Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Xylorycta stereodesma



Xylorycta stereodesma Lower, 1902


♂ - WA, Swan River, L.J. Newman leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

♀ - WA, Paulls Valley Lat. 31' 58'' S Long. 116' 07'' E, 4. Nov. 1992, E.D. Edwards E.S. Nielsen R.W. Hay leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

Xylorycta stereodesma Lower, 1902, Descriptions of new genera and species of Australian Lepidoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 26: 212–247 [237]. Holotype SAMA ♀, Perth, WA.
Xylorycta prospicua Meyrick, 1914, Exotic Microlepidoptera. 1 (6–9): 161–192, 193–224, 225–256, 257–288 [205]. Holotype NMV ♂, Waroona, WA.
Xylorycta stereodesma Lower, 1902 = X. prospicua Meyrick 1914. 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 prospicua Meyrick, 1914. 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 7 May 2010].
Xylorycta stereodesma Lower, 1902. 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, Lower 1902
Xylorycta stereodesma, n. sp.
Female, 30 mm. Head orange, hairs somewhat erect. Palpi and antennae fuscous, basal half of second joint externally ochreous, wholly ochreous internally. Thorax dark fuscous, anteriorly broadly white. Abdomen ochreous. Legs fuscous, posterior pair ochreous. Forewings elongate, moderate, costa gently arched, termen oblique, hardly rounded, silvery-white; 7 to termen; 2 moderately thick longitudinal black streaks, first from middle of base to apex; second along innermargin from near base to anal angle; cilia, shining white, on streaks blackish. Hindwings with termen rounded; fuscous, becoming ochreous at, base; 3 and 4 short stalked; cilia pale ochreous.
Probably nearest synaula, Meyr. It has the facies of the second section of the Gelechiadae, but the termen of hindwings, which in most of that group is situate beneath apex, is not at all prominent.
Perth, Western Australia; one specimen received from Mr. S. Angel. taken in November.
 
Synonymic description, Meyrick 1914
Xylorycta prospicua, n. sp.
♂. 27 mm. Head and thorax whitish-grey, thorax posteriorly white. Palpi grey, posteriorly white. Antennal ciliations 2. Abdomen ochreous-grey-whitish. Forewings elongate, rather narrow, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen nearly straight, oblique; 7 to termen; white; two moderate rather dark fuscous streaks, first from base of wing adjoining costa above middle to apex, second along dorsum from near base to near tornus, its extremities attenuated: cilia white, with dark fuscous bar at apex, on tornus grey. Hindwings with 3 and 4 connate, 6 and 7 connate; pale grey; cilia grey-whitish. West Australia, Perth, in October (Berthoud); one specimen.
Type in Coll. Lyell.

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: October, November.
Distribution: Western Australia. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

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