Pectinivalva mystaconota Hoare ex Hoare & van Nieukerken 2013

Pectinivalva mystaconota is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is known from scattered localities in eastern Australia from Wellington, New South Wales south to Mount Nelson, Hobart, Tasmania.

The wingspan is 5.8-7.6 mm for males and 7.5-8.0 mm for females. The thorax and forewings are blackish fuscous and weakly shining. The hindwings are clothed in dark brown scales with iridescent reflections.

Male (Fig. 4). Wingspan 5.8–7.6 mm. Head capsule: labial palpi distinctly longer than galeae; maxillary palpi with ratio of segments from base approximately 0.3: 0.4: 0.6: 1.5: 1.0; interocular index 0.74. Frontal tuft orange; collar inconspicuous, white; eyecaps black, thinly scaled and almost transparent towards base; antennae blackish, 37–42 segments. Thorax and forewing blackish fuscous, weakly shining; cilia concolorous. Hindwing broadened at base, clothed in dark brown scales with iridescent reflections; an elongate androconial pocket in anterior ½ of wing, surrounded by shining granular blackish scales; cilia dark grey. Underside: forewing and hindwing dark fuscous; costa of hindwing with a series of blunt rectangular lamellate scales. Wing venation as in Fig. 31: base of R1 in forewing well separated from base of R2+3; trunk of Rs+M in hindwing not strongly deflected towards costa. Legs: fore-tibia somewhat thickened with blackish scales. Abdomen dark fuscous, with a moustache-like patch of hair-scales on T5 (Fig. 41). Female (Fig. 5). Wingspan 7.5–8.0 mm. Similar to male, but head broader; antennae shorter, 30 segments; forewing somewhat broader; hindwing unmodified. Wing venation as in Fig. 32: base of R1 in forewing close to base of R2+3; trunk of Rs+M in hindwing strongly deflected towards costa. T5 of abdomen without hair-scales. Male genitalia (Figs 39, 40, 42, 58, 59). Capsule ca. 480 μm long. Vinculum with anterior margin W-shaped; lateral arms and tegumen forming a triangle. Tegumen very narrow, caudally rounded. Uncus hood-like with well-sclerotized tip. Gnathos with enlarged basal plate, lateral arms slightly curved, central element short, triangular. Valva (Fig. 40) ca. 280–335 μm long, triangular and pointed; a spine-like process at base of medial edge; inner (dorsal) surface with numerous strong flattened setae in apical ½; exterior surface with a tuft of very robust, long setae extending beyond tip of valva (visible without dissection); sublateral processes well developed; pectinifer absent. Aedeagus (Figs 42, 59) ca. 550–575 μm including processes; 3 large blunt interconnected processes at apex, the left hand one curved; vesica with a large field of small cornuti, cathrema with 3 loosely interconnected elongate sclerites. Female genitalia (Figs 73, 80–82). Total length ca. 935 μm. T9 not forming distinct anal papillae, 8–9 setae on each side. T8 with ca. 9–10 setae on each side. Apophyses anteriores slightly longer than posteriores (Fig. 81). Lateral sclerites of vestibulum absent. Corpus bursae with elongate posterior portion and oval anterior portion; anterior portion with strong transverse folds and numerous strong close-set pectinations. Signum (Fig. 82) an elongate weakly toothed band along anterior edge of corpus.

Collected in scattered localities in eastern Australia from Wellington, N.S.W. south to Mt Nelson, Hobart, Tasmania; presumably widespread, but not yet known from Victoria.