Nemophora sakaii ( Matsumura, 1931 )

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 : 35-36

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5423.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:622D5264-DBE2-463B-9A8C-AD1C77C90254
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treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Nemophora sakaii ( Matsumura, 1931 )
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Treatment

Nemophora sakaii ( Matsumura, 1931) View in CoL

( Figs. 37, 38 View FIGURES 33–40 , 79 View FIGURES 63–88 , 101 View FIGURES 100–105 , 118 View FIGURES 116–118 )

Nemotois sakaii View in CoL : Matsumura 1931: 1113, fig. 2340. Holotype ♂: China, Taiwan, near Ch’an-ch’u-liao (approx. 23° 30' N, 120° 10' E); labelled: 5 × 13 mm, print ‘Formosa │ Matsumura’, reverse side ‘sakaii View in CoL │ 5.[19]21 │ Banshoryo [in Japanese]’; 8 × 15 mm, red paper, print ‘Type │ Matsumura’; 9 × 21 mm, red paper, black ink ‘Holo-type │ Nemotois │ sakaii View in CoL │ MATSUMURA’; 10 × 24 mm, red paper, black ink ‘ Holotype Nemotois │ rubrofascia f. formosicola │ Matsumura, 1931. │ M.V.Kozlov design. 1994’ (SEHU) [examined].

Nemotois sakaii View in CoL : Matsumura 1932: 121, pl. 4, fig. 3; Razowski & Kumata 1985: 23.

Nemotois rubrifascia : Issiki 1922: 194 (incorrect subsequent spelling and misidentification).

Nemotols sasakii [sic!]: Hua 2005: 2 (inadvertent error).

Nemophora sakaii View in CoL : Wang et al. 2000: 17–18; Liao et al. 2023: 8, 33, 34, 36, 100 pl. 5 fig. 1 (colour photographs of moths), 120 pl. 15 fig. 1 (photograph of male genitalia), 136 pl. 23 fig. 3 (photograph of female genitalia).

Nemotois rubrofascia f. formosicola: Matsumura 1931: 1112, syn. nov. Holotype ♂: China, Taiwan, near Ch’an-ch’u-liao (approx. 23 o 30' N, 120 o 10' E); identical to holotype of N. sakaii View in CoL (see comments) ( SEHU) [examined]. GoogleMaps

Other material. India. 1 ♀, Meghalaya, Cherrapunji , vii.1894 (Doncaster) ( NHM) . Taiwan. 1 ♂, Syussuiha , 25.iii.1944 (Issiki) ; 1 ♀, Sinten , 3.v.1934 (Issiki) ; 1 ♂, Hassenzan , 30.viii.1929 (Issiki) ; 1 ♂ 1♀, Sozan , 25.iv.1935 (Issiki) ; 1 ♂ [no data] (Issiki); 1 ♂, Pianan , 9.viii.1943 (Mutuura) ; 1 ♂, Rarasan , 29.vi.1943 (Issiki) (all in USNM) ; 1 ♂, Kasempo , x.1911 (Sauter) ( DEIE) ; 1 ♂, Nantou County, Jian-ai, Songgang , 23.iv.1995 (Yen) ( NMNST) ; 16 ♂ 5 ♀, 23 km NNE Puli , 1200 m, 25.iv.2001 (Kozlov) ( MZH) . Thailand. 1 ♂, Nakhon Nayok Province, Khao Yai National Park , 720 m, 31.viii.–6.ix.1986 (Robinson) ( NHM) .

Diagnosis. Nemophora sakaii is nearest to N. rubrofascia ( Christoph, 1882) , from which it differs by the bronze to coppery bronze forewing, noticeable tufts of black scales at the apices of fore and mid tibiae, absence of antennal pegs in males, larger compound eyes in males (interocular index 1.2–1.5), longer valvae (ca. 1.5 × length of tegumen), presence of almost rectangular lobe on the ventral valvar margin, and wide U-shaped vinculum with prominent lateral margins. Nemophora sakaii also resembles N. purpurata Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al. 2023 and N. hunanensis Liao, Hirowatari & Huang in Liao et al. 2023, from which it differs by the short occipital distance between compound eyes in males and by the relatively wide fascia.

