Levu amboinensis Muir, 1913

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 37-38

Levu amboinensis Muir, 1913

Levu amboinensis Muir, 1913: 84

( Fig. 170s)

Redescription. Forewings 2.0 times longer than wide, length in female about 3.4 mm. Colour of body stramineous. Forewings white; very faintly infuscated across apex of basal median cell, middle of Cu, and middle of Cu1 and Ms1b; slightly darker infuscation at base of 1st subcostal sector and at the forks R-Rs1 and M-Ms4. Forewing venation similar to Levu pallescens Metcalf.

Etymology. Derived from Amboina (the old name for the Indonesian island of Ambon), the latinized species name ( amboinensis , -ensis, -ense) is an adjective.

Type material. Lectotype ♀ (here designated) (forewing 3.4 mm, body 1.6 mm), INDONESIA: AMBON ISL.; labels: 1) Amboina/ F. Muir 2) Levu amboinensis / Kirkaldy + M. ( BPBM).

Note. Muir did not specify on how many specimens his description of Levu amboinensis was based. BPBM contains two females apparently belonging to his type series. Both have the same data and both are labelled " Levu amboinensis ". One of them contains the additional label "Type of L. amboinensis " and is kept in the BPBM type collection (# 5203). However, this type label was not formalized by a publication ( Medler, 1987). In addition, it has both forewings missing which makes even a definite assignment to a genus impossible. The 2nd female was therefore selected as lectotype .

Other material examined: INDONESIA: AMBON ISL. 1 ♀ (paralectotype of L. amboinensis, BPBM ) .

Distribution. Ambon Isl., Indonesia.

Diagnosis. The designated lectotype shows similarities to Levu vitiensis Kirkaldy from Australia and Pacific islands . However , the vein Ms 1a on the forewings is curved and the cross-vein to Ms 1b is very short. Male specimens from Ambon Isl. might help to better characterise this species .