Euclasta defamatalis Walker

Taxonomy

The holoype of Ilurgia defamatalis (Walker, 1859) (sensu Lee & Winney, 1981) from Hindustan (Uttar Pradesh?) is in the U.M.N.H. Oxford. Illustrated in Lederer (1863c: 423, pl. 15 fig. 13)

• syn. Euclasta filigeralis Lederer, 1863c: 423, 481, pl. 15 fig. 14. T.L. India. Note on LepIndex card (Shaffer 1980 unpubl.).
  • As a junior subjective syn. of E. defamatalis ssp. insularis Viette, 1958a (LepIndex). T.L. Cape Verde Is. The type is in the Helsinki (Helsingfors Konstmuseum [HAM]).

Description

Except for the very elongate abdomen.The wings of Euclasta spp. are very similar members of the Phycitinae with elongate FW and a large semi-transparent HW with darker veins and dark termenal shading. This sp. has FW that are mainly reddish brown with reddish venation and a white medial streak. There is a small punctum in the cell and the tornus is grey with grey cilliae. It has a very narrow white termenal line. The Head and thorax are reddish brown and the abdomen is dark grey with narrow pale intersegmental bands. The same specimen as illustrated in RTS, (1994: 181 pl. 30, fig.6) is illustrated here.

References

• Viette P. E. L. (1958a): Resultats de l'expédition zoologique du Professor Dr. Håkan Lindberg aux îles du Cap Vert durant l'hiver 1953-54. No 18. Lépidoptères Tinéides (s.l.) et Pyrales. Commentationes Biologicae, Helsingfors, 17 (8): 1-12.
• Lee, L. H. Y. & Winney, R., (1981) Check list of agricultural insects of Hong Kong 1981. Agriculture and Fisheries Department Bulletin 2: 164 pp.
• [RTS] (1994): 181, pl. 30, fig. 6.
• [RTS] Robinson, G. S., Tuck, K. R. & Shaffer, M. (1994) A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of South-East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur & Natural History Museum, London, 311 pp. 51 text figs, 32 pls.
• Maes, K. V. N., (1997) On the designation of the types of Euclasta defamatalis (Walker, 1859) and E. filigeralis Lederer, 1863 and the description of a new species (Lep., Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Pyraustinae). Bull. et Ann. Soc. r. Entomol. Belg. 133 (1): 21-22.
• Kendrick, R. (1999) New moth species for Hong Kong, part 3; further 1997-1998 records, Porcupine (Newsletter of the Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong) 19, 11-14.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) XVIII Pyralites, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
• Walker, F. (1859b) XVII Pyralides, In; Suppl. List Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4. 17: 255-508.
• Lederer, J. (1863c [Nov]) Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Pyralidinen. Wien. entomol. Monat. 7 (11): 379-426, pl. 2-18.