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

description: Nemophora bruneiella Kozlov, sp. nov.
(Figs. 3, 4, 7, 13–17, 20–21)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 54E0974D-989A-4052-B998-C701C9149F98
Holotype ♂: Brunei, Rampayon river (4 o 19’N, 114 o 28’E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red margin, print ‘Holo- | type’; 7 × 12 mm, print ‘Brunei, 300’ | Rampayon R., LP 195, | GR 960785. Lowland | dipterocarp forest. | 21.IX- 24.IX.1992 ’; 4 × 10 mm, print ‘ G. S. Robinson | Brunei / Malaysia | Brit. Mus. 1993-2’; 9 × 16 mm, print ‘B. M. | Genitalia slide | No. 29465’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ | Nemophora | bruneiella Kozlov’ (NHM). Para- types: 1 ♂, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow margin, print ‘Para- | type’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘ Brunei, 300’ | Rampayon R., LP 195, | GR 960785. Lowland | dipterocarp forest. | 11-19.III.1989 ’; 3 × 10 mm, print ‘ G. S. Robinson | BM 1989-76’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARATYPE ♂ | Nemophora | bruneiella Kozlov’. 1 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with yel- low margin, print ‘Para- | type’; 10 × 15 mm, print + black ink ‘ BRUNEI | Sunbai Burong | 18:IX:1993 | G. PING’; 4 × 7 mm, print + black ink ‘BMNH(E) | 1975-216’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARATYPE ♀ | Nemophora | bruneiella Kozlov’ (all in NHM).
Diagnosis. N. bruneiella differs from all known Nemophora species, excluding N. decoratella, by the presence of four to five compact small dark brown spots along the dorsal margin of forewing. From N. decoratella it differs by pale yellow frons, presence of two dark spots in medial part of forewing, unfused valvae and absence of hook in the apical part of phallus.
Etymology. Named after the country (Brunei) where the type specimens have been collected.
Description. Male (Figs. 3, 7). FWL 5.2‒5.6 mm, WLR 0.39‒0.41. Vertex ochreous brown; frons sparsely covered with pale yellow to ochreous scales. PLB 0.5‒0.6 × vertical eye diameter and 1.8‒2.0 × scapus, light brown, with brown and pale yellow raised piliform scales. Proboscis light brown, base densely covered with dark brown elongated semi-erect scales. Eyes enlarged, occipitally closely approximated, with straight dorsal margins; interocular index 1.35‒1.65. Antenna 3.3‒3.6 × FWL. Scape and base of flagellum pale yellow; basal flagellar seg- ments with dark brown spots on dorsal side; surface covered by these spots increases gradually, and complete dark rings appear on each flagellomere starting from segments 10‒15; next 20‒30 segments with complete rings, then flagellum turns to brown or bronze. Tegulae and thorax pale ochreous brown. Forewing pattern well elaborated; it includes a number of details, among which four to five minor dark brown spots along dorsum are most distinctive. Forewing base at costa silver to 0.3 × FWL, at dorsum light ochreous to 0.1 × FWL. Basal part of forewing with narrow silver-white triangular spot adjacent to internal border of fascia. The greyish bronze fascia is bordered on both sides by narrow lines of brown scales; the internal margin of this fascia reaches costa at 0.37 × FWL and dorsum at 0.20 × FWL. Beyond the fascia, forewing is irregularly scattered with a mixture of white, pink and dark brown scales. A shallowly U-shaped light ochreous band surrounded by diffuse lines of brown scales is located at costa between 0.6 and 0.9 × FWL; costal area bordered by this band is greyish bronze. Central part of forewing with two greyish bronze spots located above the second and third black dorsal spots. Fringe dark brown, with spots of light scales adjacent to light elements of forewing pattern. Hindwing brown to bronze; costal area grey; fringe light brown to grey. Legs (femurae and tibiae) bronze to light brown; tarsomeres pale yellow; apices of all tarsomeres brown. Epiphysis at 0.65, reaching tip of tibia. Base of abdomen yellowish brown, tip greyish brown.
Female (Fig. 4). FWL 4.2 mm. Antenna 1.1‒1.2 × FWL, base not covered by scales. Frons pale brownish yel- low. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 13‒17, 20, 21). Tegumen nearly triangular, with pronounced medial ridge. Socii oval, 1.3 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2 × length of valva, with nearly straight lateral margins and slightly concave distal margin. Apices of valva and of tegumen are at about the same level. Ventral margin of valva concave; dorsal margin almost straight; apex pointed. Valvae not fused basally. Anellus 0.35 × length of valva. Transtilla with modest medial process. Juxta 0.4 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.55), with pointed tip and pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.25 × length of vinculum, almost straight. Apical quarter of phallus semitranslucent, spoon-shaped, with sinuate margins; base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped.
Distribution. Brunei.
Taxonomic affinities. Although N. bruneiella shares two possible synapomorphies with N. decoratella (see above), the external similarity between these two species may be convergent due to differences in the details of yellow pattern in the apical part of forewing. Whereas N. decoratella has an oblique stripe, N. bruneiella has U-shaped spot at the costal wing margin. A similar spot occurs in N. sinicella (Walker) and N. aglaospila (Meyrick), but both these species differ greatly from N. bruneiella in many characters.
Biology. Flies early in the morning, just before dawn, in dipterocarp forest; is attracted by light (G. S. Robinson, pers. comm.).
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 482-483, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4767.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/3773065