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

description: Nemophora costimaculella Kozlov, sp. nov.
(Figs. 67, 68, 108, 139, 169)
LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 959E9182-25B7-49DD-B309-AE304C5F7AF8
Holotype ♁, India, Meghalaya, Khasi Hills (approx. 25 o 35′ N, 91 o 36′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with red border, print ‘Holo- │ type’; 13 × 15 mm, print ‘ INDIA: │ Khasias Hills │ Doherty 1898–9 │ Walsingham │ collection │ B. M. 1910–427’; 9 × 16 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29462’; 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ HOLOTYPE ♁ │ Nemophora cos- │ timaculella Kozlov’. Paratypes. 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow border, print ‘Para- │ type’; 8 × 14 mm, print + black ink ‘Cherra Punji [=Cherrapunji] │ KHASIAS. │ VII.1894 │ Nat. (Doncaster)’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham │ Collection │ 1910–427’; 9 × 32 mm, black ink ‘ Chrysobasis ♁ │ costimaculata │ Type’. 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow border, print ‘Para- │ type’; 9 × 14 mm, print + black ink ‘Cherra Punji [=Cherrapunji] │ KHASIAS. │ VI.1894 │ Nat. (Doncaster) │ 72065’; 8 × 10 mm, print ‘Walsingham │ Collection │ 1910–427’. 1 ♁ 2 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow border, print ‘Para- │ type’; 13 × 15 mm, print ‘ INDIA: │ Khasias Hills │ Doherty 1898–9 │ Walsingham │ collection │ B. M. 1910–427’. 1 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with yellow border, print ‘Para- │ type’; 8 × 17 mm, print ‘ THAILAND: 1450 m │ Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, │ San Pakia RFD │ Watershed Station, │ 28.iv.–1.v.1994 ’; 5 × 13 mm, print ‘THAILAND: │ I.J.Kitching et al. │ NHM(E) 1994–97’(all in NHM). All paratypes bear the label: 6 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARATYPE ♁ [or ♀] │ Nemophora cos- │ timaculella Kozlov’.
Diagnosis. Nemophora costimaculella is closest to N. athlophora (Figs. 64‒66), from which it differs by the seven glossy golden spots in the basal half of the forewing, which are almost indistinguishable from the yellow background, and by the presence of carinae on phallus. From N. chrysidias (Fig. 63) N. costimaculella differs by the V-shaped vinculum, the absence of deep indentation on the ventral valvar margin and the absence of anchor-shaped structure at the tip of phallus.
Description. Male (Fig. 67). FWL 5.8–6.9 mm, WLR 0.35–0.40. Vertex with sparse piliform scales that are pale yellow above antennal sockets and light brown along occipital margin; frons light golden, coppery iridescent, with a row of relatively short yellow piliform scales below antennal sockets. PLB 0.4–0.5 × vertical eye diameter (1.0‒1.1 × length of scape), light yellowish brown, with very few raised piliform scales. Proboscis light brown. Eyes enlarged, but not closely approaching each other; interocular index 1.2–1.3; occipital distance 0.20–0.25. Antenna 3.1–3.4 × FWL. Scape and 3–7 basal flagellomeres ochreous brown, then colour of flagellum turns to bronze. Tegulae proximally glossy golden, distally coppery bronze; thorax light glossy golden. Basal half of forewing (Fig. 108) bright yellow; apical half (separated by dark coppery brown band) dark bronze. Basal half of forewing with a narrow dark brown costal stripe at the wing base reaching 0.15 × FWL, and seven glossy golden spots: one spot at the wing base below the costal spot, three spots forming proximal interrupted band reaching costa at 0.25 × FWL, and another three spots forming distal interrupted band reaching costa at 0.40 × FWL; spots adjacent to costa are laterally bordered by dark coppery brown scales. External margin of dark coppery brown transverse medial band forms two lateral protuberances near costa. Fringe dark bronze. Hindwing brown, distal half with coppery iridescence; costal area light yellow; fringe bronze to light yellowish brown. Legs (femurae and tibiae) coppery bronze to light bronze; tarsomeres pale yellow; apices of all tarsomeres light brown. Epiphysis at 0.6, almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen dark bronze to coppery brown.
Female (Fig. 68). FWL 5.0– 5.4 mm, WLR 0.45–0.50. Antenna 2.1–2.4 × FWL, with short black brush at about 0.5–0.6 × FWL. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 139, 169). Tegumen trapeziform, with flat tip. Socii oval, 1.8 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2 × length of valva, V-shaped, with straight margins. Tips of valvae slightly extend beyond tip of tegumen. Ventral margin of valva basally (until 0.4 × length of valva) straight, then bent; distal part with slight indentation; dorsal margin slightly concave; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae not fused to each other. Anellus 0.5 × length of valva. Transtilla with extremely long medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head extremely wide (WLR 0.85), with widely rounded tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus of about same length as vinculum, almost straight; apical third developed into flat lobe with pointed tip; two horn-like processes (0.15 × length of phallus) arise at the base of this lobe. Base of phallus widely funnel-shaped.
Distribution. India (Meghalaya), Thailand.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from costa (Latin: rib, side) and macula (Latin: spot) and refers to characteristic traits of forewing pattern.
Comments. Although Walsingham clearly labelled a holotype of ‘ Chrysobasis costimaculata ’, the description has never been published.
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 50-51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772