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

description: Nemophora pyrites (Meyrick, 1907)
(Figs. 59, 60, 104, 135, 165)
Nemotois pyrites: Meyrick 1907: 992‒993.
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’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.9. 1906’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrites │ 6/11 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois pyrites │ Meyrick, 1907 │M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 4 ♁ 2 ♀, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│ lecto-│ type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam ..9.1906’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrites │ x/11 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ [males: x=3, 8, 9, 10, 11; females: x=4, 5]; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’. One of these paralectotypes bears the label: 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 27823’. 3 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │.10.1906’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ pyrites │ x/11 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ [x=1, 2, 7]; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’. All paralectotypes bear the label: 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois pyrites │ Meyrick, 1907 │M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].
Nemotois pyrites: Meyrick 1912a: 7, fig. 14 (venation of hind wing), 1912b: 8, 1924: 79; Clarke 1955: 266.
Nemophora pyrites: Das & Singh 2022: 265.
Other material. India. Meghalaya. 10 ♁ 2 ♀, Cherrapunji, x.1894 (Doncaster); 1 ♀, Khasi Hills, vii.1894; 5 ♁ 5 ♀, ibid., 1898–1899 (Doherty) (all in NHM).
Diagnosis. Nemophora pyrites resembles N. chrysocrossa (Figs. 43, 44), N. nitidulella (Figs. 55, 56) and N. smaragdaspis (Figs. 61, 62) in forewing colouration and pattern. It differs from N. chrysocrossa by the ochreous yellow frons, from N. nitidulella by the narrow yellow band in the forewing fascia and from N. smaragdaspis by the longer PLB, longer male antennae and thin, straight lateral processes in the apical part of phallus.
Description. Male (Fig. 59). FWL 8.1–8.6 mm, WLR 0.32–0.35. Vertex and frons ochreous to ochreous brown. PLB 0.55–0.65 × vertical eye diameter (1.2‒1.5 × length of scape), ochreous. Proboscis light brown, base with ochreous scales. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other; interocular index 1.35–1.40; occipital distance 0.08– 0.13. Antenna 3.0–3.4 × FWL; pegs present. Scape and base of flagellum dark brown with coppery tint; at about the level of forewing fascia colour of flagellum changes gradually to light brown or yellowish brown. Tegulae and thorax brown to bronze. Forewing (Fig. 104) glossy bronze, lighter basally and darker apically, with small dark brown stripe at base of costa. Fascia consists of three bands separated from each other by narrow lines of dark brown scales: bright ochreous yellow median band (0.06‒0.14 × FWL) and two glossy silver lateral bands. Yellow band at costa twice as wide as at dorsum; its internal margin reaches costa at 0.4 × FWL. Basal part of forewing at costal margin darker than at dorsal margin, with slight coppery tint; small triangular dark brown spot (extending to 0.3 × forewing width) is adjacent to inner margin of fascia. Externally, fascia is bordered by wide (0.1 × FWL) band formed by dark brown scales scattered over dark bronze background. Termen also scattered by dark brown scales, but they do not form a distinct spot. Fringe brown to bronze. Hindwing light brown, apically with coppery tint; costal area grey; fringe brown to grey. Coxae and femurae brown; tibiae and all tarsomeres light yellow except for distal parts, which are brown dorsally. Hind tibia with long light brown piliform scales. Epiphysis at 0.5, reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen light brown to bronze.
Female (Fig. 60). FWL 7.2–8.0 mm. Antenna 1.25–1.45 × forewing, basal 0.43–0.47 of flagellum densely covered with dark brown scales which are raised distally, forming characteristic scale-thickening; distal part of flagellum light brown. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 135, 165). Tegumen dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii elongate, 1.0 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 3.0 × length of valva, V-shaped, with almost straight lateral margins; distal margin smoothly W-shaped. Tip of tegumen extends beyond tips of valvae. Ventral valvar margin W-shaped; dorsal valvar margin gently S-shaped; tip of valva rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.25 × total length; their internal margins distinct (at least at valvar base). Anellus 0.3 × length of valva. Transtilla with extremely long medial process. Juxta 0.45 × length of phallus; arrow head wide (WLR 0.65), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.0 × length of vinculum, gently C-shaped, with two short (0.17–0.20 × length of phallus) and thin carinae articulated at 0.65 × length of phallus (counting from its base); base of phallus funnel-shaped, tip forms wide lobe which looks hook-shaped from ventral side.
Distribution. India (Meghalaya).
Comments. Meyrick (1907) mentioned 30 syntypes collected in September and October. However, only 11 syntypes are labeled as such in Meyrick’s collection. Therefore I suspect that 10 ♁ and 2 ♀ collected in Cherrapunji in October 1894, which have been discovered in NHM collection, may also appear syntypes.
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 46-47, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772