A preliminary study of the genus Nymphicula Snellen from Australia, New Guinea and the south Pacific (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae: Acentropinae)
Author
Agassiz, David
text
Zootaxa
2014
3774
5
401
429
journal article
46265
10.11646/zootaxa.3774.5.1
95c81d13-feb2-408c-8052-5a9de926d3cf
1175-5326
230064
41806FD6-9D31-4CEF-8F26-3D1200BBA01E
Nymphicula cheesmanae
sp. n.
Description of imago
(fig. 25). Wingspan
10–12mm
. Head whitish; labial palpus terminal segment whitish, much longer than second; second segment brown; antenna brownish white; thorax and abdomen pale brown.
Forewing base brown; antemedian fascia whitish; median zone lightly scattered with brown scales; first strigula white, becoming ochreous towards costa; second strigula white in costal half, ochreous towards costa, leaden dorsally; terminal area orange, but heavily edged brown around all markings; tornal spot large, leaden, extended towards disc; terminal cilia fuscous, whitish above tornus.
Hindwing base brown; a white subbasal fascia; antemedian fascia brown with some yellow coloration near dorsum; medial zone irregularly scattered with brown scales, in the midst of it roughly forming a double line parallel to the dorsum, the inner line sharply angled back at apex parallel to costa; four eyespots separated by shining leaden studs; a further small leaden spot in the midst of eye-spot 4; orange between studs and termen; terminal cilia with a strong fuscous line.
Foreleg of male with first tarsus covered in brown scales; second tarsus white beneath, dark brown scales above; third tarsus brown scaled; fourth and fifth whitish. Legs of female pale straw. A blackish hair pencil on the thorax of male where it abuts the tympanal organs on the abdomen.
Tympanal organs
(fig. 51): venulae secundae almost parallel, but suddenly divergent close to tympanal organs; venula media about half length of venulae secundae. Pons tympani narrow.
Male
genitalia
(fig. 71): abdomen with hair pencils half the length of the abdomen, and additional pair of scent organs arising the eighth abdominal segment. Valva simple, length =
4x
width; gnathos half as long from as uncus. Aedagus as long as valva, a single slender cornutus.
Female genitalia
(fig. 93): ductus bursae equal in length to corpus bursae; signum a broad dentate patch extending along the length of the corpus bursae.
Material examined.
Holotype
♀
NEW
HEBRIDES
| Aneityum | Red Crest,
1200ft
|
3m
NE of Aneigauhat | 3 l or
iv.1955
| L.E. Cheesman. + 52
paratypes
with same data (
BMNH
), including
Pyralidae
slide No. 17751 ♂,
BMNH
Pyralidae
slide No. 17750 ♀. 25 further specimens from
New Hebrides
: Sarto, W.Sarto, Banks Is., Malekula, Efate, Tanna & Erromanga.
2 specimens
in
BMH
.
Diagnosis.
Distinguished by the broad separation of the subterminal lines of the hindwing from the terminal eye-spots.
Derivation.
after the late Evelyn Cheesman who collected much valuable material from the South Pacific.
Distribution.
Known only from the
New Hebrides
islands.