Plectophila

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890. Descriptions of Australian Lepidoptera. Part I. Xyloryctidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  13: 23–81 [25]. Type species: Oecophora electella Walker, 1864 by subsequent designation, see Meyrick, 1917.

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890, [junior subjective synonym of Xylorycta]. Meyrick, 1905, Descriptions of Indian Micro-lepidoptera. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 16 (4): 580-618 (602).

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890. Meyrick, 1917. Exotic Microlepidoptera. 2 (2–3): 33–64, 65–96 [56].

Plectophila Meyr. Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [24].

Plectophila. Turner, 1917, Lepidopterological gleanings, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 29: 70-106 [97].

Plectophila Meyr. Turner, 1919, The Australian Gelechianae (Lepidoptera), Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 31: 108-172 (119).

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890 [Cryptophasidae]. Fletcher, T. B., 1929, A list of generic names used for Microlepidoptera. Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture of India,  11: 1-244 [180].

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890. Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [88].

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890. 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 24 April 2010].

Plectophila Meyrick, 1890. 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 17 June 2010].

Original description, Meyrick 1890

Plectophila n.g.

Head loosely haired; ocelli absent; tongue developed. Antennae moderate, in male serrate, shortly ciliated ( ¼ - ½ ) basal joint moderate, without pecten. Labial palpi long, recurved, second joint with appressed scales, slightly roughened beneath, terminal joint shorter than second, with appressed scales, acute. Maxillary palpi very short. Thorax smooth. Abdomen moderate. Posterior tibiae rough-haired above and beneath. Forewings with vein 1 furcate towards base, 2 from 2/3,  3 from angle, 7 and 8 stalked, 7 to apex, 11 from middle. Hindwings 1, oblong- ovate; base below median and inner margin clothed with long hairs, 1b shortly furcate at base, 3 and 4 from a point, 5 tolerably parallel, 6 and 7 from a point, 8 connected with cell at a point towards base.

Forewings with an ochreous-brown fascia near base.                 50. electella.

[Forewings] without [an ochreous-brown fascia near base.]      51. discalis.

Other references:


Xylorycta Meyr.

I propose to widen the definition of the genus Xylorycta, so far as to unite with it the genera Lichenaula, Telecrates, Clerarcha, Plectophila, and Chalarotona. These were all published by me at the same time, and I select the name of Xylorycta for the resulting group because I made that typical of the family and therefore gave it precedence. The structural characters are thus extended in the following particulars: Antennal ciliations of ♂ variable (½ -3); 7 of forewings to apex or termen; 6 and 7 of hindwings approximated, connate, or stalked. (Meyrick 1905).

[Perixestis] Type eucephala Turn. I note here that the genera Plectophila Meyr. (type electella Walk.) and Telecrates Meyr. (type laetiorella Walk.) are good and tenable genera, not to be merged in Xylorycta. Meyrick 1917).

[Araeostoma] Distinguished from Plectophila by the nearly obsolete tongue, short palpi, and peculiar male antennae. In general facies the following species [Araeostoma aenicta] nearly resembles Plectophila poliochyta Turn. [Clerarcha poliochyta]. (Turner, 1917).

Gen. plectophila.

To this genus I refer Lichenaula choriodes Meyr., poliochyta Turn. [Clerarcha poliochyta], and micradelpha Turn. (Turner, 1917).

He [Meyrick] also establishes the genus Iulactis with a new type species semifusca (which I possess) as the type, to also include insignis Meyr. But in my opinion these last two species are Xyloryctinae, and should be referred to the genus Plectophila Meyr. or at least very near it. Vein 2 of the forewings in them arises from 2/3 or ¾. (Turner, 1919).

Description:

Head:

Thorax:

Abdomen:

Immature stages:

See notes from Moore, 1964, under Plectophila discalis. Larva is described, and pupa figured.

Distribution: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks:

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