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

description: Nemophora chrysocrossa (Meyrick, 1922)
(Figs. 43, 44, 94, 126, 156)
Nemotois chrysocrossa: Meyrick 1922: 537‒538.
Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Meghalaya, Shillong (25 o 34′ N, 91 o 53′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto-│ type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Shillong │ Assam │ TBF[letcher]..6.[19]18’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chrysocrossa │ 1/3 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois chrysocrossa │ Meyrick 1922 │ teste M. Kozlov 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Shillong │ Assam │ TBF[letcher]..6.[19]18’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chrysocrossa │ 2/3 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’. 1 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, black ink ‘Shillong │ Assam │ TBF[letcher]..6.[19]18’; 13 × 14 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ chrysocrossa │ 3/3 Meyr. │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 3 × 23 mm, black ink ‘ chrysocrossa Meyr. ’; 8 × 13 mm, print ‘B. M. │ Genitalia slide │ No. 30658’. Both paralectotypes bear the label: 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁ │ Nemotois chrysocrossa │ Meyrick 1922 │ teste M. Kozlov 2005’ (NHM) [examined].
Nemotois chrysocrossa: Clarke 1955: 89.
Nemophora chrysocrossa: Diakonoff 1951: 171.
Nemophora sp.: Sondhi et al. 2021: 41, fig. 1 (colour photo of a male) [tentative identification based on a photograph].
Other material. India. Meghalaya. 4 ♁ 1 ♀, Shillong, 1650 m, vi‒vii.1918 (Fletcher) (NHM).
Diagnosis. In the forewing colouration and pattern N. chrysocrossa resembles N. nitidulella (Figs. 55, 56), N. pyrites (Figs. 59, 60) and N. smaragdaspis (Figs. 61, 62), from which it differs by the glossy golden frons. Nemophora chrysocrossa also resembles N. amphimetalla (Fig. 45), from which it differs by the wide yellow band in the forewing fascia, short PLB and valvae not fused to the vinculum.
Description. Male (Fig. 43). FWL 5.7‒6.1 mm, WLR 0.36‒0.40. Vertex with a row of ochreous yellow piliform scales along occipital margin and a tuft of ochreous yellow scales above antennal sockets; frons glossy golden, marginally with ochreous scales. PLB 0.3‒0.4 × vertical eye diameter (0.55‒0.65 × length of scape), dorsally covered with light grey scales, ventrally with sparse raised dark brown scales. Proboscis brown, base with dark brown scales. Eyes enlarged, touching each other occipitally; interocular index 1.15‒1.25; occipital distance 0. Antenna 2.30‒2.65 × FWL. Scape and basal 3‒5 flagellomeres are ochreous; the following 15‒20 fragellomeres dark bronze and next 20‒30 flagellomeres white; distal part of flagellum light bronze. Tegulae and thorax dark brown, with indigo-blue iridescence. Forewing (Fig. 94) dark coppery bronze, except for basal part, which in fresh specimens dorsally has indigo-blue iridescence; yellow band of fascia wide (0.14‒0.19 × FWL), approaches costa at 0.3 × FWL; this yellow band on both sides bordered by narrow lines of dark brown scales followed by glossy silver bands; external silver band at about the middle interrupted by dark brown scales. Basal quarter of forewing almost entirely dark brown, at costa darker than at dorsum. External dark brown band of fascia diffuse. Fringe bronze. Hindwing light bronze; costal area grey; fringe grey to light brown. Legs bronze to dark bronze; fore and mid tibiae with tufts of coppery brown scales; tarsomeres yellowish brown. Epiphysis at 0.5, reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown to bronze.
Female (Fig. 44). FWL 5.1 mm. Antenna 1.0 × FWL, basal 0.55 densely covered with semi-erect scales; colour of these scales changes from bright yellow proximally to coppery black distally; distal part of flagellum with rings of grey and brown scales. External glossy silver band in forewing complete; dark brown scales form a large diffuse spot near outer wing margin. Otherwise similar to male.
Male genitalia (Figs. 126, 156). Tegumen dome-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii elongate, 0.8‒1.0 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 3.0 × length of valva, V-shaped, with convex lateral margins and nearly straight distal margin with small medial protuberance. Tips of valvae at about same level as tip of tegumen. Ventral valvar margin with prominent lobe (0.6 × length of valva), which is directed ventrally (see from the side); dorsal valvar margin almost straight; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.2 × total length; their internal margins indistinct. Anellus 0.3 × length of valva, with wide proximal margin (2 × diameter of phallus, see from ventral side). Transtilla with short medial process. Juxta 0.45 × length of phallus; arrow head narrow (WLR 0.45), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.15 × length of vinculum, C-shaped, with two well-sclerotized, apically hook-shaped, lateral processes arising at 0.65 × length of phallus (counting from its base). Base of phallus narrowly funnel-shaped; tip formed by a ventrally directed spoon-shaped lobe.
Distribution. India (Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya).
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 36-37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5300.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8012772