Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Cryptophasa tecta



Cryptophasa tecta (T.P. Lucas, 1894)


♂- Qld, Gunshot Creek, 13 km WNW of Heathlands Lat. 11' 43'' S Long. 142' 28'' E, 17. May. 1992, E.D. Edwards leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

- NT, Jim Jim Creek, 20 km WSW of Mt Cahill Lat. 12' 56'' S Long. 132' 32'' E, 20. Nov. 1972, E.D. Edwards M.S. Upton leg. (ANIC).

Pilostibes tecta T.P. Lucas, 1894, Descriptions of new Australian Lepidoptera, with additional localities for known species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 8: 133–166 [161]. Syntype(s) SAMA number unknown ♂♀, Duaringa, Qld.
Pilostibes tecta. Illidge, 1895: Xylorycts, or timber moths. Queensland Natural History Society Transactions, 1, 29-34.
Cryptophaga tecta Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [8].
Cryptophasa baliocosma Turner, 1917. Lepidopterological gleanings. Proc. R. Soc. Qd 29: 70–106 [93]. Syntype(s) ANIC 2♂, Port Darwin, NT.
Cryptophasa tecta (T.P. Lucas, 1894). Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [87].
Cryptophasa tecta (T.P. Lucas, 1894). Beccaloni, G. W., Scoble, M. J., Robinson, G. S. & Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/lepindex [accessed 21 April 2010].
Cryptophasa tecta (T.P. Lucas, 1894). Edwards, E. D. (2003), Xyloryctinae. Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/XYLORYCTINAE [accessed 18 June 2010].

Original description, T.P. Lucas, 1894
Pilostibes tecta, sp. nov.
♂♀ 25-28 mm. Head ashy-grey, irrorated with black, face lighter grey. Palpi grey, 2nd joint thickened with dense grey and black scales. Antennae grey, annulated with black. Thorax ashy-grey, finely irrorated with black, and with a tuft of white hairs fuscous at the base posteriorly on either side. Abdomen light fuscous, very finely irrorated with black. Forewings elongate-oblong, costa moderately arched, apex obtuse, hindmargin gently rounded, slaty-grey, becoming ashy-grey toward base and basal half of costa, finely and profusely pencilled with black, a row of conspicuous black spots on median, 1st near base, 2nd at one-third, and 3rd at two-thirds, a row of three inconspicuous black dots on costa at 1/5, 2/3 and ¾; cilia slaty-grey with base having a fuscous tint. Hind wings fuscous-grey; cilia light fuscous-grey with darker basal band.
Duaringa (Mr. Barnard).
 
Synonymic description, Turner 1917
Cryptophasa baliocosma, n. sp.
βαλιοχοσμος, adorned with spots.
♂ 26 mm. Head whitish. Palpi moderate, second joint reaching . base of antennae, thickened with loosely spreading scales towards apex, terminal joint whitish. Antennae whitish; pectinations in ♂ 3 ½, ochreous-tinged. Thorax whitish-grey. Abdomen grey. Legs whitish; apices of anterior and middle tibiae fuscous; anterior and middle tarsi annulated with fuscous. Forewings with costa moderately arched, apex rounded; termen obliquely rounded; 2 from 2/3 whitish-grey sparsely irrorated with grey; base of costa dark-fuscous; a dark-fuscous spot in disc near base, a second at 1/3, and a third at 2/3; three equidistant dark-fuscous costal dots beyond middle; cilia whitish-grey. Hindwings pale grey; dorsal hairs whitish cilia whitish with a pale grey sub-basal line.
N.A. Port Darwin in November; two specimens received from Mr. F. P.  Dodd.

Other references

Cryptophaga tecta, Lucas. (Pilostibes tecta, Lucas, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 1893, 161.) Not having seen any type of this species, I can only refer it to this genus conjecturally. Duaringa. (Turner, 1898).

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period:  May, November.
Distribution: Northern Territory, Queensland. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: