Nemophora fluorites
Creators: name: Kozlov, Mikhail V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Adelidae
Nemophora
Nemophora fluorites

description: Nemophora fluorites (Meyrick, 1907)
(Figs. 11, 12, 74, 113)
Nemotois fluorites: Meyrick 1907: 991‒992.
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’; 4.5 × 9.5 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills │ Assam │ D. 1906’; 12 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ fluorites │ Meyr. 1/12 │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois fluorites │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 4 ♁ 1♀, labeled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│Lecto-│type’; 4.5 × 9.5 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills │ Assam │ D. 1906’; 12 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ fluorites │ Meyr. x/12 │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’ [males: x = 3, 5, 6, 8; female: x = 4]; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ [or ♀]│ Nemotois fluorites │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].
Nemotois fluorites: Meyrick 1912a: 7, 1912b: 9, 1914: 61; Matsumura 1932: 126, Pl. 4, fig. 21; Issiki 1922: 194; Clarke 1955: 143.
Nemophora fluorites: Wang et al. 2000: 11; Hirowatari 2007: 27‒32, figs. 1, 2c, d, 3c, d, 5a, b, 6, 7.
Nemotois takamukuella: Matsumura1932:125‒126, Pl.4, Fig. 18. Holotype ♁: Japan, Kyushu, Fukuoka [presumably mislabelled]: 8 × 13 mm, yellowish paper, black ink ‘Takamuku, Yanaga’; 6 × 18 mm, red paper, print ‘Type │Matsumura’ and black ink on reverse side ‘N. takamukuela’ [sic!]; 10 × 20 mm, red paper, black ink ‘Holo-type │ Nemotois │ takamukuella │ MATSUMURA’ (SEHU) [examined]. Synonymy established by Hirowatari 2007: 27.
Nemotois takamukuella: Moriuti 1982: 156; Razowski & Kumata 1985: 26.
Nemophora takamukuella: Inoue 1954: 9; Kawamura 1984: 4.
Adela suavis: Caradja 1938: 252, syn. nov. Holotype ♀, China, near Linping (approx. 30° 15′ N, 120° 18′ E); labelled: 7 × 8 mm, print + black ink ‘Lingping │ Südchina │ V. 22 │ H Höne’; 14 × 24 mm, black frame, black ink ‘ Adela │ suavis │ Car │ Type ♀ ’; 13 × 17 mm, red border, print + black ink ‘ ROMÄNIA [along left margin] │ HOLOTYPE │ Adela ♀ │ suavis │ Car.’ (MINGA) [examined].
Adela suavis: Popescu-Gorj 1992: 174.
Other material. India. 2 ♁ (MNHN). Meghalaya. 6 ♁, Khasi Hills; 4 ♁ 1 ♀, ibid., v.1907 (NHM); 4 ♁, 7.viii.1899 (MNHN); 4 ♁ 6 ♀, Cherrapunji, iv‒viii.1894 (Doncaster) (NHM). China. 1 ♁, Tien-Mu-Shan, 5300 ft, vi.1932 (NHM). Taiwan. 6 ♁ 1 ♀, Rantaizan, 7300 ft, 7‒13.v.1909 (Willeman) (NHM). 1 ♁, Nantou, Jian-ai, Songgang, 23.iv.1995 (Yen); 1 ♁, Shanbaling, 30.iv.1982 (Chang) (both in NMNST); 1 ♁, Prov. Ping-Tung, 10 km SE of Mutan, 470 m, 26.iv.1997 (Fábián & Kovács) (HNHM); 1 ♁, Polisha, 10.iv. (Sauter) (DEIE); 1 ♁, Fushan, Ilan Co., light trap, 27.iv.1995 (Hsiao); 1 ♁ 1 ♀, ibid., 28.iv.1995 (Warneke); 1 ♁, ibid., 27.iv.1995 (Yeh); 3 ♁, ibid., 30.iii.1995 (Jou); 1 ♁, ibid., (Jaung); 1 ♀, ibid., 15.iv.1993 (all in TFRI); 1 ♁, Kaohsiung Co., Liukuei, Shanpin Forest, 16‒23.iii.1990 (Heppner & Wang) (FSCA); 1 ♁ 1 ♀, Tyokakurai, 26‒27.iii.1944 (Issiki); 1 ♁, Rantasan, 21.v.1928 (Issiki); 2 ♁, Musya, 27.iii.1943 (Issiki); 1 ♁, Rengwati, 29.iii.1927 (Issiki); 1 ♀, ibid., 22.iii.1943 (Issiki); 1 ♁, Tattaka, 17.vi.1943 (Issiki) (all in USNM). Vietnam. 2 ♁ 1 ♀, Fan Si Pan near Chapa, 1600‒1800 m, 1‒7.xi.1995 (Siniaev & Afonjev) (ZMHB).
