Monday, July 5, 2010

Plectophila placocosma


Plectophila placocosma Lower, 1893


Plectophila placocosma Lower, 1893, Descriptions of new Australian Heterocera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  17: 287–293 [292]. Holotype whereabouts unknown ♀, Sydney, NSW.
Plectophila placocosma Lower, 1893. 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 placocosma Lower, 1893. 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 26 April 2010].
Plectophila placocosma Lower, 1893. 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, Lower 1893
Plectophila placocosma, n. sp.
Female, 14 mm. Head and thorax snow-white, palpi and antennae dark fuscous, terminal joint of palpi and an apical ring of second joint white; basal joint of antennae whitish. Abdomen and legs yellow, anterior and middle tibia mixed with fuscous. Forewings moderate; costa gently arched, apex obtuse, hindmargin obliquely rounded; white, slightly ochreous tinged; a broad dark fuscous fascia suffused on lower half, anterior edge curved from one-sixth costa to one-sixth inner-margin; a large irregular fuscous patch on costa beyond middle, reaching more than half across wing, anterior edge preceded by a blackish discal spot; a large fuscous patch on hind margin from apex to anal angle; a fuscous hindmarginal line, separated from preceding patch by a streak of ground-colour; cilia yellowish, with a fuscous apical spot. Hindwings yellowish, with a broad fuscous suffusion occupying posterior two-thirds of wing; cilia yellowish, with a blackish line, double at apex.
Sydney, New South Wales. One specimen from Mr. W. W. Froggatt.

Diagnosis:
Description:
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Distribution: New South Wales. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

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