Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Xylorycta polysticha



Xylorycta polysticha Turner, 1939


ANIC, holotype

Xylorycta polysticha Turner, 1939. A second revision of the Lepidoptera of Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of The Royal Society of Tasmania, 1938: 57–115 [84]. Holotype ANIC ♀, Derwent Bridge, Tas.
Xylorycta polysticha Turner, 1939. Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [89].
Xylorycta polysticha (Turner, 1939) (Lichenaula) 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 5 May 2010].
Xylorycta polysticha Turner, 1939. 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 1939
Xylorycta polysticha, n. sp.
πολυστιχος, many-striped.
♀. 26 mm. Head and thorax, pale fuscous. (Palpi missing.) Antennae, grey. Abdomen, grey-whitish; bases of segments ferruginous-fuscous. Legs, fuscous; posterior pair, whitish. Forewings sub-oblong; costa, gently arched; apex rounded; termen somewhat obliquely rounded, pale ochreous, irrorated, and streaked with pale fuscous; markings, shining white; a moderate costal streak from base to 2/5; three short, slender oblique streaks running to costa between this and apex; a broad median streak from base to end of cell at 2/3, dilated in middle to contain an elongate dark spot, and ending on a fuscous discal dot, from which two fine parallel streaks run to termen, beneath these three similar streaks, a fine streak on fold and another broader on dorsum extended on termen to near apex; cilia, fuscous; apices, white. Hindwings, 1 ½, pale grey; cilia, whitish.
Nearest, X. calligramma Meyr.
Derwent Bridge, in January; one specimen.

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: January.
Distribution: Tasmania. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: