The Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l.) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Author
Landry, Bernard
text
Revue suisse de Zoologie
2015
2015-03-31
122
1
55
70
journal article
24931
10.5281/zenodo.14577
b4b77777-50c4-4598-b55d-313a5141d3ba
0035-418
14577
1203AE7F-04A4-4E6A-85F6-4807023F7509
Pyrausta panopealis
(
Walker, 1859
)
Figs 7, 8
,
19
a-b, 24
Rhodaria panopealis
Walker, 1859: 318
.
Pyrausta panopealis
Walker.
–
Munroe (
1976
: 111
, 112, not illustrated). –
Munroe (1983: 71)
–
Robinson
et al.
(1994: 179
, pl. 29 fig. 19). –
Shaffer
et al.
(1996: 189)
. –
Peck
et al.
(1998: 227)
. –
Munroe (1995: 57)
. –
Heppner (2003: 275)
. –
Causton
et al.
(2006: 141)
. – Roque-Albelo & Landry (2012). –
Nuss
et al.
(2014)
. –
Patterson
et al.
(2014)
.
Material examined:
14 ♂
(4 dissected),
16 ♀
(3 dissected). –
Isabela
:
3 km
N
S
[an]to Tómas, Agriculture zone;
11 km
N
P
[uer]to Villamil;
NE
slope Alcedo, near shore, GPS: elev[ation].
9 m
,
S 00°23.619’
,
W
90° 59.715’
; NE slope Alcedo, GPS: elev.
292 m
,
S
00° 23.829’
,
W 91° 01.957’
; Alcedo, lado NE, camp arida alta,
200 m
[elev.]; V[olcan]. Darwin,
300 m
elev. –
Santa Cruz
:
4 km
N Puerto Ayora; casa L. Roque-Albelo & V. Cruz, GPS:
137 m
elev.,
S 00° 42.595’
,
W 90° 19.196’
; transition zone, recently cut road, GPS:
S 00° 42.528’
,
W 90° 18.849’
, [reared] from
Hyptis sidaefolia
leaves; low agriculture zone, GPS: 00° 42.132’,
W 90° 19.156’
; Finca Vilema,
2 km
W Bella Vista; Los Gemelos. –
Santiago
: N side, GPS:
437 m
elev.,
S 00° 13.316’
,
W 90° 43.808’
; Cerro Inn; Bahía
Espumilla;
200 m
elev.; Aguacate,
520 m
elev.; Central,
700 m
elev.; Jaboncillo, ±
850 m
elev. Deposited in
CDRS
,
CNC
,
MHNG
.
Diagnosis:
In the
Galápagos
this small species can only be confused with
Pyrausta insolata
sp. n.
, but the key above will separate specimens of these two. Outside of
Galápagos
the species is most similar to
Pyrausta phoenicealis
(Hübner)
, but on average smaller (
6-7 mm
in forewing length), with wings lighter, more thinly scaled, the forewing with dark areas redder and light areas yellower, the hindwing lighter and not as red as the forewing, with the pale areas weakly contrasting and without a fulvous patch at base, the fringes with the basal parts yellow or with a few reddish scales and distal parts whitish, etc. (
Munroe, 1976
). The female hindwing is generally darker than that of the male because the lighter orange markings are smaller than those of the male.
Biology:
Hyptis capitata
Jacquin (Lamiaceae)
was reported as a host plant in
Puerto Rico
(
Munroe, 1976
) and
Dicerandra frutescens
Shinners
and
Hyptis capitata
Jacquin (Lamiaceae)
in Florida (
Heppner, 2003
). I have reared specimens from
Hyptis sidaefolia
(L’Hér.) Briq. (Lamiaceae)
leaves on Santa Cruz Island. The moths are attracted to light and have been collected between the coastal zone and up to
850 m
in elevation.
Distribution:
Described from
China
, this species is widespread in the tropics of the world (
Munroe, 1976
). In the Galápagos I have collected specimens on the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz, and
Santiago
. One specimen in the CDRS with a label stating ‘41’ was associated with catalogue data stating ‘
Pyrausta phoenicealis
, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Isabela,
Santiago, Transition
to humid zones, Feb[ruary]., June, July, Dec[ember].’
Remarks:
For the full synonymy pertaining to this taxon see
Munroe (1976
, or 1995). I confirm that the
holotype
deposited in the BMNH is a female.
Pyrausta panopealis
has been confused and synonymized with
Pyrausta phoenicealis
(Hübner, 1818)
in some publications prior to
Munroe (1976)
, who removed it from synonymy based on small differences (see Diagnosis). Later as well (see for example
Guillermet, 2009
, and
Vári
et al.
, 2002
), the species has been reported as
P. phoenicealis
, with
P. panopealis
in synonymy, although
Munroe (1976)
stated that
P. phoenicealis
‘seems to be confined to the southeastern part of the
United States
[of America]’ and its type locality is
Florida
. I have decided to follow
Munroe (1976
,
1983
,
1995
) in considering that
P. panopealis
and
P. phoenicealis
are different taxa as he made the only available comparative study of the group and because there are DNA CO1 barcode unpublished data that seem to support the separation of the two species (J.-F. Landry, pers. comm.). The host plant record of
Hyptis capitata
Jacquin (Lamiaceae)
by
Munroe (1976)
is based on
Schaus (1940)
who reported the species as
P. phoenicealis
from
Puerto Rico
.