Diagnosis. Nemophora fluorites is nearest to N. ornamentella (Figs. 9, 10), from which it differs by the interrupted yellow band in forewing fascia, wide yellow spot in the apical part of the forewing (WLR> 0.65), sexual dimorphism in the forewing pattern and the presence of the incess on the ventral valvar margin. From other Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka N. fluorites differs by combination of the large moth size (male FWL 7.2‒11.0 mm) and the presence of the large yellow spot in the apical part of the forewing.
Description. Male (Fig. 11). FWL 7.2‒11.0 mm, WLR 0.29‒0.33. Both vertex and frons covered with yellow piliform scales, in some specimens with addition of brown piliform scales. PLB × 1.2‒1.9 vertical eye diameter (3.1‒ 3.9 × length of scape), light brown, densely covered with raised piliform scales, which are pale yellow on dorsal and inner sides of palpus and dark brown on ventral and external sides of it. Proboscis brown, base with yellow scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 0.9–1.2; occipital distance 0.1‒0.4. Antenna 2.3‒2.7 × FWL. Scape dark coppery brown to dark bronze, ventrally in some specimens with yellow scales; base of flagellum dark coppery brown to dark bronze, with pale yellow marks on ventral side; expression of these marks varies: in some specimens they appear already on the first flagellomere and cover up to a half of it, whereas in other specimens they are absent on first 10–20 flagellomers and, when appear, are very minor. Tegulae yellow to purplish bronze; thorax purplish bronze. Forewing (Fig. 74) yellow basally to dark brown apically; bright yellow medial band divided medially in two spots, costal and dorsal, so that fascia is X-shaped. Inner margin of costal spot reaches wing margin at 0.55 × FWL. Yellow spots are bordered by dark brown lines and then by lead bands. Basal part of forewing bright yellow, with three wide glossy lead longitudinal stripes reaching 0.45 × FWL. Apical part dark brown, densely scattered by yellow scales, with large oval to rhombic spot; wing margins glossy bronze. Fringe bronze, in some specimens with a row of ochreous scales forming a line around wing apex. Hindwing dark brown with slight coppery tint; costal area yellowish grey; fringe brown to bronze. Legs coppery brown to bronze dorsally, yellow ventrally; hind tibia almost entirely yellow, except for dark brown apex; bases of all tarsomeres yellow also dorsally. Epiphysis at 0.5, almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dark brown to bronze dorsally, yellow ventrally.
Female (Fig. 12). FWL 8.0‒ 8.6 mm. Antenna 1.2–1.3 × FWL, basal 0.6 densely covered with scales which are coppery brown and appressed at the base of thickened part of flagellum to black and semi-erect in apical part of it; distal part of flagellum silver or white. PLB light yellow, apical segment brown to bronze; basal segments with sparse piliform yellow scales. Tegulae and thorax yellow. Basal part of forewing yellow, unpatterned, costal margin coppery brown to bronze. Hindwing dark coppery brown, darker than in males. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Fig. 113). Tegumen dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii elongate, 0.7 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.5–2.7 × length of valva, with almost straight lateral margins; distal margin medially with deep (0.2 × length of valva) indentation. Tip of tegumen extends beyond tips of valvae. Basal parts of valvae (0.35 × valvar length) wide, closely approaching each other but not fused. Ventral margin of valva Z-shaped, with deep incess at 0.3 × length of valva; dorsal margin nearly straight; tip of valva pointed. Anellus 0.45 × length of valva. Transtilla with short medial process. Juxta 0.5 × length of phallus, arrow head wide (WLR 0.55‒0.65), with narrowly rounded tip and pointed lateral arms. Phallus equal in length to vinculum, basal 0.7 of phallus almost straight, base narrowly funnel-shaped; apical part thin, tip flattened, bifurcate.
Distribution. India (Meghalaya), China (including Taiwan), Vietnam.
Comments. One specimen in MNHN collection bears the label ‘ jucundella ’ (a manuscript name). The holotype of Nemotois takamukuella is the only specimen of N. fluorites known from Japan; therefore this holotype is likely mislabelled (Hirowatari 2007).
Biology. In Taiwan, males of N. fluorites were observed swarming between 4 and 5 p. m. atop of Castanopsis carlesii and Cyclobalanopsis sp. trees some 12‒15 m above the ground. The swarms consisted of 5‒ 12 males, which were travelling 50‒150 cm vertically and 100‒300 cm horizontally. Males were swarming for 2‒3 min with 3‒5 min intervals. Females of N. fluorites were observed on flowers of Pasania kawakamii.
description: Published as part of Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2023, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) of India and Sri Lanka, pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 5300 (1) on pages 15-17, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772