Euplocamus melanchrodes Meyrick, 1916

Huang, Guo-Hua, Hirowatari, Toshiya & Wang, Min, 2010, A review of the China-Himalayan members of the subfamily Euplocaminae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Tineidae), Zootaxa 2511, pp. 1-21 : 6-7

Euplocamus melanchrodes Meyrick, 1916

( Figs. 2 B, 4)

Euplocamus melanchrodes Meyrick, 1916 , Exotic Microlepidoptera, 1: 617. Type locality: Khasis (Assam).

Description. Male. Head: Vertex and frons covered with dense, erect scales, yellowish white, lightly mixed with gray. Antenna length about 4.0 mm in male ( Fig. 2 B), about 0.6 x as long as forewing; scape brownish gray mixed with white scales dorsally, white ventrally; flagellum dark fuscous. Maxillary palpus very short, with gray white scales. Labial palpus 2.0 x height of head, second segment with dense white scales mesally, dark gray scales laterally; lateral bristles absent. Thorax: Dorsally yellowish white mixed with black scales, except anterior half of tegula black. Forewing length 6.8 mm in male; forewing rather elongate, slightly rounded apically, about 3.3 x as long as wide including fringe (about 3.2 x as long as wide excluding fringe); ground color yellowish white, about 11 black quadrate spots along costa approximately uniform in distribution; apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; an oblique triangular blotch occupying basal fifth of costa, not reaching beyond fold; a large quadrate spot from basal 3/7 to 5/7, contiguous with costa but separate from posterior margin. Fringe short in apical region, long at termen, consisting of yellowish white scales irrorated with black at the apex; all veins present, R1 arising from 1/4 of discal cell; R5 extending to termen near the apex; 1A+2A 3.0 x as long as 1A; chorda extending to crossvein R-M. Hindwing relatively elongate, rounded apically, 1.7 x as long as wide including fringe (2.8 x as long as wide excluding fringe); ground color yellowish white mixed with broad and narrow scales, except basal 3/4 of costa with slender brownish gray scales; fringe short, longer along basal posterior margin, consisting of yellowish white scales; crossvein M- CuA present, M branched in discal cell. Abdomen: Dorsally yellowish white, irrorated with light gray scales at segmental joints; ventrally grayish white; abdominal segment VIII with coremata. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 ) with uncus complex, consisting of two distinct sclerotized lobes with dl and ll indistinct, al triangular, strongly sclerotized, with spinules dorsally, vl small, digitate, slightly sclerotized, with irregular spinules. Subscaphium membranous. Gnathos, strongly sclerotized. Valva elongate, inner side with dense thin bristles, basicostal projection of valva flap-shaped, strongly sclerotized, transtilla fused at anellus. Juxta absent. Aedeagus about 0.9 x length of valve, curved ventrally, inflated basally, cornuti absent. Female unknown.

Material examined. 13, China: Yunnan, Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, 1300 m elevation, 22.VI.2005, light trap, leg. G.H. Huang, L.S. Chen and J.X. Liu. Deposited in SCAU, China.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India; China (Yunnan). New to China.

Remarks. This species is easily distinguished from other Euplocamus by the male genitalia with a slender, elongate valva bearing a unique basicostal projection.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male adults of Euplocaminae spp. A. Euplocamus anthracinalis (Scopoli, 1763); B. E. melanchrodes Meyrick, 1916; C. Paspersus Butler, 1881; D. P. cuneus, sp. nov. holotype, male; E. Psecadioides tanylopha (Meyrick, 1932); F. P. owadai, sp. nov., holotype, male; G. P. prominens, sp. nov., holotype, male; H. E. charadropis Meyrick, 1934.

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Euplocamus melanchrodes Meyrick, 1916. A. Genitalic capsule, excluding aedeagus, lateral view. B. Right valva, inner view. C. Aedeagus, lateral view. D. Aedeagus, ventral view. E. Genitalic capsule, excluding aedeagus and valva, ventral view. F. Genitalic capsule, excluding aedeagus, dorsal view (dl = dorsal lobe, ll = lateral lobe, al = apical lobe, vl = ventral lobe).