1), pp. 1-66 : 12-13

Nemophora nieukerkeni Kozlov , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:610CBA86-7653-4A07-B1A1-A5502C0ED0FB

( Figs. 2 , 63 , 89 )

Holotype ♂: Vietnam, Phan Xi Pang (22° 19' 08" N, 103° 47' 14" E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘ Holo- │ type’; 12 × 19 mm, print ‘RMNH/EvN no 2001237 │ VIETNAM (Lao Cai) │ Hoang Lien Song, Phan Xi │ Pang ( Fansipan ) NW slopes │ near Sin Chai ; base camp, 2100 │ m; UTM: 48Q UK750686. │ 24.x.2001 │ E.J.v. Nieukerken & J. C. Koster’; 8 × 18, print ‘ Primary mountain broadleaved │ evergreen forest; at light ML │ 17.30–22.30 hrs │ RMNH │ EvN no 2001237’; 8 × 15, print ‘RMNH Microlepidoptera │ Genitalia slide │ E. J. van Nieukerken │ 3588 ♂ ’; 8 × 17, print ‘[datamatrix code] RMNH.INS │ 23588’; 7 × 19 mm, print ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ │ Nemophora │ nieukerkeni Kozlov’ ( RMNH) [examined] .

Diagnosis. Nemophora nieukerkeni differs from all other Nemophora species recorded in Southeast Asia by light yellow spot along the outer forewing margin; this spot is much lighter than the forewing background colour. This new species is similar to N. recurvatifera Sun, Wang & Li, 2022 , from which it differs by the silver-grey spot in the apical part of forewing connected to the costal forewing margin, long and narrow vinculum (2.9 × length of valva), shape of valva and, likely, the absence of carinae on phallus (this character is not visible in male genitalia illustration published by Sun et al. 2022). In the forewing pattern N. nieukerkeni resembles N. karsholti ( Figs. 3, 4 ), from which it differs by the absence of silver-grey longitudinal stripes on both sides of CuP stem in the basal part of forewing, absence of large (0.7 × forewing width) silver-grey transverse spot between the fascia and the longitudinal pattern in the basal part of forewing, the silver-grey spot in the apical part of forewing not reaching costal forewing margin, longer carinae on phallus (almost reaching apex of its dorsal lobe) and the absence of a hook-shaped process on the dorsal lobe of phallus.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2 ). FWL 10.6 mm, WLR 0.28. Vertex pale yellow, with sparse dark brown scales; frons glossy golden. PLB 1.7 × vertical eye diameter (1.2 × length of scape), pale yellow, with sparse raised dark brown piliform scales. Proboscis dark brown, basally with bronze scales. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.5. Antenna 3.5 × FWL, with simple inwardly directed pegs. Scape dark coppery bronze dorsolaterally, yellow ventrally; basal part of flagellum dark coppery bronze; colour of flagellum at level of forewing fascia gradually changes to silver-grey. Tegulae and thorax glossy bronze. Forewing ( Fig. 63 ) ochreous brown; its basal part with silver-grey longitudinal stripe along costal margin and with several thin dark brown longitudinal lines and with two yellow stripes located along R and CuP stems; small transverse silver-grey spot (0.25 × forewing width) is located between distal ends of these bands and fascia; costal and dorsal margins basally dark brown. Fascia nearly X-shaped, its medial band is ochreous brown in the middle and pale yellow at both costal and dorsal margins; internal margin of this band reaches costa at 0.57 × FWL; this medial band is surrounded on both sides by silver-grey bands.Apical part of forewing with small triangular yellow spot at costa and wide oblique silver-grey spot, which is nearly parallel to outer wing margin; area between this spot and wing margin is pale yellow, clearly contrasting colour of forewing between fascia and this oblique spot. Fringe dark brown to bronze. Hindwing brown; costal area light grey; R and M1 stalked; fringe grey at wing base to brown at apex. Legs bronze dorsally, yellow ventrally. Epiphysis at 0.55, reaching apex of tibia. Colour of abdomen unknown.

Female unknown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 89 ). Tegumen narrowly dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii 1.2 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.9 × length of valva, Y-shaped, with slightly convex lateral margins; distal margin nearly straight. Tip of tegumen extends beyond tips of valvae. Ventral margin of valva gently W-shaped; dorsal margin slightly concave; tip of valva narrow, with straight interior angle. Valvae fused basally up to 0.25 × total length; valvar margins in the fused area indistinct. Anellus 0.25 × length of valva, not reaching its base. Transtilla with long pointed medial process. Anal cone with distinct triangular sclerotisation around tip of medial process of transtilla. Juxta 0.47 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.4), with pointed tip and long pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.2 × length of vinculum, almost straight, with two carinae articulated at 0.67 × its length (counting from base); left carina slightly shorter than right carina. Tip of phallus axe-shaped; base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped.

Biology. The specimen was attracted by light in primary mountain broadleaved evergreen forest (E. J. van Nieukerken, pers. comm.).

Distribution. Vietnam (this study).

Etymology. The species is named after one of its collectors, Erik J. van Nieukerken, a Dutch lepidopterologist intensively studying archaic moths.

Comments. The DNA barcode of the holotype is available from https://www.boldsystems.org/, process identifier LEVIE2605-13.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Adults of Nemophora spp. 1, N. bifasciatella Issiki, 1930, female, from Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand; 2, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Phan Xi Pang, Vietnam; 3, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov., male, paratype, from Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand; 4, ditto, female, paratype, from the same locality; 5, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Changwat Nan, Thailand; 6, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 7, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 8, N. tanakai Hirowatari, 2007, male, paratype, from Tam Dao, Vietnam. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 63–88. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 63, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 64, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov.; 65, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 66, N. aglaospila (Meyrick, 1928); 67, N. sinicella (Walker, 1863); 68, N. ahenea Stringer, 1930; 69, N. vietnamensis Kozlov, sp. nov.; 70, N. cleodoxa (Meyrick, 1922); 71, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912); 72, N. punctifasciella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 73, N. satrapodes (Meyrick, 1894); 74, N. thailandensis Kozlov, sp. nov.; 75, N. melichlorias (Meyrick, 1907); 76, N. nigripunctella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 77, N. chalcoptera Kozlov, sp. nov.; 78, N. caeruliantenna Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al., 2023; 79, N. sakaii (Matsumura, 1931); 80, N. auricapitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 81, N. umbripennis Stringer, 1930; 82, N. aurifera (Butler, 1881); 83, N. nielseni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 84, N. meyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 85, N. yeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 86, N. rubicunda Kozlov, sp. nov.; 87, N. pecuniosa (Meyrick, 1921); 88, N. kuznetzovi Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURES 89–93. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 89, N. nieukerkeni Kozlov, sp. nov.; 90, N. karsholti Kozlov, sp. nov.; 91, N. szabokyi Kozlov, sp. nov.; 92, N. aglaospila (Meyrick, 1928); 93, N. sinicella (Walker, 1863); 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.