Nemophora livida Ko & Bae, 2025

Ko, Jae-Ho, Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Kim, Jae Won & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2025, A new species of Nemophora from the Palawan Islands in the Philippines (Lepidoptera, Adelidae, Adelinae), Zootaxa 5609 (1), pp. 137-144 : 137-143

Nemophora livida Ko & Bae , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6C72436C-5B08-4752-B6C3-879EDD1DD360

( Figs. 1–5 )

Type material. Holotype. [the PHILIPPINES, PALAWAN] ♂, Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Reserve , (N9˚59.3870′, E118˚56.6760′ Alt. 131.2 m), 16 V 2024, (leg., Bae Y.S., Bayarsaikhan U., Kim H., Kim J.N., Lee T.W.), genitalia slide no. INU-7148, deposited in the NIBR . Paratypes. [the PHILIPPINES, PALAWAN] 3 ♂, 3 ♀, Cleopatra’s Needle Forest Reserve , (N9˚59.3870′, E118˚56.6760′ Alt. 131.2 m), 16 V 2024, (leg., Bae Y.S., Bayarsaikhan U., Kim H., Kim J.N., Lee T.W.), genitalia slide no. INU-7145, 7146, 7147, 7149, 7150, 7151, deposited in the NIBR .

Diagnosis. Nemophora livida sp. nov. differs from its relatives by the strong metallic blue coloration at the basal area of the forewings and its wing pattern, which lacks a connected inner fascia. The genitalia of the new species resemble those of N. decisella (Walker) from China (illustrated by Liao et al. 2023, plate XV: 3, plate XXIV: 2), but can be distinguished by the following characteristics: in the male genitalia, the uncus is nearly triangular (nearly rectangular in N. decisella ); the phallus is nearly straight, and its tip is weakly curved (weakly curved and hooked in N. decisella ). In the female genitalia, the vestibulum has two strongly sclerotized sclerites and is weakly sclerotized near the ductus bursae (S-shaped sclerites and not sclerotized in N. decisella ).

Description. Adult ( Figs. 1–3 ). Length of forewing 8–8.5 mm in male, 6–7 mm in female. Vertex and front covered with orange hairs. Antenna filiform, about 2.5 times the length of forewing, covered with yellow scales from scape to basal 1/ 5 in male, and almost same length of forewing, covered with black scales from scape to basal 2/ 3 in female. Labial and maxillary palpus porrect, covered with orange scales. Patagium and tegula yellow covered with yellow mixed metallic blue. Ground color of forewing brown, with a metallic blue basal area in both sexes; median fascia of forewing vivid yellow; outer fascia silver and completed; inner fascia silver and not connected from upper to low angled of discal cell; median and postmedian area brown mixed vivid yellow; fringe brown. Ground color of hindwing light brown; fringe light brown. Abdomen slender, covered with brown scales.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 ). Uncus short, rounded at apex. Tegumen dome-shaped. Transtilla narrowed, short. Vinculum long, narrowed, elongated, about 3.5 times length of valva. Valva nearly rectangular, with setose. Phallus almost same length of vinculum, multiple divided several parts near apex. Juxta spear-shaped, long axis of juxta about 3.5–4 times length of short axis.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 5 ). Posterior and anterior apophyses almost same length with a nearly triangular sclerite and partly sclerotized. Vestibulum membranous, with two strongly sclerotized sclerites and weakly sclerotized near ductus bursae. Ductus bursae membranous, almost same length of corpus bursae. Corpus bursae ovoid, membranous; signum absent.

Distribution. The Philippines (Palawan Is.).

Etymology. The specific name was derived from the Latin word livida , which refers to the metallic blue color of the basal area of the forewing in both sexes.

Remarks. This species is characterized by a distinct metallic blue coloration at the basal area of its forewings and a disconnected inner fascia. The first record of this species was added to the Philippine Lepidoptera website (https:// philepidoptera.wixsite.com/moths/other-moth-families) in 2015; however, only photographs were uploaded under the provisional name Nemophora sp. To date, only five Nemophora species have been recorded in the Philippines by Diakonoff (1968), Kozlov & Robinson (1996), and Kozlov (2024a), and none of which exhibit a wing pattern similar to that of this species. During the Palawan survey in May 2024, we collected seven individuals of the same species recorded on the website using a light trap. This species is likely endemic to Palawan, and we formally describe it as a new species in the present study.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Adults of Nemophora livida sp. nov. 1a, holotype, male (INU-7148); 1b, paratype, female (INU-7149).

FIGURE 2. Head of Nemophora livida sp. nov. 2a, male; 2b, female.

FIGURE 3. Lateral view of head of Nemophora livida sp. nov. 3a, male; 3b, female.

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Nemophora livida sp. nov. 4a, holotype, INU-7148, genitalia without phallus and juxta; 4b, phallus and juxta.

FIGURE 5. Female genitalia of Nemophora livida sp. nov. 5a–c, separated parts, paratype, INU-7149 (a, eight sternum and anterior apophyses; b, complex in eight sternum; c, enlarged vestibulum).