Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) of India and Sri Lanka

This study provides a comprehensive account of 40 species of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 described or recorded from India and Sri Lanka. A key to the species based on external characters and on male genitalia is provided; twelve new species are described: Nemophora angustialata Kozlov, sp. nov., N. ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. costimaculella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. ferruginea Kozlov, sp. nov., N. fletcherella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. fuscomaculella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. kashmirella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. manipurella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. nitidulella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. ornamentella Kozlov, sp. nov., N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov. and N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov. Lectotypes are designated for 19 species, including four junior synonyms. The following new synonyms of seven species are proposed: Nemotois pollinaris (Meyrick, 1907), syn. nov. ofNemophora engraptes (Meyrick, 1907); Adela suavis Caradja, 1938, syn. nov. ofNemophora fluorites (Meyrick, 1907); Adela latifasciella Warren, 1888, syn. nov. ofNemophora gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); Nemotois chrysogona Meyrick, 1922, syn. nov. of Nemophora indica (Walker, 1863); Nemotois xanthargyra Meyrick, 1922, syn. nov. ofNemophora scitulella (Walker, 1864); Nemotois zonoreas Meyrick, 1924, syn. nov. ofNemophora solstitiella (Walsingham in Walsingham & Durrant, 1900); and Nemotois xanthophracta Meyrick, 1930, syn. nov. of Nemophora athlophora (Meyrick, 1912). Eleven new combinations are introduced: Nemophora sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928), comb. nov., N. engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), comb. nov., N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), comb. nov., N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922), comb. nov., N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880), comb. nov., N. indica (Walker, 1863), comb. nov., N. scitulella (Walker, 1864), comb. nov., N. amphimetalla (Meyrick, 1912), comb. nov., N. pyrotechna (Meyrick, 1912), comb. nov., N. chrysidias (Meyrick, 1928), comb. nov., and N. athlophora (Meyrick, 1912), comb. nov. Nemophora chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907) and N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023 are for the first time reported from India; N. smaragdaspis (Meyrick, 1924) is for the first time reported from Nepal; N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1922) is for the first time reported from Myanmar; N. solstitiella (Walsingham in Walsingham & Durrant, 1900) is for the first time reported from Pakistan and China (Taiwan); and N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907) is for the first time reported from Vietnam. The previous records of Adela croesella (Scopoli, 1763), N. satrapodes (Meyrick, 1894) and N. degeerella (Linnaeus, 1758) from India are dismissed as based on misidentifications. Currently, the fairy moth faunas of India and Sri Lanka include 38 and four species, respectively.