Harmaclona tephrantha (Meyrick 1916)

Harmaclona tephrantha (Meyrick)

Ptychoxena tephrantha Meyrick, 1916:616.—Turner, 1923:192.—Fletcher, 1929:192; 1933:80.

Harmaclona tephrantha (Meyrick).—Bradley, 1953a:65.—Diakonoff, 1968:273.—Davis, 1992:64.—Robinson and Nielsen, 1993:236.—Davis, 1994:117.—Robinson et al., 1994:33.—Robinson and Tuck, 1996:9.

MALE (Figures 145, 146).—Forewing length 7–14 mm.

Head: Vestiture white, irrorated with subapically dark brown banded scales; scale apices 3–6 dentate. Antenna ~47–56-segmented, 0.3–0.4 the length of forewing; scape smoothly scaled dorsally, rough ventrally; flagellum with dorsum of basal covered with white scales irrorated with subapically dark brown banded scales; distal covered dorsally with more slender brownish scales; entire venter devoid of scales; each flagellomere bifasciculate, with a pair of raised tubercules ventrally, bearing a cluster of elongate sensilla trichodea (Figures 19, 20) slightly exceeding diameter of flagellomere; fascicula and sensilla gradually becoming more reduced toward apex of antenna; basal 5 flagellomeres with spherical sensory cavities. Labial palpus moderately smooth scaled, same color as head except covered laterally with more elongate, dark fuscous scales mostly tipped with white and a few erect, fuscous, piliform scales projecting mostly laterally.

Thorax: Dorsum similar in color to head; a small cluster of more elongate erect scales on mesoscutellum. Venter entirely white or irrorated with dark brown as in head. Forewing pattern variable, usually white to pale gray, irrorated with dark brown tipped or subapically banded scales; costal area often lighter, with 4–5 minute, fuscous spots usually evident along distal to apex; discal area usually appearing darker, more heavily irrorated with brown to fuscous from base of wing through discal cell sometimes to termen; numerous small clusters of broad, pale golden brown scales scattered through discal streak; dark-tipped scales tending to form either a faint barred pattern or 1–3 longitudinal, mostly interrupted streaks; a small, transverse dark spot usually present at apex of discal cell; hind (dorsal) margin with a small tuft of dark-tipped scales near basal ; apex of wing beyond cell often with 2 or 3 short, transverse dark bars across radial veins; termen usually with a dark fuscous terminal band; fringe with a dark fuscous basal band and a broader, usually paler, distal band consisting of slender, multibanded scales. Hindwing paler, light gray, slightly darker, more brown along margin. Legs mostly white irrorated with fuscous except for forelegs that are mostly dark brownish fuscous to black; dorsum of mid- and hindlegs more darkly irrorated, predominantly white ventrally and medially.

Abdomen: Dorsum white to gray, heavily irrorated with brown to fuscous-tipped scales; venter mostly white, with less dark irroration; A8 with long white scales largely covering genitalia.

FEMALE (Figure 146).—Length of forewing 10–16 mm.

Head: Similar to male in color. Antenna ~61–67-segmented, 0.33 the length of forewing; scape similar to male; flagellum smoother, not fasciculate, with basal covered dorsally and ventrally with slender, mostly white to cream scales; venter with short sensilla trichodea less than diameter of flagellomere in length.

Thorax: Similar to male in color and pattern. Frenulum consisting of two bristles.

Abdomen: Similar to male in color except A7 entirely covered by long white scales that overlie dense, light brownish corethrogyne.

MALE GENITALIA (Figures 241–249, 309–313).—Tegumen broad, caudal apex either tapering gradually or abruptly. Vinculum broadly V-shaped, anterior margin not concave; saccus relatively short, ~0.25 the length of valva. Apotheca well developed, ~0.55× the length of valva. Dorsal lobe of valva slender, tapering slightly to broadly rounded apex; ventral lobe approximately twice the width at base and 0.94× the length of dorsal lobe, gradually tapering to a slender uncinate to broadly triangular apex. Aedoeagus with dorsal rim of apex greatly extended into an elongate, laterally spinose vitta (Figures 245, 309–312), 0.3–0.4 the length of tubular base; dorsal keel greatly reduced in height, ~0.22 the length of aedoeagus.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figures 337, 338).—Ventral margin of ostium distinctly convex. Antrum clindrical, elongate, ~0.3 the length of entire ductus bursae. Signum a narrow elliptical plate bearing an irregular row of20–35 minute spines.

