Israel Journal of Entomology
Published October 27, 2026 | Version v1
Journal article Open

First record of the genus Tospitis Walker, 1863 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini) from India, with description of a new species

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Post Graduate Teaching Department of Zoology, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Amravati Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 440033, India. E-mail: rbbhendeofficial@gmail.com

Contributors

  • 1. Israel Journal of Entomology; editor@ij-entomology.online
  • 2. EDMO icon Tel Aviv University, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History

Description

A new species of a lichen moth, Tospitis indica sp. n., is described from Maharashtra, Central India, representing the first record of the genus Tospitis Walker, 1863 from India. The description is based on two adult specimens, supplemented with illustrations of the male and female habitus, along with their genitalia. This finding extends the known distribution of Tospitis to as far west and north as the central India.

Abstract (Marathi)

मध्य भारतातील महाराष्ट्र राज्यातून दगडफूल पतंगाच्या एका नवीन प्रजातीचा शोध घेऊन तिचे वर्णन करण्यात आले आहे. या नवीन प्रजातीचे नामकरण टॉस्पिटिस इंडिका (Tospitis indica sp. n.) असे करण्यात आले असून, टॉस्पिटिस  वॉकर, १८६३ (Tospitis Walker, 1863) या वंशाची भारतातील ही पहिली नोंद आहे. हे वर्णन दोन प्रौढ नमुन्यांवर आधारित असून, त्यासोबत नर व मादीच्या बाह्य शारीरिक रचनेची तसेच त्यांच्या जननेंद्रियांची चित्रे दिली आहेत. या नवीन प्रजातीच्या शोधामुळे टॉस्पिटिस  या वंशाच्या ज्ञात भौगोलिक प्रसार पश्चिम आणि उत्तरेकडे मध्य भारतापर्यंत असल्याचे स्पष्ट झाले आहे.

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Additional details

Identifiers

LSID
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7549E2EC-3B33-4B13-B8E7-8E016836B0DC

Related works

Describes
Other: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5E6F7B9B-C134-4994-8DE1-3C25D8074E75 (LSID)
Is published in
Journal: https://ij-entomology.online (URL)
Journal: 2224-6304 (ISSN)
References
Other: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:05DB35C4-72CE-42C9-9485-2192A45D4803 (LSID)

Dates

Submitted
2026-07-28
Accepted
2026-10-01

Biodiversity

Basis of record
PreservedSpecimen
Institution code
ZSIW
Life stage
adult
Sex
female , male
Organism quantity
2.00
Event date
2026-01-27
Verbatim event date
27.i.2026
Recorded by
Rahul Babanrao Bhende
Individual count
2
Locality
RTM Nagpur University campus
Decimal latitude
21.14
Decimal longitude
79.05
State/Province
Maharashtra
Country
India
Country code
in
Verbatim elevation
357m
Scientific name
Tospitis indica
Scientific name authorship
Bhende
Identified by
Rahul Babanrao Bhende
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Erebidae
Genus
Tospitis
Species
indica
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic status
accepted
Type status
holotype

References

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  • Billberg, G.J. 1820. Enumeratio insectorum in museo Gust. Joh. Billberg. Stockholm, 138 pp. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33665717#page/9
  • Bucsek, K. 2012. Erebidae, Arctiinae (Lithosiini, Arctiini) of Malay Peninsula – Malaysia. Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 170 pp.
  • Bucsek, K. 2014. Erebidae, Arctiinae (Lithosiini, Arctiini) of Malay Peninsula – Malaysia. Supplemen­tum. Institute of Zoology, Bratislava, 170 pp. + 51 pls.
  • Bucsek, K. 2020. Contribution to the knowledge of Lithosiini (Erebidae, Arctiinae) of central and northern Laos, part 3. Entomofauna Carpathica 32 (2): 19–46. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357128255
  • Černý, K. & Pinratana, A. 2009. Moths of Thailand. Vol. 6. Arctiidae. Brothers of St. Gabriel in Thailand, Bangkok, 227 pp. + 52 pls
  • Hampson, G.F. 1918. Descriptions of new genera and species of Amatidae, Lithosiidae, and Noctuidae. Novitates Zoologicae 25: 93–217. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3856896#page/111
  • Holloway, J.D. 2001. The Moths of Borneo, Part 7: Family Arctiidae, Subfamily Lithosiinae. Malayan Nature Journal 55 (3–4): 279–458.
  • Joshi, R.K. & Dhyani, S. 2018. Biomass, carbon density and diversity of tree species in tropical dry deciduous forests in Central India. Acta Ecologica Sinica 39: 289–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.009
  • Leach, W.E. 1815. Entomology. In: Brewster, D. (Ed.), The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia. Vol. 9. Edinburgh, pp. 57–172. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17493567#page/65
  • Walker, F. 1863. List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part XXVII. Crambites & Tortricites. Printed by order of the Trustees [of the British Museum], London, 561 pp. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/212523#page/10