Cryptophasa nigricincta

Cryptophasa nigricincta (Turner, 1898)

♀ - Qld, Brisbane, 24. Dec. 1925, A.J. Turner leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

♂ - Qld, Brisbane, A.J. Turner leg. (ANIC). HOLOTYPE [AMO].

♂ - Qld, Brisbane, 27. Nov. 1905, A.J. Turner leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

♀ - Qld, Ravenswood, 8. Nov. 1900, A.J. Turner leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

 

♂ - Qld, Townsville, 11. Oct. 1899, F.P. Dodd leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

♀ - Qld, Townsville, 10. Oct. 1899, F.P. Dodd leg. (ANIC). [AMO].

Cryptophaga nigricincta Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [9]. Walsingham, 1898: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London, vii-xii. Syntype(s): ANIC number unknown ♂♀, Brisbane, Qld.

Zitua nigricincta, Turner. Walsingham, 1898: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London (vii-xii, following p. 444)

Cryptophasa nigricincta (Turner, 1898). 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 nigricincta (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 17 April 2010].

Cryptophasa nigricincta (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 nigricincta, n. sp. Male, 25-30 mm.; antennal pectinations, 3. Female, 40-45 mm. Forewings with 2 from ¾; hindwings with 6 and 7 from a point. Male: Head and face pale-orange. Palpi ochreous-whitish, terminal joint minute, dark fuscous, apex sometimes white. Antennae blackish. Thorax dark slate coloured, with a transverse pale-orange bar near anterior margin, which is usually whitish. Abdomen blackish; segments slenderly outlined with white scales; traces of orange suffusion usually present on second segment. Legs black with white annulations. Forewings rather narrowly oblong, costa slightly arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin obliquely rounded; dark slate-coloured; a large black dot in disc at beyond 1/3, and two placed transversely in disc at 2/5; a row of black dots along hindmargin and apical ¼ of costa; cilia white. Hindwings blackish; cilia white. Female: Head and face ochreous-whitish, or pale-orange. Palpi white, base of minute terminal joint fuscous. Antennae fuscous. Thorax white, with traces of a transverse pale-orange line anteriorly. Abdomen alternately barred with white and dark fuscous; second segment black. Legs black with white annulations. Forewings oblong, posteriorly slightly dilated, costa gently arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin obliquely rounded; clear white; a black dot in disc beyond 1/3, and two in disc at 3/5 placed transversely - the lower rather posterior; a series of black dots along hindmargin and apical 1/3 of costa; cilia white. Hindwings white,  sometimes irregularly suffused with fuscous; a row of black dots along hindmargin, sometimes extending into cilia; cilia white.

Closely allied to C. delocentra, Meyr., and subsequent research may show that it is merely a geographical form of this species. The male, however, appears very distinct, and the female may be distinguished by the black second abdominal segment. A considerable series shows these differences to be constant. We have seen both sexes of C. delocentra taken by Mr. Lower in South Australia, and in these the forewings of the male are white. (Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A. 1892.) Brisbane: larval found in the stems of several Eucalyptus.

Other references

Z. nigricincta, Turner, ♂, ♀, pupae; (Walsingham 1898).

When the leaves become too dry, they are evidently cast off by most of the species, but the webs of Z. nigricincta often have a dozen or more fragments attached to them. (Walsingham, 1898).

... while in Z. nigricincta the male is wholly slaty grey, ... (Walsingham, 1898).

Diagnosis:

Description:

Head: 

♀ - Cryptophasa nigricincta head, IM06-0584. Imbil, QLD.

♂ antennae scaled on dorsal surface, bipectinate, antennal pecinations finely ciliate, ratio to diameter of flagellomere about 1:3.

♀ antennae scaled on dorsal surface, filiform, with some fine ciliation ventrally.

Thorax:

Cryptophasa nigricincta, ♀ wing venation

      Abdomen: 

♂ genitalia, IM09-0309, Imbil, Queensland.

Aedeagus (not to scale), IM09-0309, Imbil, Queensland.

Apodemes of sternum A2 of tineid type. Terga of A3-A8 with typically Xyloryctine scIerotised dorsal setae (spines); specimen worn.

Male genitalia:

Uncus dorsally deeply divided into two lobes, fusing apically. Apex strongly sclerotised, dorsally convex, ventrally concave; point downturned, acute. Gnathos fused laterally to uncus, two arms joined at apex, turning upwards towards apex, apical half narrow, tapering, round-pointed, strongly sclerotised. Tegumen broad, sides fairly straight, dorsally slightly rounded. Vinculum with sclerotised margins wider towards base, narrowing towards apex. Saccus pointed at base, slightly produced. Juxta short, narrow, tapering, pointed. Ala valvae flared, widening from base to middle, then tapering to a narrow upturned point. Costa of ala valvae, first half convex, thence concave, apex narrow, round-pointed. Lower margin of ala valvae rounded at base, indented from sacculus; distal half fairly straight. Basis valvae about 40% of total length of valva; elongate-triangular. Sacculus inversely pyriform, narrow and rounded at base; distally broader, oblong-ovate; apex transeversely truncate; not indented by clasper. Lower saccular margin sinuate, concave for lower 2/3, thence gently rounded; deeply turned in at apex. Claspers fused to inner saccular margin, terminal process extending slightly beyond apex of sacculus; proximally narrow, widening to a broadly spathulate sclerotised process with a short, inturned, pointed terminal projection. Anellus short, mesally dilate, tapering, tubular, ventrally divided. Outer margins of anellar lobes longitudinally sclerotised, inwardly recurved at distal end. Aedeagus short, curved, tapering, proximal end swollen, apex oblique, with a slender terminal process.

Food plants: Larva boring in stem. Larval foodplant: Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae). (Edwards, 2003).

Flight period: October, November, December.

Distribution: Distribution: Queensland. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: This species and C. delocentra may or may not, as Turner speculated, be conspecific. It also seems there may be more than two species within this complex: the division into delocentra (with red abdominal band) and nigricincta (with black abdominal band) may be an arbitrary one, based on convenience.

The geographical division based on the distribution of nigricincta in Queensland, delocentra in the southern states, does not seem to be entirely borne out by the available specimens.

The specimens identified as nigricincta that I have dissected and illustrated here had black abdominal bands, and came from Queensland. That is not to say that they are necessarily identical with all other nigricincta-type specimens.

See also Cryptophasa delocentra.

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