LECTOTYPE.—; SRI LANKA: Maskeliya, (BMNH).

HOST.—Anacardiaceae: Buchanania latifolia Rozb., (Fletcher, 1933).

FLIGHT PERIOD.—Adults have been collected in 9 of the 12 months of the year. They probably fly nearly every month at some localities.

DISTRIBUTION (Map 6).—Widely distributed west of Weber's line through southern Asia in generally lowland (0–1300 m), mixed forests from northern India south to Sri Lanka, eastward through Thailand and Indonesia as far as Sulawesi and the Philippines. Because of their biogeographical significance, literature records from Bhutan (Meyrick, 1916) and India (Dehra Dun; “Sambarni” [= Sâmbrâni, North Kanara, 15°15′N, 74°46′E], Fletcher, 1933) were also plotted on Map 6 even though no specimens from these localities were examined during this study.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—BRUNEI: Badas, 100 ft [30.5 m]: 1, 25–26 Feb 1982, G. Robinson, Agathis forest, slides BM 27625, 27641, (BMNH). Bt Bedawan, 1700 ft [520 m]: 1, 20–24 Apr 1988, G. Robinson, LP [= helicopter landing point] 263, dipterocarp forest, slide BM 3798, (BMNH). Mumong, 3 m: 2, 26 Dec 1979, R. Fairclough, secondary coastal vegetation, (BMNH). Rampayoh River (north), 400 ft [120 m]: 1, 1–3 Mar 1982, G. Robinson, lowland forest, slide BM 26080, (BMNH). Rampayoh River, 100 ft [30.5 m]: 1, 1, 11–19 Mar 1989, G. Robinson, LP 195, lowland dipterocarp forest, slides BM 26074, 27619, (BMNH). Rampayoh River, 300 ft [90 m]: 5, 2, 21–24 Sep 1992, G. Robinson, LP 195, lowland dipterocarp forest, slides BM 27879, 27881, (BMNH). Ulu Temburong, 300 m: 1, 2 Oct 1980, M. Allen, rainforest, (BMNH); 300 m: 2, 26–30 Apr 1989, M. Allen & K. Tuck, LP 296, (BMNH). Ulu Temburong, Kuala Belalong FSC, 100 m: 2, 4–16 Jul 1991, G. Robinson, lowland dipterocarp forest, slide BM 27882, (BMNH). Telisai, 100 ft [30.5 m]: 7, 1, 13 Feb 1982, G. Robinson, kerangas forest, slides BM 26077, 27594, 27640, (BMNH). INDONESIA: Java: Bonan Dolok: Siboga, 500 m: 1, 19–20 Jun 1930, d. Meer Mohr, (RNHL). Kalimantan “O. Borneo”: Midden: 1, 8 Sep 1925, (RNHL). Sulawesi Utara: Dumoga-Bone National Park: Base Camp area, 190 m: 1, Sep 1985, H. Barlow, Roy. Ent. Soc. Project Wallace, slide BM 27626, (BMNH); lowland forest, 200–300 m: 1, Feb 1985, 3, 1, Mar 1985, slides BM 26084, USNM 30832, (BMNH, USNM); “Hog's Back” Camp, 492 m: 6, Sep 1985, 4, 1, H. Barlow, lowland forest, slides BM 26085, 27620, USNM 30828, (BMNH, USNM); Plot A, 200 m: 1, Sep 1985, lowland forest, (BMNH); Rothamsted light trap site 1, 200 m: 1, Feb 1985, 1, May 1985, H. Barlow, (BMNH). MALAYSIA: Sarawak: Semongkok, Kuching:

Harmaclona tephrantha is a moth of the family Tineidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1916.