Cosmopterix irrubricata

Cosmopterix irrubricata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cosmopterigidae
Genus:	Cosmopterix
Species:	C. irrubricata
Binomial name
Cosmopterix irrubricata Walsingham, 1909

Cosmopterix irrubricata is a moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It is known from Jamaica and Veracruz, Mexico.

Adults have been recorded in March and April.

Description

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

Male, female. Forewing length 3.5 3.7 mm. Head: frons shining greyish white with reddish reflection, vertex and neck tufts shining bronze brown with reddish reflection, laterally lined white, collar shining bronze brown; labial palpus first segment very short, greyish white, second segment three-quarters of the length of third, dark brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally, third segment white, lined brown laterally, extreme apex white; scape dorsally dark brown with a white anterior line, ventrally white, antenna shining dark brown with a white interrupted line from base to two-fifths, at base a short uninterrupted section, followed towards apex by a dark brown section, two white segments, two dark brown, two white and ten dark brown segments at apex. Thorax and tegulae shining bronze brown with reddish gloss, thorax with a white median line. Legs: shining dark brown, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments one and two, segment four with a white apical ring, segment five entirely white, tibia of midleg with white oblique basal and medial lines and a white apical ring, tarsal segments one, two and four with white apical rings, segment five dorsally white, tibia of hindleg with a pale golden metallic basal streak and pale golden metallic medial and subapical rings, and a white apical ring, tarsal segments one to three with white apical rings, segment four and five entirely white, spurs dark brown, apically lighter. Forewing with basal one-fifth shining bronze brown with reddish gloss, remaining part shining dark brown with reddish gloss, at one-fifth three short silver metallic streaks with bluish reflection, a subcostal, a medial just above fold and more towards base than the subcostal, a subdorsal, further from base and twice as long as the subcostal and the medial, a broad tubercular silver metallic fascia with violet reflection in the middle, perpendicular on dorsum, at three-fifths a tubercular silver metallic dorsal spot with violet reflection, a similarly coloured but much smaller costal spot at three-quarters, outwardly edged by a narrow white costal streak, between the fascia and the dorsal spot a yellow streak at dorsum, apical line as a short silver metallic streak with bluish reflection in the middle of the apical area and a broad white spot in cilia at apex, cilia dark brown, paler on dorsum towards base. Hindwing shining brownish grey, cilia brown. Underside: forewing shining dark greyish brown with the white costal streak and apical spot distinctly visible, hindwing greyish brown. Abdomen dorsally shining pale ochreous-brown with reddish gloss, laterally darker, segments two to seven banded light grey posteriorly, ventrally dark greyish brown, segments broadly banded shining white posteriorly and with a shining white longitudinal medial streak, anal tuft greyish brown. ^[1]

References

1.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. The genera Cosmopterix Hübner and Pebobs Hodges in the New World with special attention to the Neotropical fauna (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae)