Two new heterobathmiid moth species with distinctive female genital configurations (Lepidoptera: Heterobathmiidae)
Author
Hünefeld, Frank
Author
Kristensen, Niels P.
text
Zootaxa
2012
3281
61
68
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.215242
df0b1e64-69fb-475f-bf89-3df982ea1cd3
1175-5326
215242
Genus
Heterobathmia
Kristensen & Nielsen, 1979
Reference may be made to the original description of the genus for an account of principal structural features. Taxonomically informative characters, if any, in the body vestiture (development, colouration) remain to be worked out. While a number of characters in the wing venation (e.g., presence/course of cross-vein R-Rs1, relative positions of forks R/Rs and M/Cu, development of cross-vein M-CuA) have been ascribed significance in species discrimination and/or intrageneric grouping (
Kristensen & Nielsen 1979
, 1998), our subsequent examination of larger specimen samples have disclosed an intraspecific variability in these characters which now lead us to question their usefulness. Well-preserved wing patterns are sometimes diagnostic, and indeed intact specimens of the two species here described are characteristic by much more extensive silvery-white forewing scaling than present in the previously named taxa; however, critical species identification usually requires examination of the genitalia.