Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Xylorycta amblygona


Xylorycta amblygona (Turner, 1900)

Lichenaula amblygona ♂, ANIC

Lichenaula amblygona ♀, ANIC

Xylorycta amblygona, ♂, K-0205, Kuranda, 16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 1-15 December 2009, collected by David Rentz.

Xylorycta amblygona, ♀, K-0258, Kuranda,16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 1-15 January 2010, collected by David Rentz.

Xylorycta amblygona, ♂, K-0318, Kuranda, 16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 16-30 September 2010, collected by David Rentz.




Lichenaula amblygona Turner, 1900, New Micro-lepidoptera - mostly from Queensland. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  24: 6–23 [9]. Holotype BMNH ♀, Brisbane, Qld.
Xylorycta amblygona (Turner, 1900). Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [88].
Xylorycta amblygona (Turner, 1900). 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 1 May 2010].
Xylorycta amblygona (Turner, 1900). 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 19 June 2010].

Original description, Turner 1900
Lichenaula amblygona, n. sp.
Female, 28 mm. Vein 7 of forewings to hindmargin. Head white. Palpi white; terminal joint mostly fuscous internally. Thorax fuscous, irrorated with white scales. Abdomen ochreous-fuscous. Legs whitish, irrorated with fuscous, except posterior tibiae. Forewings dilated posteriorly, costa strongly arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin sinuate; white rather densely irrorated with fuscous; a triangular fuscous suffusion on innermargin before middle; a short longitudinal suffused mark in disc before middle; a very distinct outwardly oblique line from costa at two-thirds, angulated in disc, and continued parallel to hindmargin to inner margin at three-fifths; an indistinct suffusion on middle of hind margin; cilia fuscous, at apex white, at anal angle with white apices. Hindwings pale-grey, toward base whitish; cilia grey.
Distinguished from the other species with an angulated posterior line — L. oxygona [Plectophila discalis], Luc.; L. goniodes, Turn., and L. micradelpha [Plectophila micradelpha], Turn., by the fuscous thorax.
Brisbane, Queensland; one specimen taken by Mr. F. P. Dodd. I am indebted to Lord Walsingham for permission to describe this species, of which the type is now in his collection.

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Xylorycta amblygona, ♂, head, K-0205, Kuranda, 16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 1-15 December 2009, collected by David Rentz.

Xylorycta amblygona, ♀, head, K-0258, Kuranda,16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 1-15 January 2010, collected by David Rentz.


Thorax:
Abdomen:

Xylorycta amblygona, ♂, genitalia, K-0010, Kuranda, 16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 16-31 Mar 09, collected by David Rentz.

Xylorycta amblygona, ♂, aedeagus, K-0010, Kuranda, 16.48ºS 145.38'E, 335m, 16-31 Mar 09, collected by David Rentz.

Food plants:
Flight period: August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March April.
Distribution: New South Wales, Queensland. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: 

The name amblygona means ‘obtuse angle’.
See also Lichenaula goniodes and Xylorycta cosmeta.