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

description: Nemophora neurias (Meyrick, 1922), comb. nov.
(Figs. 35, 36, 89, 121, 152)
Nemotois neurias: Meyrick 1922: 536.
Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Tamil Nadu, Palani Hills (approx. 10 o 15' N, 77 o 30' E); labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Palnis 7000 │ India │ TBF[letcher] 8.[19]21’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ neurias │ 1/6 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois neurias │ Meyrick, 1922 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 1 ♁ 4 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Palnis 7000 │ India │ TBF[letcher] 8.[19]21’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ neurias │ x/6 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ [males: x=3; females: x=2, 4, 5, 6]; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’. Two specimens bear additional labels: [x=3] 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29440’; [x=6] 4 × 18 mm, black ink ‘ neurias Meyr. ’ All paralectotypes bear the label: 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁ [or ♀]│ Nemotois neurias │ Meyrick, 1922 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].
Nemotois neurias: Clarke 1955: 216.
Other material. India. Tamil Nadu. 1 ♁, Palani Hills, Kodaikanal, 18.viii.1921 (Fletcher); 1 ♀, ibid., 12.ix.1921 (Fletcher); 4 ♀, ibid., 22.viii‒12.ix.1929 (Fletcher) (all in NHM); 1 ♀, ibid., 23.viii.1929 (Fletcher) (MINGA); 2 ♁ 2 ♀, ibid., 22‒23.viii.1929 (Fletcher); 2 ♁ 1 ♀, ibid., 10.ix.1929 (Fletcher) (all in USNM).
Diagnosis. Nemophora neurias externally resembles N. indica (Fig. 39) and N. gemmella (Figs. 33, 34). From N. indica it differs by the glossy golden vertex and by the presence of carinae on phallus. From N. gemmella it differs by smaller size, larger interocular index, smaller occipital distance, the presence of yellow spot on the ventral side of scape and the absence of the hook-shaped lobe in the apical part of phallus.
Description. Male (Fig. 35). FWL 4.5‒5.6 mm, WLR 0.34‒0.37. Vertex medially glossy golden, laterally dark yellow, with dark brown scales; frons glossy golden. PLB 0.7‒0.8 × vertical eye diameter (1.45‒1.55 × length of scape), yellow. Proboscis brown. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.40‒1.55; occipital distance 0.30‒0.35.Antenna 3.3‒3.6 × FWL; pegs present. Scape dark coppery brown, ventrally with yellow spot; base of flagellum dark coppery brown dorsally and pale yellow ventrally; distal part of flagellum brown to grey. Tegulae and thorax bronze. Forewing (Fig. 89) bronze, with coppery tint; basal part (up to 0.3 × FWL) scattered with dark brown and bright yellow scales, which form alternating lines in costal half of forewing base. Yellow band of fascia narrow (0.04‒0.07 × FWL), reaches costa at 0.5 × FWL; on both sides yellow band is bordered by dark brown lines; internal line is thick and solid, whereas external line is thin and diffuse. Apical part of forewing with large oblique spot formed by both dark brown and yellow scales scattered over bronze background; this spot is connected to costa near external margin of fascia. Fringe bronze. Hindwing brown basally to dark brown apically; costal area light grey; fringe grey to brown. Legs glossy golden. Epiphysis at 0.6, reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown; sternites distally bronze.
Female (Fig. 36). FWL 4.3‒4.8 mm, WLR 0.35‒0.42. Antenna 1.8‒2.3 × FWL. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 121, 152). Tegumen nearly triangular, with small medial ridge. Socii elongate, 1.4 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 1.7‒1.8 × length of valva, V-shaped, with slightly convex lateral margins and almost straight distal margin. Tips of valvae at about same level as tip of tegumen. Basal part of valva (0.55 × valvar length) nearly twice as wide as its distal part; dorsal valvar margin straight; tip of valva rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.2‒0.3 × total length; their internal margins indistinct. Anellus 0.15 × length of valva. Transtilla with extremely long medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.6), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.2‒1.3 × length of vinculum; basal 0.7 of phallus almost straight; apical part split into two lobes gently curved posteroventrally; tip of right (shorter) lobe directed ventrally; left (longer) lobe apically hook-shaped, with tip directed dorsally; base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped.
Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu).
Comments. Meyrick based his description on six specimens collected in August by Fletcher; all these specimens were found in his collection and considered syntypes. In addition, the NHM collection houses one male and one female specimens from the type locality, collected on 18 August and 12 September 1921 and labelled (presumably by Meyrick) as paratypes. The status of these additional specimens remains unclear, and I do not include them in the type series.
One female specimen (labelled: 12 × 18 mm, print + black ink ‘Palnis; 7000 ft. │ Kodaikanal │ 23.VIII.1929 │ Fletcher coll.’) deposited in MINGA had been labelled as paralectotype by A. Popescu-Gorj. This unpublished designation is erroneous: the specimen (a photograph of which is available at http://clasate.cimec.ro/Detaliu.asp?k= 2D6 20776A80847CFBB4B2E9B30587CDA; accessed 20 December 2022) was collected seven years after the publication of the original description.
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 29-30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772