Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Lichenaula selenophora



Lichenaula selenophora Lower, 1892


ANIC

ANIC

Lichenaula selenophora Lower, 1892. Descriptions of New South Australian Lepidoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  15: 5–17 [16]. Syntype(s) SAMA 18♂♀, Blackwood, SA.
Lichenaula selenophora Lower, 1892. 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 selenophora (Lower, 1892). 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 23 April 2010].
Lichenaula selenophora Lower, 1892. 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, Lower 1892
Lichenaula, Meyrick.
Lich. selenophora, sp. nov.
Male and female, 25-28 mm. Head and thorax ashy-grey-whitish. Face white. Palpi whitish, irrorated with fuscous, terminal joint fuscous. Antennae fuscous, base whitish, sharply annulated with white, ciliation one. Abdomen grey-whitish, abdominal segments lighter, anteriorly edged with reddish-ochreous bands. Legs whitish, anterior and middle tinged with dark fuscous. Forewings oblong, posteriorly dilated, costa gently arched, apex rounded, hindmargin straight, oblique; 7 to hindmargin immediately below apex; ashy-grey whitish, irrorated with black, the coalescence of which tends to form obscure markings, leaving costal edge snow-white, from near base to near apex; an irregular suffusion in disc; a streak from base angulated downwards towards inner margin, but not touching it, at one-fifth thence obscurely continued along fold to beyond middle; a moderate irregular suffused circle, anterior edge more pronounced immediately above anal angle, enclosed space almost white; a whitish apical patch obscurely continued along hindmargin to anal angle; a suffused blackish hind marginal line; cilia ashy-grey, basal-half darker. Hindwings distinctly sinuate beneath apex; grey-whitish, slightly ochreous-tinged, much lighter towards base; cilia whitish, base yellowish-tinged, with a fuscous parting-line near base.
Rather variable in markings and intensity of colouring, the costal streak and curious mark above anal angle are distinct characters. Nearest to laniata, Meyr. Eighteen specimens beaten from Banksia marginata, at Blackwood, in November.

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants: Adults beaten from Banksia marginata (Proteaceae). (Edwards, 2003).
Flight period: November.
Distribution: South Australia. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: