Teliphasa spinosa Li, 2016

Irungbam, Jatishwor Singh & Mally, Richard, 2025, A new species of Zitha Walker, 1866 and three new records of pyraloid moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from India, Zootaxa 5653 (4), pp. 524-534 : 530

Teliphasa spinosa Li in Liu, Wang & Li, 2016

( Figs 8 , 17 )

Teliphasa spinosa Li in Liu, Wang & Li, 2016: 123–125 , figs 5, 13, 21. TL: China, Yunnan Province, Teng Chong County.

Material examined. INDIA: 2 ♂♂, India, Manipur, Ukhrul district, Shirui Hill , 25.1171°N, 94.4456°E, 2190 m, 13 iii 2019, gen. prep. JSI 271 , JSI 153 , leg. JS Irungbam.

Diagnosis. In males, forewing length is 15–16 mm (n = 2), and wingspan is 32–36 mm. Externally, Teliphasa spinosa ( Fig. 8 ) is similar to T. hamata Li, 2016 and to light forms of T. albifusa ( Hampson, 1896a) . It can be best distinguished from these species in the male genitalia ( Fig. 17 ) by the subrhombic uncus, the roughly fanshaped valva with a straight to slightly concave costa, and the phallus with one cornutus. In T. hamata , the uncus is trapeziform, the valva is subrhombic with a convex costa, and the phallus bears two cornuti. In T. albifusa , the uncus is subtrapeziform, the valva is round and almost circular, with a convex costa, and the phallus features a row of spinular cornuti. The imagines and male genitalia of all three species are illustrated in Liu et al. (2016).

Distribution. India (Manipur) and China ( Liu et al. 2016).

Biology. There are currently no published records on life stages other than adults, and neither on larval hostplants. The larvae of the related T. elegans (Butler, 1881) have been reported to feed on Glycine max ( Fabaceae ) ( Song & He 1977), Cornus macrophylla ( Cornaceae ) ( Hayashi 2006), Quercus acutissima and Q. variabilis ( Fagaceae ) ( Robinson et al. 2023). Larvae of T. albifusa are reported to feed on Anacardium occidentale ( Anacardiaceae ) ( Robinson et al. 2023). The two specimens investigated in this study were collected at an altitude of 2,190 m, an altitude very similar to the 2,009 –2,144 m at which the type material of this species was collected ( Liu et al. 2016). The adults are attracted to light.

Remarks. This is the first record of this species from India, which was previously only known from the Chinese Yunnan province ( Liu et al. 2016).

Figures

FIGURES 5–8. Adults of Pyraloidea species newly recorded for India. 5, Circobotys obscuriptera Wang, male, dorsal (abdomen removed); 6, C. obscuriptera Wang, female, dorsal; 7, Neoanalthes nebulalis Yamanaka & Kirpichnikova, male, dorsal; 8, Teliphasa spinosa Li, male, dorsal.

FIGURES 14–17. Genitalia of Pyraloidea species newly recorded for India. 14, Circobotys obscuriptera Wang, male; 15, C. obscuriptera Wang, female; 16, Neoanalthes nebulalis Yamanaka & Kirpichnikova, male; 17, Teliphasa spinosa Li, male. Scale bars: 500 μm.