Athrypsiastis penumbrella Sterling & Price & Lees 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sterling, Mark J.
name: Price, Ben W.
name: Lees, David C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Xyloryctidae
Athrypsiastis
Athrypsiastis penumbrella

description: Athrypsiastis penumbrella Sterling & Lees sp. nov.
Figs 27, 52 A, B
DNA barcode.
BIN, BOLD: ADR 3985 (Process ID METAT 093-18).
Type material.
Indonesia: Holotype • ♂, Sulawesi, Utara, Dumoga-Bone NP, lower montane forest, 1140 m, March 1985, Project Wallace specimen no. NHMUK 010923059, slide no. NHMUK 010316430; Process ID METAT 093-18; Paratypes (5 ♂) • 1 ♂, same collection data as holotype, specimen no. NHMUK 010219686, slide no. NHMUK 010316842; • 1 ♂, same collection data as holotype, specimen no. NHMUK 010922452, slide no. NHMUK 010316843; • 2 ♂, same collection data as holotype, specimen nos. NHMUK 013700008, NHMUK 013700009; • 1 ♂, October 1985, otherwise same collection data as holotype, specimen no. NHMUK 013700010.
Diagnosis.
The forewing of this species is greyish white as opposed to the pure white of the other white species of Athrypsiastis. The antennae of the male are filiform. In the male genitalia, the anterior margin of the dorsal surface of the uncus is strongly emarginate (Fig. 52 A) and the vesica has a small patch of fine spines posteriorly (Fig. 52 B).
Description.
Male (Fig. 27). Forewing length 12.5 mm, wingspan 27 mm. Head: ocelli absent; frons with silver grey appressed scales; vertex with silver grey appressed scales, tufts of long yellowish white scales laterally on vertex, tufts of scales on posterior part of occiput, overlaying collar of broad, flat, silver-grey scales on anterior margin of prothorax pointing posteriorly; pilifers short, cylindrical, with a few bristles; maxillary palps white. Labial palps very long (> 3.5 × diameter of eye), strongly recurved, projecting away from head; basal segment with tuft of white scales; second segment long, curved, substantially longer than third, silver grey; third segment long, slightly curved, with silver grey appressed scales. Haustellum scaled basally. Antenna ¾ length of forewing, filiform throughout, brown with some silver scaling, scape without pecten, pedicel short, leading edge of flagellum covered in small white sensillae. Thorax: pale grey, tegulae short, pale grey; foreleg with femur white, tibia dark brown with thin epiphysis, tarsus dark brown mixed paler brown, mid and hind legs white, hind legs with thick tuft of long silver white scales. Forewing broad, costa arched at base, thereafter straight, apex broadly rounded, termen significantly angled inwards, tornus very obtusely rounded; wings and cilia pale greyish white, unmarked apart from a small line of dark brown scales from base of costa to 1 / 5, dorsal area of forewing with denser, slightly darker grey scaling. Hindwing at least as broad as forewing, rounded with apex very slightly projecting, dull white, unmarked. Ventrally, forewings with fuscous scaling in basal area of costa, otherwise tinged yellowish brown, veins yellowish brown; hindwings white.
Female. Unknown.
Pre-genital abdomen. Pale grey; anal tuft grey. Large patches of tergal spines on posterior ½ of T 2 – T 7. Smaller patch of tergal spines on T 8; sternites weakly sclerotised. Apodemes slightly curved; venulae straight.
Male genitalia (Fig. 52 A, B). Uncus anteriorly broad, anterior margin of dorsal surface strongly emarginate, lateral edges tapering towards posterior apex. Gnathos fused medially, lateral arms long and strongly sclerotised, medial plate strongly sclerotised, strongly projecting posteriorly from lateral arms, apex of projection pointed, gnathos projecting further than uncus. Tegumen band rectangular, slightly curved, lateral extensions of tegumen long and broad, longer than width of tegumen band. Vinculum long, robust, V shaped, base substantially projecting anteriorly beyond base of valvae. Saccus large. Juxta with U-shaped basal plate, anellus lobes moderately long, broad for most of length. Valva long and broad, costal margin straight, slightly projecting medially, large setose ventral membrane from costa extending postmedially, long fine setae distally, anterior margin with curved ridge, saccular margin of valva slightly sinuate, triangular ventral sclerite postmedially, attaching apically to base of saccular process, apex of valva broad, rounded. Sacculus longer than broad. Saccular process developing from distal part of sacculus, commencing above middle of valva, base broad, strongly curved towards saccular margin, curved through 90 ° distally, basal half setose, distal half with large brush of long robust bristles extending beyond apex of process. Aedeagus slightly broadened proximally, slightly curved, small distal projection, patch of small spines in vesica. Bulbus ejaculatorius very long, thin, almost straight.
Biology and early stages.
Early stages unknown. Adults found in March and October at 1140 m elevation.
Distribution.
Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Etymology.
penumbrella — from penumbra (modern lat.), among other things, a partial shadow. This is a white species which has a greyish shadow on the forewings. The epithet is a noun in apposition.
description: Published as part of Sterling, Mark J., Price, Ben W. & Lees, David C., 2025, A revision of the hitherto neglected genus Topiris Walker, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Xyloryctidae) with taxonomic notes on the genus Athrypsiastis Meyrick, 1910, pp. 297-368 in ZooKeys 1229 on pages 297-368, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1229.119155