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

description: Nemophora pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912), comb. nov.
(Figs. 47, 48, 97)
Nemotois pyrotechna: Meyrick 1912a: 6.
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 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.5.1907’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrotechna │ 1/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 10 × 18 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois pyrotechna │ Meyrick 1912 │ M. Kozlov design. 1999’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotype ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para- │ lecto- │ type’; 4 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.5.1907’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrotechna │ 2/2 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 3 × 25 mm, black ink ‘ pyrotechna Meyr. ’; 10 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♀ │ Nemotois pyrotechna │ Meyrick 1912 │ M. Kozlov design. 1999’ (NHM) [examined].
Nemotois pyrotechna: Meyrick 1912b: 8.
Diagnosis. Nemophora pyrotechna differs from all Nemophora species recorded in India and Sri Lanka by the combination of two longitudinal yellow spots in the basal part of the dark bronze forewing and the transverse fascia consisting of the single band formed by a mixture of yellow and dark brown scales. In the forewing pattern N. pyrotechna also resembles the dark form of N. engraptes (Fig. 7), from which it differs by small compound eyes in males.
Description. Male (Fig. 47). FWL 6.8 mm, WLR 0.36. Vertex ochreous yellow; frons glossy bronze, with a row of ochreous yellow piliform scales below antennal sockets. PLB 0.95 × vertical eye diameter (1.05 × length of scape), light yellowish brown. Proboscis light brown. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.6. Antenna 4.1 × FWL. Scape and proximal part of flagellum (up to 0.55–0.65 × FWL) dark bronze; distal part of flagellum white. Tegulae and thorax glossy bronze. Forewing (Fig. 97) dark bronze; basal part dark brown, with two longitudinal yellow spots; oblique external margin of basal part reaches costa at 0.2 × FWL and dorsum at 0.15 × FWL; dorsal yellow spot twice wider than costal yellow spot. Both fascia (reaching costa between 0.35 and 0.55 × FWL) and tornal spot consist of mixture of yellow and dark brown scales (generally 1: 2, in dorsal part of fascia 1: 5); external margin of fascia oblique; width of fascia at costa 2 × its width at dorsum. Tornal spot relatively small, with anterior margin reaching M1 vein. Fringe bronze. Hindwing dark brown, with bronze lustre; costal area grey; fringe bronze to brown. Legs glossy bronze; fore and mid tibia apically with coppery tint. Epiphysis at 0.4, reaching apex of tibia.
Female (Fig. 48). FWL 6.0 mm. Antenna>1.6 × FWL (tips brocken), scape and proximal part of flagellum (up to 0.8 × FWL) dark bronze; distal part of flagellum white. Forewing fascia darker than in male, with dominance of brown scales over yellow scales (10: 1). Abdomen brown, ventrally with coppery tint. Otherwise similar to male.
Distribution. India (Meghalaya).
Comments.Abdomen of lectotype is missing; male genitalia therefore could not be investigated. By an unknown reason Clarke (1955) did not list Nemotois pyrotechna among species described by Meyrick.
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 page 39, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772