Description. Male ( Fig. 37 View FIGURES 33–40 ). FWL 6.2–8.2 mm, WLR 0.33–0.37. Vertex ochreous yellow; frons, PLB and proboscis bright reddish-ochreous. Eyes enlarged; interocular index 1.2–1.5; occipital distance 0.05–0.10. PLB 0.6–0.7 × vertical eye diameter (0.7–0.9 × length of scape). Antenna 2.7–3.1 × FWL; pegs absent. Scape yellowish brown, with bright ochreous scales on internal surface; flagellum brown to bronze; basal 10–14 flagellomeres dorsally covered with blackish, blue iridescent scales. Tegulae and thorax bronze. Forewing ( Fig. 79 View FIGURES 63–88 ) bronze to coppery bronze, with small black basal spot; medial band of fascia wide (0.18–0.23 × FWL), at costa 1.2–1.6 × width at dorsum, bright red (in live or fresh specimens) to pale ochreous (in specimens captured long ago), on both sides bordered by narrow black to dark brown lines; fringe brown. Hindwing brown, apically with bronze lustre; costal area white to light grey; fringe brown. Legs brown; fore and mid tibiae dark brown to blackish, apically with characteristic tufts of semi-erect long scales; tarsal segments light brown to pale yellow. Epiphysis at 0.4, not reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dorsally brown with slight bronze tint; ventrally glossy bronze.

Female ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 33–40 ). FWL 6.4–6.7 mm. Antenna 1.3 × FWL; basal part of flagellum (to middle of forewing fascia) thickened by dark brown to blackish scales, which are appressed near scape but semi-erect at level of fascia, forming characteristic scale-thickening. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 101 View FIGURES 100–105 , 118 View FIGURES 116–118 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii elongate, 1.0–1.2 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.6–3.0 × length of valva, U-shaped, with concave lateral margins and gently Wshaped distal margin. Tips of valvae extend beyond tip of tegumen. Valvae connected basally to 0.1 × total length; ventral valvar margin with large lobe; inner margins of these lobes nearly parallel to each other; dorsal margin slightly concave; apical part of valva narrow, with tuberculate surface; tip of valva (see from ventral side) nearly rectangular. Anellus 0.5 × length of valva. Transtilla with moderately long medial process. Juxta 0.4 × length of phallus; arrow head wide (WLR 0.65), with rounded tip and long pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.0 × length of vinculum, with trifurcate apex and narrowly funnel-shaped base.

Distribution. India (this study), continental China ( Liao et al. 2023), Taiwan ( Issiki 1922, as Nemotois rubrifascia ), Thailand (this study).

Comments. The specimen from India deposited in NHM is labelled ‘ rubroantiaca ’. Nevertheless, Walsingham never published its description.

Matsumura (1931) simultaneously described two adelids with a red medial band of fascia, Nemotois rubrofascia f. formosicola and N. sakaii , from the same locality in Taiwan; both descriptions are based on a single male specimen. However, Razowski & Kumata (1985) found only one red-banded specimen of Nemophora from this locality and considered it the holotype of N. sakaii .

The loss of a holotype of N. rubrofascia f. formosicola from Matsumura’s collection seems unlikely. To explain its absence, T. Kumata (pers. comm.) suggested that Matsumura erroneously described two taxa based on same specimen, and I agree with his suggestion. This opinion is indirectly supported by Matsumura (1932), who in his revision of Japanese Adelidae listed both N. rubrofascia and N. sakaii but did not mention f. formosicola.

The taxon N. sakaii has a higher rank (specific) than N. rubrofascia formosicola (subspecific; ICZN 1999: Art. 45.6.4). Consequently, I propose N. rubrofascia formosicola as a junior objective synonym of N. sakaii ( ICZN 1999: Art. 24.1).