Cryptophasa xylomima

Cryptophasa xylomima Turner, 1906

♂ - Cryptophasa xylomima, Mt. Bellenden Kerr, ANIC (AMO).

Cryptophasa xylomima Turner, 1906, New Australian Lepidoptera, with synonymic and other notes. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  30: 118–142. [140]. Holotype ANIC ♂, Mulgrave River, Qld.

Cryptophasa xylomima Turn. Common, 1990: Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press. 227-230 [230].

Cryptophasa xylomima Turner, 1906. Common, in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. 1996. Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monogr. Aust. Lepid. 4: i–xiv, 1–529 & CD–ROM [87].

Cryptophasa xylomima, Zborowski and Edwards, 2007, A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO, 1-214 [77].

Original description, Turner 1906

Cryptophasa xylomima, n. sp.

(Xylomimos, imitating a stick.)

Male, female, 44-50 mm. Head pale ochreous. Palpi pale ochreous; some fuscous irroration on outer surface of second joint towards base. Antennae pale-ochreous; pectinations in male 2. Thorax whitish, with a few dark-fuscous scales; tegulae anteriorly pale-ochreous, posteriorly dark-fuscous, apices ochreous-brown. Abdomen pale ochreous; dorsum of third segment, bright ochreous. Legs pale-ochreous; middle and posterior tarsi fuscous. Forewings elongate-oblong, costa gently arched towards base, thence straight, apex rounded, termen nearly straight, not oblique; whitish, costal third suffused with ochreous-grey, with sparse general irroration of blackish scales; a transverse discal blackish mark before 2/3; a terminal series of dark-fuscous dots; cilia whitish. Hindwings with termen gently rounded; pale-ochreous; cilia pale-ochreous.

Type in Coll., Turner.

N.Q., Mulgrave River, near Cairns; one specimen. Kuranda, in December; two specimens received from Mr. F. P. Dodd.

Other references:

Cryptophasa xylomima, Pl. 6.11: Common, 1990

C. xylomima Turn (Pl. 6.11) is a tropical rainforest species occurring from Cape York to Paluma, Queensland. (Common, 1990).

P. 77, Zborowski and Edwards, 2007

Cryptophasa xylomima is a large common moth, found in the rainforests of northern Queensland from Cape York south to near Townsville. Nothing is known of its biology. The resting adult has the appearance of a broken piece of rotting branch. (Zborowski and Edwards, 2007).

Diagnosis:

Description:

Head:

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂ head, K165, Kuranda, collected by David Rentz, 16-30 November, 2009.

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂ antenna. K-0785, Kuranda, 1-15 November 2012, collected by D. Rentz. N.b. In this species pectination does not extend all the way to the end of the antenna.

Thorax:

Cryptophasa xylomima wing venation (frenulum missing from hindwing)

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂ foreleg, showing epiphysis. K-0785, Kuranda, 1-15 November 2012, collected by D. Rentz.


Abdomen: 
Male genitalia: 
Uncus porrected, flattened, top sclerotized, truncate, side angles acutely produced. Gnathos fused laterally to uncus, porrect, subquadrate. Tegumen rather short, articuated with vinculum. Valva tapering, slightly curved, apex upturned, narrow. Costa of valva sinuate. Clasper developing from inner margin of sacculus, a thumb-like pedicel surmounted by a strongly sclerotised, tapering, inturned hook. Lower saccular margin straight. Apex of sacculus a small, inwardly curved, weakly sclerotised round-ended structure that overlaps the base of the clasper. There is a small sinus between the clasper and the apex of the sacculus. The anellus is moderately short, a tube of two lobes open ventrally. A densely folded and convoluted membrane surrounds the anellus, attached to the vincular margin. Saccus v-shaped; juxta pointed, concave, sided upturned. Aedeagus moderate, slightly curved towards distal end, tapering slightly.

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂ genitalia. K150, Kuranda, 1-15 November, 2009, collected by David Rentz. Photomicrograph taken at ANIC, Canberra.

Cryptophasa xylomima ♂, aedeagus. K150, Kuranda, 1-15 November, 2009, collected by David Rentz. Photomicrograph taken at ANIC, Canberra.

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂, uncus and gnathos. K150, Kuranda, 1-15 November, 2009, collected by David Rentz. Photomicrograph taken at ANIC, Canberra.

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂, clasper and tip of sacculus. K150, Kuranda, 1-15 November, 2009, collected by David Rentz. Photomicrograph taken at ANIC, Canberra.

Cryptophasa xylomima, ♂, densely folded and ciliate integument surrounding the annulus.

Female genitalia: 
Abdominal segments 8 to 10 not very extensible. Apophyses short, apophyses posteriores 1.7 x length of apophyses anteriores. Papillae anales large, rounded, setiferous. Ostium bursae small, funnel-shaped, placed mid-segment 9. Ductus bursae not coiled. Corpus bursae large, inflated ovoid. Signum a very small sclerotised plate, placed centrally.

Caenorycta xylomima, ♀ genitalia, diagrammatic.

Flight period: September, November, December, January.

Distribution: Queensland, Papua New Guinea. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: Diakonoff made the mistake of describing several species in the Cryptophasa xylomima group as members of the genus Caenorycta. This led to considerable confusion on my part, but further study has shown there is no connection between Caenorycta and the Cryptophasa xylomima group of moths, which probably deserve a genus all of their own.