Alara dux Distant, 1911

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 22

Alara dux Distant, 1911

Alara dux Distant, 1911: 643

( Figs. 11, 134)

Redescription. Forewings 2.2 times longer than wide, exceeding 4 mm in length. Colour stramineous; a red mark above eyes (rest of facial carinae mutilated); apical half of mesonotum, including scutellum, brownish (partly damaged by pinning needle); fore femora reddish brown; tips of middle femora and tips of fore and hind tibiae reddish; abdomen light brown, but most parts of abdominal sternites orange-red. Forewings powdered; light brown in basal ¾, interrupted by white areas, especially in costal cells and around apex of Cu1; apical quarter white, but infuscated along some parts of M and Ms4; veins of same coloration, most of costal margin bright red. Hindwings including veins lightly infuscated. Rostrum long, surpassing middle of abdomen (which is distorted by pinning needle in lectotype); antennae about twice as long as wide; subantennal processes small, connected to margins of facial carinae; lateral carinae of pronotum foliaceous. Forewings with Sc+R fork in basal quarter; Ms1 branched distad of its middle; base of Ms1 connected to Cu1 by a crossvein. Hindwings almost as wide as forewings. Male genitalia with pygofer narrow. Genital styles of lectotype mutilated; proximal dorsal process short; distal dorsal process long, well separated from proximal process. Aedeagus short, stem with two small dorsal processes; apical part very short, impressed dorsally, with two small terminal lobes.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin noun ( dux = a leader) used in apposition.

Type material. Lectotype ♂ (here designated) (forewing 4.3 mm), SRI LANKA; labels: 1) Type/ H. T. 2) Alara / dux Dist / type 3) MASKELIYA/ CEYLON / APRIL / J.P. 4) 1906 5) Distant coll./ 1911-383. ( BMNH).

Note. Distant described this species from an unspecified number of specimens from Sri Lanka "Maskeliya, Kandy". As he did not indicate how many specimens he studied we designate the only available syntype as lectotype.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Diagnosis. Alara dux shows similarities to A. armilla sp. nov. from New Guinea and A. interrupta sp. nov. from Laos. It is characterized by the forewing venation in which Ms1 branches distad of its middle and by the shape of the males aedeagus.