Synemon striolata, Kallies & Edwards, 2025

Synemon striolata spec. nov. (White-veined Sun Moth)

( Figs 67 View FIGURES 67–72 – 80, 83)

Synemon species 1 ; Edwards 1998a: 130.

Synemon sp. ‘Roper River’; Braby 2011: 86, William et al. 2016: 151-152, Braby 2018: 336-337.

New species Zoobank registration: 4C65346C-E120-4E06-B2EC-E27C36A5524E

Material examined

Holotype: 1♂ ( Figs 67, 68 View FIGURES 67–72 ) “ 16.32S 134.43E, Microwave Repeater nr Tanumbirini, N. T., 12 May 1993, E.D. Edwards ” ( ANIC 31 About ANIC 011928) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: Northern Territory: 1♀, “ Roper R., N. Territory , [ 14°41’S, 135°17’E], May 1921, N.B. Tindale ” ( SAMA) GoogleMaps ; 32♂, Microwave Repeater nr Tanumbirini , 16°32’S 134°43’E, 12.v.1993, E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 18♂, Microwave Repeater nr Tanumbirini , 16°32’S 134°43’E, 11.v.1993, E.D. Edwards (slide 11792) ( Fig. 79, ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 2♂, Border Waterhole , 15km W of Musselbrook Resource Centre, 18°36’44”S 137°59’30”E, 2.v.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider ( QM) GoogleMaps ; 1♂, McArthur River , 80km SW Borroloola, 16°39’S 135°51’E, 13.v.1973, E.D. Edwards & M.S. Upton ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 12♂, Ranken Rd , 1km N of Barkly Hwy, 19.99759°S 137.21561°E, 8.v.2013, M.F. Braby ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 8♀, Limmen N.P., Nathan River Ranger Stn, 15.57681°S 135.42783°E, 12.v.2009, M.F. Braby & N. Collier ( NTM, 1♀ in ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 12♂, 1♀, 3 exuvia (from Chrysopogon fallax ), Limmen N.P., Nathan River Ranger Stn, 15.57954°S 135.42844°E, 14.v.2009, M.F. Braby & N. Collier ( NTM, 2♂, 1♀ and 3 exuvia in ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 4♂, 7♀, 133km W of Cape Crawford , 16°26’S 134°34’E, 14.v.1973, E.D. Edwards, M.S. Upton ( ANIC, slide 11975) GoogleMaps . Queensland: 5♂, 6♀, Murrays Spring , 8km W by N of Musselbrook Camp, 18°35’S 138°03’E, 11.v.1995, E.D. Edwards (slide 11875, Figs 69 – 72 View FIGURES 67–72 , 79 ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 5♂, 1♀, 29km S by W of Musselbrook Camp , 18°51’S, 138°06’E, 8.v.1995, E.D. Edwards (slide 11793) ( Fig. 80, ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 2♂, 2♀, (+ 1 exuvia), 29km S by W of Musselbrook Camp , 18°51’S 138°06’E, 13.v.1995, E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 1♂, Musselbrook Camp , 18°36’S 138°08’E, 10.v.1995, E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 3♂, 5♀, 8km SE by E of Musselbrook Camp , 18°38’S 138°11’E, 15.v.1995, E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) GoogleMaps .

Excludes from type series: Western Australia: 1 specimen, 10 miles SE Hall Creek [Halls Creek], 18°20’S 127°46’E, C.F.H. T., May 1944 (collection of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food Collection) (Williams et al. 2016). This specimen was not examined by the authors and is therefore not included in the GoogleMaps type series.

Description

Male ( holotype, Figs 67, 68 View FIGURES 67–72 ). Wingspan 35.7 mm. Head: vertex grey, thick piliform grey scales obscuring black lamellar scales, frons with dense pale grey piliform scales and dense white lamellar scales beside eyes, labial palpi short, porrect, appressed to head, just reaching frons, white, haustellum vestigial, antenna grey, above and beneath narrowly annulated with white, club grey above, white, beneath, expanding fairly abruptly, nudum 10 orange brown on anterior third of club, apiculus minute of a single annulus. Thorax: above dark grey of mixed dark grey piliform and black lamellar scales, two subdorsal rows of pale, almost white scales hardly distinguishable, beneath white to pale grey, legs pale yellow or straw above, white or pale grey beneath, epiphysis clothed in minute spinules, inserted below about half length of foretibia, long, spine-like, not reaching end of foretibia. Abdomen: dark grey above, distally grey-brown, T2 – T3 with numerous long grey scales, beneath grey with white scales at ends of segments, laterally white.

Forewing: dark grey with markings of white or ash grey, whole wing dusted with ash grey scales, a white streak at end of cell extending into the post median band of white streaks, a series of post median white streaks beyond cell, placed between the veins, and the series extending from R5 to CuP, white streak between CuA2 and CuP broader and extending to base of wing, some white streaks with dark grey scales surrounding them, a subapical row of black elongate spots, between veins extending from R5 to M3, sometimes obsolete, costa dark grey, termen dark grey. Cilia dark grey. Underside with costa yellow, basal third of wing black, outer half yellow to orange yellow, a yellow spot at end of cell barely distinct, apical area pale yellow with some small subapical black spots from R3 to M2. Cilia pale yellow grey.

