Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923

Prins, Jurate De, Hartley, Diana, Sruoga, Virginijus, Nicholls, James, Wallace, Jesse & Zwick, Andreas, 2025, Diversity of Australian Ornixolinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) with taxonomic and nomenclatural acts within the related taxa (Acrocercopinae and Gracillariinae) based on the evidence of museomics, bionomics, and mitogenomics, Zootaxa 5616 (1), pp. 1-340 : 167-168

Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923

( Fig. 304)

“ Epicephala stephanephora , n. sp. ”—Turner, A.J., 1923. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 47: 171. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34892535

Epicephala stephanephora — Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48.

Type locality: [ Australia], Queensland, Brisbane; Stradbroke Island.

Type specimens: Syntypes 1♂ and 1♀, in NKU ( Tianjin) .

Note: the syntypes are currently on loan in Nankai University , China .

Lectotype designation: Hereby, we designate as the lectotype of the species Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923 the female specimen ( Fig. 304) with abdomen, belonging to the syntype series and carrying the following labels: [1] ‘Brisbane/12-4-19 [12 April 1919 ‘ (printed on beige paper), [2]’ Epicephala Type/ stephanephora Turn. ’ (handwritten on dark beige paper), [3] ‘ HOLOTYPE / Epicephala / stephanephora Turn. ’ (handwritten on red paper’ [4] ‘Stradbroke /Q.[ueensland] 28-12-13 [28 December 1913]’ (printed on beige paper), [5] ‘AUST. NAT/INS. COLL.’ (printed on green paper), in NKU ( Tianjin).

Note: The specimen carries two collecting events labels. We have no information about the whereabout of the second male syntype specimen. In case, it is found somewhere, it is designated here as the paralectotype. The lectotype is designated as part of our taxonomic work to enhance the stability of nomenclature (Declaration 44—Amendment of Article 74.7.3) with a purpose to delineate this species-group taxon Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923 . This designation will preserve stability in nomenclature ( ICZN Recommendation 74A). We gave preference to the specimen indicated as ‘HOLOTYPE’ in the Australian National Insect Collection of the CSIRO (Canberra) which has an abdomen, and is in good shape. This specimen is currently on loan in the collection NKU ( Tianjin). The locality of the lectotype specimen is verified and included in the Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae https://www.gracillariidae.net/species_by_code/EPICSTEP ( ICZN Recommendation 74E).

Specimens examined: Lectotype (♀): see label data above. We have no information about the whereabout of the second male syntype specimen. In case, it is found somewhere, it is designated here as the paralectotype.

Morphological diagnostic characterisation: Wingspan ca. 11.3 mm; length of the forewing ca. 5.1 mm ( Fig. 304).

Head: vertex dark ochreous brown, labial palpus, slender, straight, light ochreous with sharp apices, antenna approximately as long as forewing, scape with a tuft of rather long erect pecten.

Thorax ( Fig. 304): beige grey, concolourous with the ground colour of the forewing; tegula beige grey, forewing with a characteristic white narrowing towards apical part dorsal stripe, and two dorsal strigulae at sub-apex. The general ornamentation pattern is obscure, without geometrical pattern; the dominant colouration is beige grey; apical spot is irregularly shaped, placed on rectangular apical stripe that is between two white patches on costal and tornus margins.

Abdomen ( Fig. 304): dorsally dark beige with fuscous shading, anterior genital segments slightly lighter in colouration.

Male genitalia: No data.

Female genitalia: No data.

Bionomics: No data.

BOLD data: No data.

GenBank data: No data.

Mitogenomic data: No data.

Distribution: Australia: Queensland ( Turner 1923: 171).