Abstract
In the present manuscript, we describe a new species i.e., Psilocladia indica M. Singh, Lenka & N. Singh, sp. nov., from India and diagnose with its close congeners based on wing pattern and genitalia. Psilocladia indica sp. nov. is the fifth species of the genus. This study also reports Psilocladia Warren, 1898, a genus hitherto known only from Africa, for the first time from Asia. Psilocladia is closely similar to an African genus, Xenimpia Warren, 1895 and an Oriental genus Krananda Moore, 1868. The diagnostic attributes are explained and illustrated herein. Additionally, global checklist and identification key to all the species of the Psilocladia are provided.
Lepidoptera, Checklist, Eastern Ghats, East Himalayas, global distribution, Gonodontini, identification key
Psilocladia indica M. Singh, Lenka & N. Singh, sp. nov.
New Moth Species Discovered in India, Bridging Gap Between Africa and Asia
Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have identified a previously undescribed species of the genus Psilocladia while studying geometrid moth collections from the Eastern Ghats and Eastern Himalayas. Psilocladia was previously believed to be restricted to central and southern Africa, making this discovery a significant biogeographical breakthrough.
Psilocladia indica, The newly described species, the first of its kind recorded in India, provides crucial evidence of the genus’s wider distribution, linking Africa and Asia.
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