Nemophora pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912) Kozlov, 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 : 39

Nemophora pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 47, 48 , 97 )

Nemotois pyrotechna: Meyrick 1912a: 6 .

Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Meghalaya, Khasi Hills (approx. 25 o 35′ N, 91 o 36′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto- │ type’; 4 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.5.1907’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrotechna │ 1/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 10 × 18 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois pyrotechna │ Meyrick 1912 │ M. Kozlov design. 1999’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotype ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para- │ lecto- │ type’; 4 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.5.1907’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrotechna │ 2/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 3 × 25 mm, black ink ‘ pyrotechna Meyr. ’; 10 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♀ │ Nemotois pyrotechna │ Meyrick 1912 │ M. Kozlov design. 1999’ (NHM) [examined].

Nemotois pyrotechna: Meyrick 1912b: 8 .

Diagnosis. Nemophora pyrotechna differs from all Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka by the combination of two longitudinal yellow spots in the basal part of the dark bronze forewing and the transverse fascia consisting of the single band formed by a mixture of yellow and dark brown scales. In the forewing pattern N. pyrotechna also resembles the dark form of N. engraptes ( Fig. 7 ), from which it differs by small compound eyes in males.

Description. Male ( Fig. 47 ). FWL 6.8 mm, WLR 0.36. Vertex ochreous yellow; frons glossy bronze, with a row of ochreous yellow piliform scales below antennal sockets. PLB 0.95 × vertical eye diameter (1.05 × length of scape), light yellowish brown. Proboscis light brown. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.6. Antenna 4.1 × FWL. Scape and proximal part of flagellum (up to 0.55–0.65 × FWL) dark bronze; distal part of flagellum white. Tegulae and thorax glossy bronze. Forewing ( Fig. 97 ) dark bronze; basal part dark brown, with two longitudinal yellow spots; oblique external margin of basal part reaches costa at 0.2 × FWL and dorsum at 0.15 × FWL; dorsal yellow spot twice wider than costal yellow spot. Both fascia (reaching costa between 0.35 and 0.55 × FWL) and tornal spot consist of mixture of yellow and dark brown scales (generally 1: 2, in dorsal part of fascia 1: 5); external margin of fascia oblique; width of fascia at costa 2 × its width at dorsum. Tornal spot relatively small, with anterior margin reaching M1 vein. Fringe bronze. Hindwing dark brown, with bronze lustre; costal area grey; fringe bronze to brown. Legs glossy bronze; fore and mid tibia apically with coppery tint. Epiphysis at 0.4, reaching apex of tibia.

Female ( Fig. 48 ). FWL 6.0 mm. Antenna>1.6 × FWL (tips brocken), scape and proximal part of flagellum (up to 0.8 × FWL) dark bronze; distal part of flagellum white. Forewing fascia darker than in male, with dominance of brown scales over yellow scales (10: 1). Abdomen brown, ventrally with coppery tint. Otherwise similar to male.

Distribution. India (Meghalaya).

Comments.Abdomen of lectotype is missing; male genitalia therefore could not be investigated. By an unknown reason Clarke (1955) did not list Nemotois pyrotechna among species described by Meyrick.

Figures

FIGURES 41–48. Adults of Nemophora spp. 41, N. scitulella (Walker, 1864), male, from Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; 42, ditto, female, from Hambantota, Sri Lanka; 43, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922), male, lectotype, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 44, ditto, female, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 45, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912), male, paralectotype, from Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, India; 46, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 47, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 48, ditto, female, paralectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 93–108. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 93, N. scitulella (Walker, 1864); 94, N. chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922); 95, N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912); 96, N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov.; 97, N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912); 98, N. kashmirella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 99, N. solstitiella (Walsingham in Walsingham & Durrant, 1900), typical form; 100, N. fuscomaculella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 101, N. nitidulella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 102, N. fletcherella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 103, N. angustialata Kozlov, sp. nov.; 104, N. pyrites (Meyrick, 1907); 105, N. smaragdaspis (Meyrick, 1924); 106, N. chrysidias (Meyrick, 1928); 107, N. athlophora (Meyrick, 1912), typical form; 108, N. costimaculella 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.