Nemophora sakaii ( Matsumura, 1931 )

Liao, Cheng-Qing, Hirowatari, Toshiya, Yagi, Sadahisa, Wang, Min, Wang, Xing & Huang, Guo-Hua, 2023, The fauna of the family Adelidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Adeloidea) from China, Zootaxa 5348 (1), pp. 1-152 : 36

(34) Nemophora sakaii ( Matsumura, 1931)

(Plates V-1, XV-1, XXIII-3)

Nemotois sakaii Matsumura, 1931: 1113 , fig. 2340 (TL: China, Formosa, Banshoryo [ Taiwan, Gaoxiong]; SEHU); Matsumura 1932: 121, pl. IV, fig. 3 (Taiwan); Razowski & Kumata 1985: 23 (type catalogue); Wang et al. 2000: 17 ( China, Taiwan).

Nemotois sasakii [sic!]: Hua 2005: 2 (checklist of China).

Diagnosis. This species differs from its congener by the broad central fascia of the forewing, and the large eye size in male adults with eye size index about 6.7. This species is also similar to N. rubrofascia but can be characterized by the stout base of the antenna with thickened scales (without thickened scales in N. rubrofascia ); and the forewing central fascia is orange with gradually narrowing from the costal margin to the posterior margin (forewing central fascia bright red with approximately equal width in N. rubrofascia ).

Specimens examined. [ Hunan] 1♂, Huangsang National Nature Reserve, Suining County, Shaoyang City , 2018.VI.16, G.H. Huang, C.Q. Liao & S.Y. Liu leg. ; 2♂ 1♀, Huangsang National Nature Reserve, Suining County, Shaoyang City , 2021.V.25–29, M. Deng leg. ; 1♀, Yunxi Reservoir, Daoxian County, Yongzhou City , 2021.V.31, M. Deng leg. ; [Guangdong] 1♂, Lengshuijiao (324 m), Potou Town , Lianping County, Heyuan City , 2021.VI.4, K.Y. Pan leg. ; 1♂, Nanling National Nature Reserve (1,050 m), Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Shaoguan City , 2005. VI.13, G.H. Huang, M. Wang & L.S. Chen leg. ( HUNAU) .

Distribution. China (Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan).

Remarks. This species occurs mainly from May to June. Although we did not examine the specimen from Guangxi Province, this species was believed to have occurred in the forest habitat of Damingshan National Nature Reserve (ca. 840 m) and could be attracted by light trap based on the photography records from Mr. Pi-Ning Zhou (per. comm.).

DNA barcodes of three N. sakaii specimens are generated and their sequences show 0.3–0.8% differences. This species is closest to N. purpurata sp. nov. (pairwise distances: 0.034 –0.040).