Nemophora aglaospila ( Meyrick, 1928 ) Kozlov, 2024

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 : 16-18

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5423.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:622D5264-DBE2-463B-9A8C-AD1C77C90254
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/55600359-4B5B-FFF5-62C4-7EB4FAF443DF
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Nemophora aglaospila ( Meyrick, 1928 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Nemophora aglaospila ( Meyrick, 1928) View in CoL , comb. nov.

( Figs. 10, 11 View FIGURES 9–16 , 66 View FIGURES 63–88 , 92 View FIGURES 89–93 , 111 View FIGURES 111–113 )

Nemotois aglaospila View in CoL : Meyrick 1928: 463. Holotype ♂ (abdomen missing): Vietnam, Vũng Tàu (approx. 10° 25' N, 107° 08' E); labelled: 4 × 10 mm, red paper, print ‘TYPE’; 8 × 14 mm, black ink ‘Cap l’Jacqus │ Cochinchine │ X 1910 ’; 9 × 18 mm, black ink ‘ Nemotois │ aglaospila Meyr View in CoL │ type.’; 20 × 27 mm, black ink ‘ Nemotois │ aglaospila Meyr. View in CoL │ Exot. Microl., 3, │ 1928, p. 463’; 12 × 21 mm, pink paper, print + black ink ‘ Holotype ♂ Nemotois │ aglaospila View in CoL │ Meyrick, 1928 │ M. Kozlov design. 1999’ (MNHN) [examined].

Nemotois aglaospila View in CoL : Viette 1951: 83; Clarke 1955: 38.

Other material. Unknown locality. 1 ♂, 1884 (de Nicéville) ( NHM) . Thailand. 1 ♂, Kanchanaburi District, Sai Yok, 26.iii.1988 ( Allen ) ( NHM) . Laos. 1 ♀, Vientiane Province, Nam-Lik Eco-Village, 5.vi.2016 ( Omelko ) ( MZH) . Indonesia. 1 ♂, S. E. Borneo, 1891 (Doherty); 1 ♂, S. E. Borneo, Riam Kiwa, 500–1000 ft., 1891 (Doherty); 12 ♂ 1 ♀, Bali, 1896 ( Doherty ) (all in NHM) ; 3 ♂ 1 ♀, Eastern Borneo, Tabang, Bengen River , 125 m, 31.viii.–12.x.1956 ( Wegner ) ( RMNH) ; 2 ♂, Kedah Langkawi, Hotel Andaman, light trap, 9.–10.iii.2000 ( Mikkola ) ( MZH) .

Diagnosis. Nemophora aglaospila is nearest to N. sinicella ( Figs. 12, 13 View FIGURES 9–16 ), from which it differs by the glossy golden to yellow apical part of forewing patterned with multiple dark brown spots, and by the light golden ring on each flagellomere in the apical part of male antenna. In male genitalia N. aglaospila differs from N. sinicella by the relatively wide apical half of valva (about 0.5 × basal half width) and by the short arms of the arrow head of juxta. In forewing pattern N. aglaospila also resembles a typical form of N. engraptes ( Meyrick, 1907) , from which it differs by the yellow vertex, smaller size and absence of carinae on phallus. Glossy golden spot at the middle of costal margin occurs also in N. cleodoxa ( Figs. 17, 18 View FIGURES 17–24 ), from which N. aglaospila differs by the presence of dark and light semicircular bands surrounding this spot.

Description. Male ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 9–16 ). FWL 5.5–6.5 mm, WLR 0.37–0.42. Vertex golden; occipital margin with a row of long blackish piliform scales; frons golden. PLB 0.3–0.4 × vertical eye diameter (1.0 × length of scape), light ochreous brown, with a few raised dark brown piliform scales. Proboscis light brown, base with golden scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.0–1.2; occipital distance 0.1–0.2. Antenna 3.0–3.3 × FWL; 4–5 basal flagellomeres with minute inwardly directed pegs. Scape and base of flagellum bronze to coppery brown; apical part of flagellum grey, with light golden ring on each flagellomere. Tegulae and thorax from light golden to bronze. Forewing ( Fig. 66 View FIGURES 63–88 ) from light glossy golden to pale yellow; apical part of forewing usually darker than basal part, patterned with multiple brown spots. Base of R stem with brown longitudinal stripe. Basal transverse dark brown band arises from costa at 0.2 × FWL; transverse yellow stripe may be located at its internal margin or within this band; its extent varies from 0.2 to 0.5 × forewing width. Medial transverse dark brown band frequently does not reach dorsal wing margin; its costal part wide, with small golden spot at costa; this spot is surrounded by semicircular yellow line, which sometimes has short appendage directed to dorsal wing margin. Outer wing margin with variable pattern of minute yellow and dark brown spots; yellow spots sometimes form W-shaped figure. Fringe golden, with brown scales matching brown spots on wing margin. Hind wing basally whitish to light grey; distal part from dark grey with bronze lustre to dark coppery brown; costal area grey; fringe light grey. Legs glossy bronze to golden; apices of tibiae and all tarsomeres coppery brown. Epiphysis at 0.6, reaching or almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dorsally light brownish grey to brown, ventrally light bronze to light brown; distal margins of sternites silver-grey.

Female. FWL 5.2–5.5 mm. Antenna 1.5 × FWL. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 92 View FIGURES 89–93 , 111 View FIGURES 111–113 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii elongate, 0.8 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum V-shaped, 2.3–2.7 × length of valva, with almost straight to slightly convex lateral margins; distal margin nearly straight, with minute medial indentation. Tips of valvae at the same level as tip of tegumen or slightly extend beyond it. Both ventral and dorsal margins of valva nearly straight; tip of valva rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.40–0.45 × total length; internal margins not visible.Anellus 0.45–0.70 × length of valva. Transtilla with short triangular medial process. Juxta 0.48–0.52 × length of phallus; arrow head extremely narrow (WLR 0.3–0.4), with rounded tip and short or even missing lateral arms. Phallus 1.0–1.1 × length of vinculum; its distal part flattened laterally; base narrowly funnel-shaped.

Distribution. Thailand (this study), Laos (this study), Vietnam ( Meyrick 1928), Indonesia (this study).

Comments. The male from Riam Kiwa bears a label with the text ‘ Chrysothauma annuliferum W. Typ’; however, this name has never been published by Walsingham.

The species is variable in wing pattern and in the characters of male genitalia (length of valvae, length and shape of anellus); however, I found no consistency in the variation of wing pattern and male genitalia. Although I consider all examined specimens conspecific, they originate from a rather large area, and investigation of additional material may possibly demonstrate that populations from Borneo or Bali belong to another species than ‘true’ (i.e., continental) N. aglaospila .

The specimen collected by C. L. A. de Nicéville in 1884 likely originates from the surroundings of Calcutta, India, where he collected most of his material. Nevertheless, as no locality information is provided on the label of this specimen, I refrain from including India in the distribution range of N. aglaospila .This species is common in Thailand, as evidenced by multiple photographs deposited in iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21137197, 37156332, 87498516, 97642600, 115353295, 130161428, 131829477, 135069958, 150575602, 168273062).