Coccidiphila nivea

Coccidiphila nivea is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the splendor butterfly ( Cosmopterigidae ). The epithet " nivea " refers to the white color of the head and the basal part of the forewing.

Features

The moths have a wingspan of 8.5 millimeters. Forehead ( frons ) and vertices (vertex ) are shiny white. The neck tufts also shines white and is sometimes tinted gray in the middle. The neck collar is mixed white and gray.

The labial palps are white. The first segment is very short and brown on the outside. The second segment is one and a half times as long as the third, the basal half is outside is gray -brown. The third segment is outside is gray -brown in the first third.

The sensor base member is white to brownish gray and has a white apical ring. Ventral it is white. The antennae are curled cream-white and sometimes indistinct ocher. Before the top there are three dark brown sections of four segments, each separated by five creamy white segments. The probe tip is creamy white. The thorax shining white and speckled in the top third with dark gray brown scales. The tegulae shining white and front dark gray brown.

The front legs are dark brownish gray, the inner sides of tibiae and the first Tarsenglieder are white. The first two Tarsenglieder have white Apikalringe, the fifth segment is completely white. The middle pair of legs is white. On the tibiae is located in the middle of a very oblique, dark gray-brown line. The first Tarsenglied has dorsally in the middle of a large dark gray-brown stain. The second segment is in the apical half, segments four and five are overall dark gray brown. The hind legs are just as stained as the middle legs, the Spurs are white.

The fore wings shining white and have a wide, dark gray-brown Costalstrich, which extends from the base to 2 /5 of the forewing length. Then he runs subdorsal continue up to 2 /3 of the forewing length. A narrow, dark gray-brown subdorsaler line starts at the wing base and extends to beyond the middle. He is frequently interrupted. A narrow, irregular, dark gray-brown bar is located in the middle of the last third. This extends to the Frans shed, the inside is sometimes associated with the Costalstrich. The fringe scales shine white and have dorsally at the apex of a short dark gray-brown line. The hind wings shining gray white and have white shiny Frans shed. The fore wings are brownish gray undersides and darker on the Costa loader. On the Frans shed a dark line is clearly visible. The undersides of the hind wings shining gray white. The abdomen shines dorsal and ventral white. The after tufts also shines white.

In the males, the right and left brachium is fused to a broad uncus. The right brachium is still recognizable in the form of a hook-shaped tip, while the left just can not be identified as a sclerotized bar. The Tegumen is slender and rather long. The Anellus - lobes are long, slender and curved in the middle. The Valven wide from the narrowest point in the middle gradually to a distal rounded cucullus. The aedeagus is short and tubular. At the base it is wider and curved downward. The cecum has two lip-shaped Vorstülpungen.

Dissemination

Coccidiphila nivea is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Biology

The biology of the species is unknown.

Documents

• Cosmopterigidae
• Splendor falter