Epicephala lomatographa Turner, 1913

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 : 162-163

Epicephala lomatographa Turner, 1913

( Figs 299, 316)

“ Epicephala lomatographa , n. sp. ”—Turner, A. J., 1913. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 38: 176–177. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6407205

Epicephala lomatographa — Turner 1940: 56; Nielsen & Kumata 1996: 48; De Prins & De Prins 2005: 180.

Type locality: [ Australia], Q.[ueensland], Stradbroke Island .

Type specimen: Holotype [gender unknown], ANIC Acc. no 31 010791, in ANIC (Canberra).

Specimen examined: Holotype ( Figs 299, 316) [1] ‘Stradbroke/ 30 November 1902; [2] ‘ Epicephala TYPE/ lomatographa ’; [3] ‘ HOLOTYPE / Epicephala / lomatographa Turn. ’; [4] ‘ ANIC /Image’; [5] ‘ ANIC Database No/31 010791’.

Morphological diagnostic characterisation: Wingspan 7.0 mm; length of the forewing 3.3 mm ( Fig. 299). No accurate diagnosis possible based on external morphological characters, because all Australian Epicephala species belonging to the E. colymbetella group share the general design of wing ornamentation with super minor differences that might be variable when a series of specimens is long. The diagnostic traits should be looked at in other independent character sets: internal morphology and mitogenomics. The external characters described below might assist in defining the species E. lomatographa .

Head ( Fig. 316): vertex white, hardly seen, because two tufts of very long, piliform white scales with brown apices, directed anteriorly cover vertex—this is a species-linked diagnostic character for E. lomatographa . Maxillary palpus rather long, 1/3 shorter than labial palpus. Labial palpus white, as long as ca. 1.5× diameter of eye, slender, slightly lifted at apical palpomere, antenna light ochreous, with intermixed dark ochreous longitudinal lines—a supplementary species-linked diagnostic character within the complex, pecten not perceptible due to falling piliform scales arising from occiput tuft.

Thorax ( Fig. 299): white, tegula light ochreous; ground colour of forewing ochreous, with light fuscous shading, ornamentation similar to the species belonging to the E. colymbetella Australian species complex. Costal margin of forewing with very short four straight or oblique white non-edged stripes, dorsal margin with white streak that is interrupted by the infusion of ochreous scales at costal side; sub-apical dorsal margin bears a very typical for Epicephala ornamentation consisting of thin, oblique towards non-edged lines. Apical area is marked by thin edged light fuscous fascia, bright ochreous, with a comma-shaped apical spot; apical line finely thin, but very clearly defined, black, fringe line like for all other Australian E. colymbetella complex species present only on the ultimate apical corner of the forewing. Hindwing narrow with long and sharply pointed apex. Hind tibia light white at basal half, ochreous fuscous at apical 1/3, carrying a row of long erect spiculose scales; tarsus white, except the base of tarsomere III—a contrastive mark that might serve as an additional diagnostic character.

Abdomen: no data (the holotype present in the ANIC collection is without abdomen) .

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 1913: 177).