Tortrix Moths, Tortricidae, are predominantly small Moths with feathery wings found
across much of the globe. They are ubiquitous members of the Insect fauna, but
despite this have not been extensively studied in many areas, where only
species considered to be agricultural pests tell to be well documented. As such
new species are frequently described.
In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 24 July 2014,
Sopita Muadsub of the Department of Entomology at Kasetsart University and
Nantasak Pinkaew, of the Department of Entomology and Center for Advanced Studiesin Tropical Natural Resources at Kasetsart University, describe two new species
of Tortrid Moths from Thailand.
The first new species is placed in the genus Helictophanes, and given the specific name flava, meaning ‘yellow’, in reference to the colour of the
forewing. Helictophanes flava is a
2.9-3.9 mm yellow, gold and brown Tortrid Moth, the females being larger than
the males. The species is described from two male and two female specimens, all
collected in Trat Province, Thailand.
Helictophanes flava; (A) male and (B) female. Scale bars are 2 mm. Muadsub & Pinkaew
(2014).
The second new species is placed in the genus Cyphophanes and given the specific name khitchakutensis, meaning ‘coming from Khitchakut’; the species was
first discovered in the Khao Khitchakut National Park in Chanthaburi Province,
Thailand. Cyphophanes khitchakutensis
is a 3.4-4.06 mm Tortrid Moth, predominantly dark brown in colour, the females
being larger than the males. The species is described from two male and one
female specimens, collected from Chanthaburi and Trat Provinces.
Cyphophanes khitchakutensis; (C) male and (D) female. Scale bars are 2 mm. Muadsub & Pinkaew
(2014).
See also…
Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) are small moths that fold their wings back
into a cylindrical shape when resting. They are a widespread and
abundant group, with over 10 000 described species, and probably...
Leafroller Moths (Tortricinae) are a group of Tortrix Moths that get
their name from the habit their caterpillars have of building shelters
by rolling up the leaves of their host plant and binding them with silk.
They are a...
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