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

description: Nemophora chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), comb. nov.
(Figs. 28, 29, 85, 118, 149)
Adela chalcomis: Meyrick 1907: 990.
Lectotype ♁ (here designated): Sri Lanka, North Western Province, Puttalam (8 o 02' N, 79 o 50' E); labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Puttalam, │ Ceylon. │ Pole. 10.[19]04’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 1/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 18 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Adela chalcomis │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 1 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│ type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Maskeliya │ Ceylon │ Pole..9.[19]06’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 8/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│ lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Puttalam, │ Ceylon. │ Pole. 10.[19]04’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 10/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│ Lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Puttalam, │ Ceylon. │ Pole..5.[19]04’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 11/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 29432’. 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│ type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Maskeliya │ Ceylon │ Pole..10.[19]04’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 13/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 3 × 23 mm, black ink ‘ chalcomis Meyr. ’ 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘ Ceylon │ JP[ole]..[19]04’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chalcomis │ 12/13 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ All paralectotypes bear the labels: 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 18 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁ [or ♀] │ Adela chalcomis │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (all in NHM) [examined].
Adela chalcomis: Clarke 1955: 81.
Nemotois chalcomis: Meyrick 1912a: 6, 1912b: 8.
Other material. India. Tamil Nadu. 1 ♁, Marudhamalai near Coimbatore, 530 m, 23.x.1918 (A.G. R.). Sri Lanka. North Western Province. 3 ♁, Puttalam (Pole); 1 ♁, ibid., x.1892 (Pole). Central Province. 1 ♀, Maskeliya, xi.1892 (Pole). Southern Province. 2 ♁, Hambantona, 1893 (Pole); 4 ♁, ibid., 1893 (Green); 5 ♁ 6 ♀, ibid., i‒iii.1894 (Pole); 11 ♁ 2 ♀, ibid., 7‒8.xi.1908 (Fletcher) (all in NHM). Eastern Province. 9 ♁, Ekgal Aru Reservoir, 100 m, 19.‒22.ii.1977 (Krombein et al.) (USNM).
Diagnosis. Nemophora chalcomis is most similar to N. asterodoxa (Fig. 27), from which it differs by small compound eyes in males, narrow forewing fascia (0.05‒0.12 × FWL) and the presence of the diffuse spot formed by both dark brown and yellow scales near the costal margin close to forewing apex. Nemophora chalcomis also superficially resembles dark (aberrant) specimens of N. engraptes (Fig. 7), from which it differs by the glossy golden vertex.
Description. Male (Fig. 28). FWL 6.1‒7.0 mm, WLR 0.36‒0.40. Vertex and frons glossy golden. PLB 0.8 × vertical eye diameter (0.8‒1.0 × length of scape), light yellow. Proboscis brown. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.6. Antenna 4.1‒4.4 × FWL; pegs present. Scape and base of flagellum dark coppery brown; then colour of flagellum gradually changes to light brown. Tegulae and thorax glossy golden. Forewing (Fig. 85) coppery brown; basal quarter dark brown, with two wide glossy golden latitudinal stripes located along costa and along CuA stem. Internal margin of a narrow transverse fascia reaches costa at 0.45 × FWL; fascia dark brown, suffused with light yellow scales; proportion of yellow scales greatly varies among individuals. Apical spot along costal margin of variable size, usually rhombic, dark brown with scattered yellow scales. Fringe coppery brown. Hindwing brown to dark brown; costal area grey, nearly translucent; fringe brown. Legs brown dorsally and yellow to light brown ventrally; basal 0.3 of all tarsomeres light yellow. Epiphysis at 0.6, reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown; distal margins of sternites silver-grey.
Female (Fig. 29). FWL 5.3‒5.5 mm, WLR 0.41‒0.45. Vertex, frons and forewing base glossy silver. Antenna 1.2 × FWL, scape and base of flagellum glossy silver. Hindwing dark brown (darker than in males). Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 119, 149). Tegumen dome-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii elongate, 1.8 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.4 × length of valva, V-shaped, with almost straight margins. Tips of valvae at about same level as tip of tegumen. Ventral valvar margin slightly bent at 0.7 × valvar length; dorsal margin gently S-shaped; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.3 × total length; their internal margins partially distinct. Anellus 0.4 × length of valva. Transtilla with short triangular medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.4), with rounded tip and pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.1 × length of vinculum, in lateral view shallowly C-shaped; its distal quarter split into two lateral lobes of similar length and shape; base funnel-shaped.
Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu), Sri Lanka.
Comment. This species, which has been described from Sri Lanka, is for the first time reported from India.
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 25-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772