Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910

Sterling, Mark J., Price, Ben W. & Lees, David C., 2025, A revision of the hitherto neglected genus Topiris Walker, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Xyloryctidae) with taxonomic notes on the genus Athrypsiastis Meyrick, 1910, ZooKeys 1229, pp. 297-368 : 297-368

Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910

Figs 23 , 49 A, B , 67 , 71 , 76

Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910: 458.

DNA barcodes.

N / A.

Type material.

West Papua, Indonesia: Holotype • ♂, Humboldt Bay , New Guinea, D. 10.93., specimen no. NHMUK 010219697 , slide no. NHMUK 010316398 .

Diagnosis.

The contrasting pale ochreous forewings and white hindwings distinguish this species from other Athrypsiastis . In the male genitalia the uncus is long, rectangular, and apically spatulate and the medial plate of the gnathos strongly projects posteriorly from the lateral arms and is very broad and strongly scobinate (Fig. 76 ).

Description.

Male (Fig. 23 ). Forewing length 7.5 mm, wingspan 17 mm. Head: ocelli absent, frons with dull reddish brown appressed scales; vertex with cream appressed scales, two tufts of long cream scales laterally on vertex, two tufts of long cream scales on posterior part of occiput, pointing posteriorly, overlaying collar of long cream scales, also pointing posteriorly; pilifers moderately broad with a tuft of short bristles; maxillary palps ochreous. Labial palps long (> 2.5 × diameter of eye), strongly recurved, projecting strongly away from head; basal segment pale ochreous; second segment same length as third, long and strongly curved, evenly scaled pale brown; third segment long, slightly curved, pale brown appressed scales. Haustellum scaled ochreous brown at base. Antennae (both broken) bipectinate; scape pale ochreous, without pecten, dorsal surface of base of flagellum scaled pale ochreous, pectinations brown, covered in short white sensillae. Thorax: pale reddish ochreous, tegulae missing; foreleg brown, small tibial epiphysis, other legs missing. Forewing broad, costa very gently arched at base, thereafter slightly curved, apex rounded, termen angled slightly inwards, tornus very obtusely rounded, forewing yellowish ochreous with a dark pinkish tinge to the naked eye, some dark scaling at edge of base of costa, otherwise unmarked, remains of cilia white. Hindwing as broad as forewing, apex rounded, shining white, unmarked (the asymmetric colouration (see Fig. 23 ) is staining), cilia white.

Female. Unknown.

Pre-genital abdomen. Ochreous, anal tuft pale ochreous. Patches of tergal spines on posterior parts of T 2 – T 7; T 8 weakly sclerotised; sternites unsclerotised. Apodemes straight; venulae slightly sinuate.

Male genitalia (Figs 49 A, B , 71 , 76 ). Uncus anteriorly broad, anterior margin of dorsal surface very weakly emarginate, long, rectangular, apically spatulate, slightly rounded at apex. Gnathos fused medially, lateral arms long and broad, medial plate very broad, strongly sclerotised and scobinate, strongly projecting posteriorly from lateral arms, pointed apically. Tegumen band elongate, lateral extensions of tegumen longer than width of tegumen band. Vinculum broad, robust, U shaped, base substantially projecting anteriorly beyond base of valvae. Saccus large. Juxta with broad basal plate, anellus lobes broad, moderately short. Valva moderately short, broad, costal margin straight medially, obtusely angled post-medially, setose ventral membrane from costa narrow and without setae basally, broadening and with robust setae medially, extending post-medially, small ridge at anterio-medial edge of membrane, saccular margin of valva almost straight, distal and saccular margins very broadly angled, apex broadly pointed. Sacculus longer than broad. Saccular process developing from distal part of sacculus, commencing above middle of valva, base broad, strongly curved towards saccular margin, curved through> 90 ° distally, basal half with fine setae, distal half with long thin brush of short appressed bristles, bristles slightly extending beyond apex of process. Aedeagus short, slightly broadened proximally, small ridge-like cornutus in vesica (Fig. 71 ). Bulbus ejaculatorius narrow, longer than aedeagus, head broad, elongate.

Biology and early stages.

Early stages unknown. Adult has been found in October.

Distribution.

New Guinea.

Figures

Figures 22–31. Dorsal images of Topiris, Athrypsiastis and Paralecta spp. 22 Topiris RMNH. INS. 20000 23 Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910, holotype ♂ 24 A. cheesmanae sp. nov., paratype ♂ 25 A. edelweissella sp. nov., holotype ♂ 26 A. halmaherella (Lvovsky, 2014), comb. nov., holotype ♂ 27 A. penumbrella sp. nov., holotype ♂ 28 A. symmetra Meyrick, 1915, ♂ 29 Paralecta rosiflora (Meyrick, 1930), comb. nov., holotype 30 Topiris salva (Meyrick, 1932) ♀ 31 T. salva ♀. Scale bars: 10 mm (22–29).

Figures 48–56. Male genitalia of Topiris and Athrypsiastis spp. 48 T. sampitella (Lvovsky, 2014), holotype, Gen. prep. No 63 49 A, B Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910, holotype, slide no. NHMUK 010316398 50 A, B A. cheesmanae sp. nov., holotype, slide no. NHMUK 010316428 51 A, B A. edelweissella sp. nov., holotype, slide no. NHMUK 010316429 52 A. penumbrella sp. nov. A holotype, slide no. NHMUK 010316430 B paratype, slide no. NHMUK 010316843 53 A, B A. symmetra Meyrick, slide no. NHMUK 010316443 54 A. halmaherella (Lvovsky), holotype, Gen. prep. No 62 55 A. chionodes Diakonoff, 1954, holotype 56 A. delicata Diakonoff, 1954, holotype. Scale bar: 1 mm (49–53 B).

Figures 66–77. Topiris and Athrypsiastis, pre-genital abdomens and selected genitalia characters (enlarged) 66 Topiris candidella Walker, 1863, Brunei, slide no. NHMUK 014331344 67 Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910, slide no. NHMUK 010316398 68 T. meyricki sp. nov., holotype, aedeagus, slide no. NHMUK 010316359 69 T. cinderella sp. nov., aedeagus, slide no. NHMUK 010316448 70 T. albidella sp. nov., aedeagus, slide no. NHMUK 014331359 71 A. phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910 holotype, aedeagus, slide no. NHMUK 010316398 72 T. salva (Meyrick, 1932), antrum, slide no. NHMUK 014331352 73 T. salva (Meyrick, 1932), corpus bursae, slide no. NHMUK 014331352 74 T. albidella sp. nov., holotype, uncus and gnathos, slide no. NHMUK 010316354 75 T. schneeweissella sp. nov., holotype, uncus and gnathos, slide no. NHMUK 010316358 76 Athrypsiastis phaeoleuca Meyrick, 1910, holotype, uncus and gnathos, slide no. NHMUK 010316398 77 T. cinderella sp. nov., holotype, vinculum, slide no. NHMUK 010316400. Scale bars: 2 mm (66, 67).