Prochola chalcothorax is a species of small moth in the family Cosmopterigidae (though some classifications place it in Elachistidae, subfamily Agonoxeninae). It was described by the British entomologist Edward Meyrick in 1932.
Distribution
The species is found in Brazil. It is known only from the type locality of Jaraguá, Santa Catarina state, in southern Brazil, where a single female specimen was collected in August. The holotype is deposited in the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Description
The adult moth has a wingspan of 18 mm. Its head is glossy dark purple-fuscous, with dark purple-fuscous palpi tipped whitish and antennae dark fuscous with the apical half whitish. The thorax shines pale golden-bronze anteriorly, transitioning to dark purple-fuscous posteriorly. The forewings are purple-fuscous with an indigo-blue gloss, darker anteriorly and irrorated (speckled) with darker scales, featuring dark fuscous plical and second discal stigmata edged by whitish dots, and marginal dark fuscous dots along the posterior costa and termen. The hindwings and the cilia (fringe hairs) of both wings are light grey.
Etymology
The species name chalcothorax is derived from the Ancient Greek chalkos (χαλκός), meaning "copper" or "bronze," and thōrax (θώραξ), meaning "chest" or "breastplate," referring to the metallic copper-colored sheen on the thorax of the adult moth.
Taxonomy
The genus Prochola was established by Edward Meyrick in 1915, with Prochola oppidana as the type species. The taxonomic placement of P. chalcothorax has varied across sources, with some authorities placing it in Cosmopterigidae (subfamily Chrysopeleiinae) and others in Elachistidae (subfamily Agonoxeninae) within the superfamily Gelechioidea.
Biology
Little is known about the biology of Prochola chalcothorax. The immature stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae) are undescribed, and no larval host plants have been documented. As a microlepidopteran, it is presumed to have leaf-mining larvae, but this remains unconfirmed. The type locality lies within the Atlantic Forest biome, a biodiversity hotspot that has lost over 85% of its original cover.
References
- Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Prochola chalcothorax". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum.
- Meyrick, E. (1932). Exotic Microlepidoptera, vol. 4, part 10, p. 315.
