Cryptophasa eumorpha (Turner, 1898)
Cryptophasa eumorpha holotype, South Australian Museum, Adelaide. © SAMA.
Cryptophasa aggesta, co-type. Photograph by Patrick Strutzenberger, ©BMNH.
Cryptophaga eumorpha, Turner, 1898, The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [9]. Holotype SAMA ♂, Charters Towers, Qld.
Cryptophasa aggesta Meyrick, 1925, Exotic Microlepidoptera. 3(5–7): 129–160, 161–192, 193–224 [147]. Syntype(s) BMNH 8♂, Oetakwa River, Irian Jaya, Dampier Island, Goodenough Island, Papua New Guinea.
Cryptophasa eumorpha Turner 1897. Bradley, J. D., 1961, Microlepidoptera from the Solomon Islands. Additional records and descriptions of Microlepidoptera collected in the Solomon Islands by the Rennell Island Expedition, 1953-1954. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology, Vol. X, 1960-61, 1-463 (113-170) [149].
Cryptophasa eumorpha, (Turner, 1898) [ = aggesta syn.n.] Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [86].
Cryptophasa aggesta Meyrick, 1925. 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 15 April 2010]. [Synonymy not noted].
Cryptophasa eumorpha, (Turner, 1898). 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 15 April 2010].
Cryptophasa eumorpha, (Turner, 1898). 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, Turner 1898
Cryptophaga eumorpha, n. sp. Male, 25 mm.; antennal pectinations, 3; forewings with vein 2 from ¾; hindwings with 6 and 7 stalked. Head ochreous-yellow. Palpi small, terminal joint minute, whitish. Antennae blackish. Thorax whitish, anterior margin tinged with reddish- brown. Abdomen whitish, barred with fuscous; second segment reddish-brown. Legs blackish, annulated with white. Forewings narrow oblong, costa slightly arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin obliquely rounded; slate-coloured; a black dot in disc beyond 1/3 and two in disc at 3/5, placed transversely, the upper one almost obsolete; a row of black dots along hind margin and apical 1/3 of costa; cilia whitish. Hindwings pale greyish-fuscous; a series of black dots along hindmargin; between dots hind margin is whitish; cilia whitish.
Allied to the following species [Cryptophasa chionodes]. Charters Towers: one specimen bred by Mr. Dodd.
Synonymic description, Meyrick 1925
Cryptophasa aggesta, n . sp.
♂. 39-48 mm. Head whitish-ochreous. Palpi pale ochreous, externally suffused fuscous except towards apex of joint. Antennae pectinated (3). Thorax white or ochreous-whitish somewhat sprinkled blackish, anterior third dark fuscous. Abdomen whitish-ochreous sometimes suffused fuscous, a reddish antemedian band, anal segment ochreous. Forewings suboblong, slightly dilated, termen slightly oblique; 8 to apex; whitish or pale greyish ochreous, more or less sprinkled blackish; an ill-defined costal band of dark fuscous suffusion, occupying about 1/3 of wing; discal stigmata dark fuscous or blackish, first small, sometimes obscured, second forming a narrow-transverse spot; a suffused fuscous terminal line, more or less indistinctly dotted dark fuscous: cilia whitish, suffused fuscous on outer half, more strongly round apex, an antemedian series of indistinct dark fuscous marks or dots. Hindwings grey tinged ochreous; cilia light greyish-ochreous.
DUTCH NEW GUINEA, Oetakwa R., 3000 feet; BRITISH NEW GUINEA, Dampier I., Goodenough I., 3000 feet (Meek); 8 ex.
Other references
Xyloryctidae
Cryptophasa eumorpha Turner
Cryptophasa eumorpha Turner 1897, Ann. Queensland Mus. 4: 9.
Cryptophasa aggesta Meyrick, 1925, Exot. Microplep 3: 127.
GUADALCANAL: Honiara, 8-18.ix 1 ♂
DISTRIBUTION: Australia (Queensland), New Guinea (Papua), Rook I. and Dampier I.
(Bradley, 1961).
Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period:
Distribution: Queensland, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea. (Edwards, 2003).
Remarks: On appearance alone there is good reason to suspect that Cryptophasa aggesta and C. eumorpha are not synonymous, as suggested by Bradley and adopted by Common and subsequent authors. As well, Turner's original description more closely matches the South Australian type specimen.