Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Xylorycta philonympha


Xylorycta philonympha Lower, 1903


ANIC

Xylorycta philonympha Lower, 1903. Descriptions of new species of Xysmatodoma, etc. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  27: 216–239 [229]. Syntype(s) SAMA 2♂♀, Broken Hill, NSW.
Xylorycta philonympha Low. Lower, 1917, The Lepidoptera of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Part III, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 41, 369-377 [370].
Xylorycta philonympha Lower, 1903. Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [89].
Xylorycta philonympha Lower, 1903. 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 19 June 2010].

Original description, Lower 1903
Xylorycta philonympha, n. sp.
Male and female, 30-36 mm. Head and face ochreous-orange. Thorax ochreous, posteriorly shining white, posterior two-thirds of patagia, shining white. Palpi white, somewhat infuscated externally. Antennae ochreous, ciliations of male 2. Legs whitish-ochreous, coxae orange internally, fuscous externally, tibiae more or less infuscated externally. Abdomen shining white, segments dull orange. Forewings elongate, moderate, costa gently arched, termen obliquely rounded; 7 to termen; shining snow-white; a narrow orange streak along edge of costa, from base to just before apex, becoming fuscous-tinged on basal one-fourth; cilia shining snow-white. Hindwings with 3 and 4 from a point; 6 and 7 from a point; pale fuscous, becoming lighter towards base; cilia white, becoming pale ochreous at base and on costal portion.
Differs from homoleuca, Low. (which I have, received from Derby, W.A., Townsville, Queensland, and Tasmania) by the orange streak along costa and orange head, and from chionoptera, Low., especially by the underside of abdomen and other points.
Broken Hill, New South Wales; two specimens in September and October.

Other references

Xylorycta philonympha, Low.
Several specimens, September and October. (Lower, 1917).

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: September, October.
Distribution: New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: