Nemophora decoratella Kozlov 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kozlov, Mikhail V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Adelidae
Nemophora
Nemophora decoratella

description: Nemophora decoratella Kozlov, sp. nov.
(Figs. 2, 6, 8‒12, 18‒19)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 0931FB39-D014-49D1-A584-A7F14BF8E1EF
Holotype ♂: Indonesia, Sulawesi; labelled: 8 mm circle with red margin, print ‘Holo- | type’; 9 × 11 mm, print ‘nr. Chambi | (low country) | CELEBES | Doherty 1896’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham | Collection | 1910-427’; 9 × 16 mm, print ‘B. M. | Genitalia slide | No. 29979’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ | Nemophora | decoratella Kozlov’ (NHM).
Diagnosis. N. decoratella differs from all known Nemophora species, excluding N. bruneiella, by the presence of four to five compact small dark brown spots along the dorsal margin of forewing. From N. bruneiella it differs by glossy silver frons, absence of two dark spots in medial part of forewing, fused valvae and hook-shaped apex of phallus.
Etymology. From decorus (Latin)—beautiful, ornamented.
Description. Male (Figs. 2, 6). FWL 4.9 mm, WLR 0.45. Vertex brownish yellow; frons glossy silver. PLB 0.06 × vertical eye diameter and 1.7 × scapus, light brown, with brown and pale yellow raised piliform scales. Proboscis light brown, base densely covered with dark brown semi-erect elongated scales. Eyes enlarged, occipitally closely approximated, with straight dorsal margins; interocular index 1.55. Antenna longer than 2.6 × FWL (apical parts of both antennae are broken). Scape pale yellow; flagellum white to light grey; basal 50‒60 segments with dark rings, which gradually become indistinct towards the apex of antenna. Tegula and thorax bronze. Forewing pattern well elaborated; it includes a number of details, among which five minor dark brown spots along dorsum are most distinctive. Forewing base at costa dark brown to 0.3 × FWL, at dorsum bronze to 0.1 × FWL. The silver-white trian- gular spot separates forewing base from light coppery brown fascia, bordered on both sides by narrow lines of dark brown scales. The external margin of this fascia near costa is Z-shaped, and light brown coloration expands along the costa up to 0.6 × FWL, reaching internal margin of proximal pale yellow spot. Distal yellow spot narrow (half of the width of the proximal spot), approaching costa at 0.85 × FWL. Intensity of yellow colour in both these spots is highest near costa and gradually declines towards dorsum; dorsal parts of both these spots are almost indistinguishable, although they are not suffused by mixture of pale yellow, white, bronze and brown scales forming irregular pattern in distal half of forewing. Fringe brown to silver grey, with spots of light scales adjacent to light elements of forewing pattern. Hindwing light brown, with slight bronze iridescence; anal field almost translucent; costal area grey; fringe grey to white. Legs (femurae and tibiae) bronze to light brown; tarsomeres pale yellow; apices of all tarsomeres brown. Epiphysis at 0.6, reaching tip of tibia. Base of abdomen yellowish brown, tip greyish brown.
Female unknown.
Male genitalia (Figs. 8‒12, 18, 19). Tegumen nearly triangular, with prominent medial ridge. Socii oval, 1.5 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.0 × length of valva, with straight lateral margins and straight dorsal margin; valvae fused to tegumen (suture in medial part indistinct). Apices of valva and of tegumen are at about the same level. Ventral margin of valva medially with slight expansion; dorsal margin semi-round proximally and straight distally; apex narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.4 × total length; internal margins of valvae in this region indistinct. Anellus 0.4 × length of valva. Transtilla with narrow pointed medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.70), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus of about the same length as vinculum; apical part tip hook-shaped; base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped.
Distribution. Indonesia (Sulawesi).
Taxonomic affinities. Nemophora decoratella shares two possible synapomorphies with N. bruneiella: (1) forewing with four to five compact small dark brown spots along dorsum, and (2) basal field of forewing with silverwhite triangular spot adjacent to internal border of fascia. At the same time, an oblique light stripe directed from the costal margin of forewing to the middle of the external wing margin, which is present in N. decoratella, indicates its possible relatedness to the kalshoveni species-group, as defined by Kozlov (2016).
Comments. Left forewing of the holotype is kept in gelatine capsule pinned under the specimen. The exact position of the type locality (Chambi) remains unknown, although it is likely located in South Sulawesi to the North of Makassar, where Doherty collected in July of 1896 (Hartert 1901).
description: Published as part of Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2020, Three new species of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg (Lepidoptera, Adelidae) from Southeast Asia, pp. 477-484 in Zootaxa 4767 (3) on pages 479-482, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4767.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/3773065