Hindwing: dark grey to black, dot at end of cell usually absent, a series of pale orange brown patches between veins extending from Rs to 1A+2A forming a band on outer two thirds of wing with inner margin lunate, black or dark grey spots between veins within band extending from M1 or M2 to 1A+2A, sometimes all spots equal in size, sometimes spots below CuA1 much larger, tornus dark grey. Cilia dark grey, yellow at tornus. Underside with costa black, basal half of wing black, a broad marginal ill-defined band of yellow or orange yellow extending from Sc+R1 to tornus, interrupted at veins by black streaks, traces of poorly defined black spots within orange yellow band from M2 to CuA2. Cilia brown, yellow at tornus, white on inner margin.

Genitalia (Fig. 79): Valva wide and short, almost square, with small apical projection pointing upwards, with long simple setae, uncus wide and simple, with long setae; phallus relatively short, arched, wider near proximal end, apically pointed; vinculum with two small projections.

Female ( paratype, Figs 71, 72 View FIGURES 67–72 ). Wingspan 41.8 mm. Abdomen wholly grey above, pale yellow beneath. Similar to male on upperside, larger, hind wing with orange yellow band paler, more distinct and black spots within this band are larger and more distinct, sometimes forming a band of black, broken at veins, from Rs to 1A+2A. Underside forewing costa pale yellow, basal third pale grey, distal two thirds pale yellow, a subapical row of elongate black spots between the veins from R4 to M3, a narrow terminal line black. Cilia grey-white. Hindwing inner half pale grey, yellow spot at end of cell small or absent, outer half pale yellow, a row of black submarginal spots between veins from Rs to M3 and CuA1 to 1A+2A, tornus pale yellow, a narrow black terminal line. Cilia grey-white.

Genitalia (Fig. 80): Ovipositor relatively short and wide, extendable and pointed, papillae anales covered in long setae, ductus bursae relatively long and straight, corpus bursae round and simple; apophyses posteriores long but not reaching beyond corpus bursae.

Diagnosis. Synemon striolata spec. nov. is distributed across most of northern Australia. It has a more streaked appearance than the other species with which it may be confused. In both sexes it differs from S. septentrionalis spec. nov., Synemon wulwulam Angle, 1951 and S. phaeoptila in the spot at the end of the forewing cell being a long longitudinal streak extending halfway to the termen rather than a transverse bar as in S. septentrionalis spec. nov. or an oval white spot to a transverse bar as in S. phaeoptila or a broad white mark extending into a pattern of other markings as in S. wulwulam . Synemon striolata spec. nov. has broad earthy yellow to orange markings in the distal half of the hindwing which are present but less marked in S. septentrionalis spec. nov. but absent in S. wulwulam which may have uniformly black hindwings or have a marginal series of small orange spots or wedges. In S. phaeoptila the hindwing is almost black with a very poorly defined brownish bronze colouring towards the termen in some specimens, but in females extensive orange areas are present interrupted by black spots; however, the forewing of S. phaeoptila is black to brownish black rather than grey and the streaks on the outer half of the

Figures 79, 80. Synemon striolata spec. nov., genitalia. 79. a. Male valve (left), uncus-tegumen complex (right), b. phallus (ANIC slide 11793), Queensland, Musselbrook Camp, c. lateral view, right valva removed, d. valva (ANIC slide 11792), Northern Territory, Microwave Repeater. 80. Female (ANIC slide 11875), Northern Territory, 133km W of Cape Crawford.

wing are much less well-defined than in S. striolata spec. nov. The underside of the hindwing in males of S. striolata spec. nov. is black on the basal half with white to orange between the veins on the outer half while in S. phaeoptila it is black to brown with cloudy patches of white scales. The forewing of S. wulwulam always has a distinct transverse line of postmedian white marks from just before the apex to CuP part of a complex well-defined pattern which is not found in S. striolata spec. nov. where any white spots are small, disconnected and subterminal but are usually absent. The genitalia of S. septentrionalis spec. nov. differ from the related species by the much shorter valva, which lack the apical extension but rather abruptly and in a short and pointed apex. The corpus bursae of in S. septentrionalis spec. nov. is round but elliptical in the related species.

Variability. This species exhibits some variability in size and the extent of the light forewing markings. The white dis

Etymology. The species’ name derives from the striolated appearance of its forewings.

Biology and distribution. This species inhabits tropical savannahs and open woodlands ( Figs 73, 74 View FIGURES 73–78 ) from northern Western Australia across the Northern Territory into the north-west of Queensland ( Fig. 83 View FIGURES 81-83 ). It favours flat open grassy areas with its hostplants Chrysopogon fallax (Golden Beard Grass, Poaceae ) ( Braby 2011) and Chrysopogon pallidus (R. Br.) Steud. 1840 (Ribbon Grass, Poaceae ) (observation E.D. Edwards). The species appears to be well adapted to fire with specimens emerging from the ground and ovipositing in freshly burnt areas ( Figs 75 – 78 View FIGURES 73–78 ).

Conservation status. Although it may be regionally endangered by grazing, this species can be considered secure.