Nemophora chalcotechna ( Meyrick, 1937 )

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2025, A taxonomic revision of the tristrigella species group of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg (Lepidoptera, Adelidae) from the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, Zootaxa 5665 (1), pp. 99-110 : 105-106

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5665.1.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF7B3282-8FCA-4A9F-8EE2-0D6660D51161
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16608526
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039887D7-FF86-476A-FF36-F926FB90EB98
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Nemophora chalcotechna ( Meyrick, 1937 )
status

Treatment

Nemophora chalcotechna ( Meyrick, 1937) View in CoL

( Figs. 4‒6 View FIGURES 2–9 , 12 View FIGURES 10–13 , 16 View FIGURES 14–17 , 19 View FIGURES 18–20 )

Nemotois chalcotechna : Meyrick 1937: 204. Holotype ♂: Philippines, Mindanao , near Iligan (8 o 12′ N, 124 o 13′ E); labelled: 4 × 10 mm, red paper, print ‘ Holotypus’; 4.5 × 10 mm, print ‘ Momungan │ Mindanao’; 4 × 12 mm, print ‘ Staudinger & │ Bang-Haas dedit.’; 5 × 10 mm, print ‘36’; 3 × 10 mm, print ‘ Meyrick det.’; 5 × 52 mm, black ink ‘36. Nemotois chalcotechna n. sp. ’ [in Meyrick’s hand]; 4 × 10 mm, print ‘ Eberswalde │ coll. DEI’ ( DEIE) [examined]. GoogleMaps

Nemotois chalcotechna View in CoL : Clarke 1955: 81.

Nemophora chalcotechna View in CoL : Diakonoff 1967: 294‒295, 410 fig. 463 (tip of female abdomen), 464 (male genitalia), 453 fig. 798 (black & white photo of a female); Ko et al. 2025: 137 (publication year of this name is erroneously indicated as 1928).

Other material. Philippines. 12 ♂ 1 ♀, Basilan Island , ii.‒iii.1889 (Doherty) ( NHM) ; 1 ♀, Sulu (Pryer) ( NHM) ; 1 ♀, Mindanao, Lanao, Kolambugan , 16.vi.1914 (Wileman) ( NHM) ; 1 ♂, Mindanao, Surigao (Baker) ( USNM) .

Diagnosis. Nemophora chalcotechna is closely related to N. tristrigella ( Figs. 7‒9 View FIGURES 2–9 ), from which differs by the shallowly C-shaped, oblique yellow spot positioned between 0.57‒0.59 × FWL at the costal margin and the apex of the forewing; a longer distance (0.10‒0.13 × FWL) between the external margin of the fascia’s yellow band and the internal margin of this spot; shorter male antenna (3.6‒3.7 × FWL) and a smaller arrow head of juxta (reaching less than half of the juxta’s total length).

Description. Male ( Figs. 4, 5 View FIGURES 2–9 ). FWL 6.3‒7.4 mm, WLR 0.38‒0.44. Vertex covered by appressed glossy golden scales, with protracted tuft of dark brown piliform scales above antennal sockets. Frons glossy golden, with row of light brown piliform scales below antennal sockets. PLB 0.5‒0.6 × vertical eye diameter (0.75‒0.95 × length of scape), covered by pale yellow appressed scales; base with a few pale yellow piliform scales protracted anteroventrally. Proboscis light brown to ochreous. Eyes enlarged, but not touching each other, with rounded dorsal margins; interocular index 1.15‒1.75; occipital distance 0.25‒0.30. Antenna 3.6‒3.7 × FWL; pegs present. Scape coppery bronze; flagellum dark brown proximally to white distally. Tegulae and thorax golden. Forewing base (up to 0.4 × FWL) glossy golden; costal spot at forewing base extends to 0.35 × FWL ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 10–13 ). Fascia dark brown, straight, narrow (0.07 × FWL at costa, 0.03 × FWL at dorsum), slightly oblique; internal margin of fascia reaches costa at 0.39‒0.47 × FWL; yellow medial band of fascia reaches 0.4‒0.5 × width of forewing. Distal part of forewing bronze with coppery iridescence, with three yellow spots surrounded by dark brown scales. Anterior spot long, shallowly C-shaped, starts from costa at 0.57‒0.59 × FWL and approaches wing apex between veins RS3 and RS4. Two smaller spots at outer wing margin are located between veins RS4 and M1 and between veins M3 and CuA1. Fringe bronze. Hindwing light brown to brown, with slight coppery iridescence; anal field semitranslucent; costal area brownish grey; fringe light brown to almost white. Legs golden proximally to dark coppery brown distally; bases of all tarsomeres pale yellow. Epiphysis at 0.5‒0.6, almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen light ochreous brown.

Female ( Fig. 6 View FIGURES 2–9 ). FWL 5.5 mm, WLR 0.38. Otherwise similar to male.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 16 View FIGURES 14–17 , 19 View FIGURES 18–20 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with prominent medial ridge. Socii 1.5 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.00‒2.05 × length of valva, with slightly convex lateral margins and Λ-shaped distal margin. Tips of valvae extend beyond tip of tegumen; valvae ventrally fused to vinculum (suture in medial part indistinct). Ventral margin of valva medially convex; dorsal margin with slight medial protrusion; tip of valva narrowly rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.4 × total length; their internal margins indistinct; fused part distally with minor medial indentation (0.01‒0.02 × length of valva). Anellus 0.5 × length of valva. Transtilla with small triangular medial process and extended lateral processes. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.55), with pointed tip and short pointed lateral arms; reaches less than half of juxta’s total length. Phallus of same length as vinculum, in lateral view shallowly sickle-shaped. Tip of phallus slightly wider than its medial part, with deep ventral incise and small dorsal indentation. Base of phallus developed into nearly rectangular platform perpendicular to main part of it; width of this platform about 3.5 × diameter of phallus.

Distribution. Philippines (Basilan, Sulu, Mindanao).

Comments. Specimen no. 42159, collected by W. Doherty and preserved in the NHM collection, bears a label reading ‘Chrysothauma │ basilanica │ Drnt. │ Type ♀ ’; however, Durrant never published a formal description of this species.

In addition to 15 moth specimens, the NHM collection also includes an empty pin with the label ‘ Basilan │ PHILIPPINES │ II–III. 1889 │ Doherty 42171’, marked with a red hand-written note ‘Slide’. The wings of this male specimen were mounted on a slide by J. H. Durrant in 1909. To facilitate access, the slide was assigned number 29978, and the label ‘B. M. wing slide No. 29978’ was added to the pin.