Nephelomilta pellucida Volynkin & Černý 2018, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Volynkin, Anton V.
name: Černý, Karel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Arctiidae
Nephelomilta
Nephelomilta pellucida

description: Nephelomilta pellucida (Rothschild, 1936), comb. nov.
(Figs. 43–45, 104, 136)
Chionaema pellucida ROThSChILD, 1936, The Annals and magazine of natural history (10) 17: 487 (Type LOCALITy: [INDONeSIA] “SINgOLANgOe, TeNggeR, JAvA”).
Type material examined. Lectotype (designated herein) (Fig. 43): ♂, printed label “Singolangoe, Tengger, 5.000’, IV.1934 (F.P.A. Kalis)” / printed label “Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-I ” / hanwritten label “ Chionaema pellucida Type Rothsch.” / round printed label with a red circle “Type” / printed label with QR-code “BMNH(E) 1377275” (Coll. NHMUK); Paralectotypes: 3 ♂, Singolangoe, Tengger, 5.000’, IV.1934 (F.P.A. Kalis) / Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-I, slide NHMUK010313555 Volynkin (Coll. NHMUK).
Other material examined. 1 ♂, same data, as in the types, but V.1934, slide BMNH (E) Arct-6464 ♂ (Coll. NHMUK); 1 ♂, W Java, Cidahu, Halimun-Salak NP, 10–13.IV.2016, leg. W. Mey, slide AV2902 ♂ Volynkin (Coll. ZMB); 1 ♀, W Java, Cikaniki Stn., Halimun-Salak NP, 15–20.IV.2016, leg. W. Mey, slide AV2903 ♀ Volynkin (Coll. ZMB).
Remark. In the original description, Rothschild (1936) cited four specimens with the date ‘ April 1934 ’, which are syntypes. The specimen with the date V.1934 does not belong to the type series. Here we designate as a lectotype the syntype specimen labelled as “ Type ”.
Diagnosis. Length of forewing is 10–11 mm in males and 13 mm in females. The species is similar externally only to Vietnamese N. wolfgangspeideli sp. nov. due to its red subterminal forewing area and the dark greyish hindwings, but differs from it by the broader forewings, the narrower transverse lines, the smaller medial spot, and the larger discal spots. The male genitalia differ clearly from those of N. wolfgangspeideli sp. nov. in the broader apical lobes of the juxta, the more developed medial costal angle, the significantly narrower distal section of the costa, the significantly smaller, stick-like apical process of the costa, the smaller ventral-apical costal process, the narrower sacculus with the larger subapical process, the slightly smaller carinal plate of the aedeagus, the larger distal diverticulum of the vesica having the cluster of smaller spines, the presence of a subbasal diverticulum, and the medial diverticulum broader and directed perpendicular to the aedeagus axis. The male genitalia of N. pellucida are more similar to those of its closest relatives N. klapperichi and N. ranau sp. nov., but differ clearly in the significantly smaller apical lobe of the costa, the significantly smaller ampulla with wavy ventral margin having only one small thorn (whereas in N. klapperichi and N. ranau sp. nov. the ampulla is much broader, with the almost straight ventral margin having numerous small denticles), the significantly longer subapical saccular process, the more weakly sclerotized carinal plate of the aedeagus with the less numerous and weaker spikes, the significantly smaller distal diverticulum of the vesica covered with very weak spinules, and the significantly shorter medial diverticulum without lateral granulation. Compared those of N. klapperichi and N. ranau sp. nov., the female genitalia of N. pellucida have the much broader antevaginal plate, the rounded subostial lobes of the ductus bursae without ventral processes, the significantly shorter and narrower ductus bursae, the much smaller spinules in the medial cluster of the corpus bursae, and the much smaller signum.
Distribution. Endemic of Java Island (Indonesia).
description: Published as part of Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2018, Revision of the genus Nephelomilta Hampson, 1900, with descriptions of twelve new species and two new subspecies (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 401-451 in Zootaxa 4472 (3) on pages 414-415, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4472.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1452626