Diaphania nigricilialis is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by the American entomologist William Schaus in 1912 under the original combination Glyphodes nigricilialis. The species is placed in the genus Diaphania within the subfamily Spilomelinae.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described as Glyphodes nigricilialis by Schaus in 1912. It was later transferred to the genus Diaphania. A misspelling, Diaphania nigrocilialis, was published by Klima in 1939. The species has also been listed under the synonym Cryptographis nigricilialis.
Description
The length of the forewings ranges from 12 to 15 mm. The species belongs to the "black and white" group of Diaphania, characterized by wings that are predominantly dark brown (almost black) with contrasting white translucent areas. The anepisternal scale organ (a male sex-specific structure on the mesothorax) is composed of two clusters of yellowish scales located on a hollow anepisternum, with the posterior cluster containing approximately three times as many scales as the anterior cluster. An evaporation area represented by abundant ridges is clearly visible on the posterior region of the anepisternum. The abdomen is dark brown dorsally and white ventrally, with the 7th sternite having a brown middle area and white lateral margins. The anal tuft is uniformly dark brown in both sexes.
Distribution
The species is found in the Neotropical realm, with recorded occurrences in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Venezuela.
References
- Nuss, M.; et al. (2003–2014). "GlobIZ search". Global Information System on Pyraloidea.
- Clavijo Albertos, Jose Alejandro (November 1990). Systematics of black and white species of the genus Diaphania Hubner (1818) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Pyraustinae) (PhD). McGill University.
- Schaus, W. (1912). "New species of Heterocera from Costa Rica.—XIV". Ann. Nat. Hist., 9: 289–311.
