Nemophora asterodoxa ( Meyrick, 1928 ), 2023

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2023, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) of India and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5300 (1), pp. 1-81 : 24

Nemophora asterodoxa ( Meyrick, 1928)

( Figs. 27 , 84 )

Nemotois asterodoxa: Meyrick 1928: 462 .

Holotype ♁: India, Karnataka, Somwarpet (12 o 38′ N, 75 o 46′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘Holo-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘N. Coorg │ LN[ewcome]..2.[19]24’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ asterodoxa │ 1/1 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 3 × 20 mm, black ink ‘ asterodoxa Meyr. ’ (NHM) [examined].

Nemotois asterodoxa: Clarke 1955: 57 .

Nemophora asterodoxa: Diakonoff 1951: 162 .

Diagnosis. Nemophora asterodoxa externally is most similar to N. porphyraspis ( Meyrick, 1930) known from Kenya (females only); it differs from N. porphyraspis by shorter PLB, which are entirely cream to white, including the apical segment (which is black in N. porphyraspis ), and by less expressed forewing pattern, with diffuse dark brown fascia suffused by only a few yellow scales. Among species recorded in India and Sri Lanka N. asterodoxa is most similar to N. chalcomis ( Figs. 28, 29 ), from which it differs by the wide forewing fascia (0.20‒0.25 × FWL) and enlarged compound eyes in males (interocular index 1.1). N. asterodoxa also superficially resembles dark (aberrant) form of N. engraptes ( Fig. 7 ), from which it differs by the glossy golden vertex.

Description. Male ( Figs. 27 ). FWL 6.5 mm, WLR 0.37. Vertex glossy golden medially, with bicoloured row of piliform scales along occipital margin: scales next to compound eyes are dark brown, while medial scales are yellow; frons glossy silver. Tuft of piliform scales above antennal sockets dark brown; piliform scales between and below antennal sockets yellow. PLB 0.5 × vertical eye diameter (1.0 × length of scape), cream to white. Proboscis light brown, with few dark brown scales at the base. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.1; occipital distance 0.27.Antenna 3.0 × FWL. Scape and base of flagellum dark coppery brown, then colour of flagellum gradually changes to light bronze. Tegulae and thorax glossy golden. Basal quarter of forewing glossy golden, remaining part dark brown, costally with coppery tint. Forewing pattern ( Fig. 84 ) weakly contrasting with the background colour, diffuse, consists of wide (0.20‒0.25 × FWL) dark brown fascia sparsely scattered with yellow scales, mostly in costal half of forewing (approx. in 20: 1 ratio), and large apical spot with greater fraction of yellow scales (approx. 4: 1 ratio); this apical spot is connected by an oblique strip with external margin of fascia at costa. Fringe bronze. Hindwing brown with light coppery tint; costal area yellowish grey; fringe brown. Legs glossy golden to coppery bronze. Epiphysis at 0.55, almost reaching apex of tibia.

Female unknown.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Comments. The type locality (Somwarpet) is cited after Meyrick (1928). The abdomen of a holotype is missing; therefore characters of male genitalia are unknown, and the identity and affinities of the species are tentative. The external differences between N. asterodoxa and N. porphyraspis are so subtle, that I would synonymize these species if they both originate from the same region.

Figures

FIGURES 25–32. Adults of Nemophora spp. 25, N. ischnodesma (Meyrick, 1928), male, from Pidaung, Myanmar; 26, ditto, female, holotype, from Guwahati,Assam, India; 27, N. asterodoxa (Meyrick, 1928), male, holotype, from Somwarpet, Karnataka, India; 28, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Yala, Sri Lanka; 29, ditto, female, from Hambantota, Sri Lanka; 30, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Pune, Maharashtra, India; 31, ditto, female, from Pune, Maharashtra, India; 32, N. atkinsonii (Moore, 1887), male, holotype, from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 69–92. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 69, N. sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 70, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 71, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907); 72, N. engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), typical form; 73, N. ornamentella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 74, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907); 75, N. manipurella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 76, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023; 77, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 78, N. assamensis Kozlov, 1997; 79, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907); 80, N. chionites (Meyrick, 1907); 81, N. cassiterites (Meyrick, 1907); 82, N. griseella (Walsingham, 1880); 83, N. ischnodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 84, N. asterodoxa (Meyrick, 1928); 85, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907); 86, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907); 87, N. atkinsonii (Moore, 1887); 88, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); 89, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922); 90, N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1907); 91, N. indica (Walker, 1863); 92, N. ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURES 1–8. Adults of Nemophora spp. 1, N. sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928), male, lectotype, from Allandei (unidentified locality in Dakshina Kannada), Karnataka, India; 2, ditto, female, from Dibidi (unidentified locality in Kodagu), Karnataka, India; 3, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India; 4, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 5, ditto, female, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 6, N.engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Kandy, Sri Lanka; 7, ditto, male (aberrant), lectotype of Nemotois pollinaris Meyrick, 1907, from Maskeliya, Sri Lanka; 8, Nemophora engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), female, from Kandy, Sri Lanka. Scale: 2 mm.