Saccharodite rubra ( Muir, 1913 ), 1981

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 156

Saccharodite rubra ( Muir, 1913)

Levu rubra Muir, 1913: 85

Saccharodite rubra (Muir) Zelazny, 1981: 236

( Fig. 310)

Redescription. Forewings 2.0 times longer than wide, length in female about 3.4 mm. Colour of head orange, but antennae, subantennal processes, clypeus, and labium stramineous; prothorax stramineous, but centre of pronotum orange; mesonotum orange-brown, an orange-red, not well defined mark in its posterior half, scutellum stramineous; meso- and metapleura, all coxae, and middle and hind femora with orange marks; abdominal tergites and pleura orange, sternites and genitalia stramineous. Forewings glassy; very faintly infuscated from clavus tip to base of Ms1, the veins in this area bright orange-red, as are costa, last subcostal sector, and short sections of M, R, and Sc; remaining veins stramineous; 4 brown spots on base of Sc+R. In profile, junction of vertex and face angulated; subantennal processes connected to margins of facial carinae by a low ridge. Forewings with Sc+R fork slightly before middle of wing; basal median cell broad, more than 2x as wide as basal cell between Sc+R and M; a small triangle at base of Ms1.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective ( ruber , -bra, -brum = red).

Type material. Lectotype ♀ (here designated) (forewing 3.4 mm, body 2.2 mm), INDONESIA: AMBON ISLAND; labels: 1) Amboina/ F. Muir 2) TYPE OF / L. rubra 3) Levu /rubra/ Kirk. + M./ 655 ( BPBM).

Note. Muir described the species from an unspecified number of specimens from Ambon, Indonesia. We designate the only available syntype as lectotype.

Distribution. Ambon Island, Indonesia.

Diagnosis. Saccharodite rubra cannot be satisfactorily characterized until the structure of the male genitalia is known. It resembles closely Sa. rostrata sp. nov. from Borneo and Sumatra, but has a stramineous clypeus, antennae, and anterior apical crossveins. It also shows similarities to Sa. rhinoceros Zelazny from Mindanao and Borneo, but can be separated from that species by the brownish mesonotum (with an orange-red mark in the posterior half), by the head being more orange (e.g. around the antennae), and by the orange-red marks on the legs being paler.