Homaloxestis plocamandra ( Meyrick, 1907 )

Park, Kyu-Tek & Byun, Bong-Kyu, 2007, Review of Homaloxestis Meyrick (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae) of the Philippine Islands, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 1449, pp. 57-64 : 61-62

5. Homaloxestis plocamandra ( Meyrick, 1907)

( Figs. 3 , 6, 6 a–b, 9)

Lecithocera plocamandra Meyrick, 1907: 737 . TL: Sikkim, India. Type in BMNH.

Homaloxestis plocamandra ; Clarke, 1965: 95; Gozmány, 1973: 414, 1978: 72; Park, 2004: 40.

Diagnosis. Wingspan 14–16 mm ( Fig. 3 ). This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following: antenna shiny creamy white, upper surface of forewing without pale orange band along costa, mesopleura with a long hair-pencil, and dorsal edge of the hind tibia with long hairlike scales in the male. The species is very similar to H. grabia Wu & Park , described from Sri Lanka, but H. grabia ( Fig. 6 c) can be distinguished by the longer hair-pencils on the mesopleura and a sharply pointed median process on ventral margin of valva.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 6, 6 a–b). Also see Clarke (1965: pl. 47, figs. 3a–b). Basal lobes of uncus rather broad, roundly concave on caudal margin. Gnathos moderate. Valva slender; costa gently concave; distal half densely setose; ventral margin strongly sinuate with short spines along margin, with protrusion at lower corner. Juxta small, concave medially, with expansions latero-caudally, truncated at apices. Aedeagus as long as valva, narrowed towards apex; apex pointed on dorsal surface; cornuti consisting of a row of 7–10 larger denticles, a series of smaller ones, and numerous spicules.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 9 ). Antrum small, cup-shaped, as wide as ductus bursae. Ductus bursae broadly inflated at middle, with many conical spines. Signum rhomboid, with a grove centrally.

Material examined. 5Ψ, 1ɗ, Luzon, Dinalupihan, Roosevelt Nat. Park, 9.V.1999 (Mey & Ebert), gen. slide no. CIS- 5021, 5041; 1Ψ, Luzon, Banquet, 19–21.XI.1997 (Mey, Ebert & Nuss), gen. prep. no. CIS-5269; 1Ψ, Luzon, Coto, Mt. Zambales, 150 m, 9–10.XI.1998 (Mey & Spiedel); 1ɗ, same locality, 5–7.XI.1998 (Mey & Spiedel); 2ɗ, same locality, 110 m, 5–6.V.1999 (May & Ebert), gen. prep. No. CIS-5266; 7Ψ, Panay, Iloilo San Bernadine, 400 m, 12.IV.1995 (Mey), gen. prep. no. CIS-5264; 2Ψ, Mindanao, Calimintao, 8– 10.III.1994 (Mey), gen. prep. no. CIS- 5267.

Distribution. Philippines (new record), Thailand, Nepal, northern India.

Remarks. We were surprised to find H. plocamandra Meyrick in the Philippines; it previously was known from northern India, Nepal, and Thailand ( Gozmany, 1978; Park, 2004) but not from China or Taiwan, which are considerably closer to the Philippines.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 4. Adults of Homaloxestis. 2. H. luzonensis, holotype; 3. H. plocamandra; 4, H. quadralis, holotype.

FIGURES 5 – 7. Male genitalia of Homaloxestis. 5, H. luzonensis sp. nov., paratype, gen. prep. no. CIS- 5226; 5 a, ditto, aedeagus; 6, H. plocamandra (Meyrick); 6 a, ditto, aedeagus; 6 b, ditto, a long rod in the 7 th segment with an extensile hair-pencils; 6 c, H. grabia Wu et Park, left valva; 7, H. quadralis sp. nov., holotype, gen. prep. no. CIS- 5027; 7 a, ditto, aedeagus; 7 b, ditto, rod in the 7 th segment.

FIGURES 8 – 9. Female genitalia of Homaloxestis. 8, H. luzonensis sp. nov., holotype, gen. prep. no. CIS- 5043; 9. H. plocamandra (Meyrick), gen. prep. no. CIS- 5269.