Taxonomic revision of the Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l.) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Author
Bernard Landry
text
Revue suisse de Zoologie
2016
123
2
315
399
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.155309
b195c5ca-7f2b-4f1b-a9a9-c1095c95d012
0035-418
155309
9ED8B8D5-ADA1-4B53-A1D3-0F75F889A179
Rhectocraspeda periusalis
(Walker, 1859)
Figs 49, 50
,
123
,
169
Botys periusalis
Walker, 1859: 564
.
Caprinia periusalis
(Walker, 1859)
:
Peck
et al.,
1998
: 227
.
Rhectocraspeda periusalis
(Walker)
:
Causton
et al.
, 2006
: 141
. ‒
Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2015
.
Material examined:
Holotype
:
♂
from the
USA
(
BMNH
).
Other specimens
:
15 ♂
,
13 ♀
from the
Galápagos Islands
: –
Isabela
: Tagus Cove; V[olcan]. Darwin,
300 m
elev[ation].; V. Darwin,
1000 m
elev.;
1 km
W P[uer]to Villamil;
11 km
N Pto Villamil; ±
15 km
N Pto Villamil;
3 km
N S[an]to Tómas, Agr[iculture]. Zone; Sierra Negra, pampa zone,
1000 m
alt[itude].; pampa zone. –
Pinta
:
400 m
elev. –
San Cristóbal
:
4 km
SE Pto Baquarizo [sic];
1 km
S
El Progreso
. –
Santa Cruz
:
4 km
N Puerto Ayora; agriculture zone, near (NNW) Bella Vista, GPS:
223 m
elev.,
S 00° 41.297’
,
W 90° 19.670’
;
2 km
W Bella Vista; Media Luna, pampa zone. –
Santiago
:
Central
[camp],
700 m
elev. Deposited in
CDRS
,
CNC
,
MHNG
.
Figs 131-133. Male genitalia of Neotropical Spilomelinae, a and b from same slides, but not to scale, (a) showing the genitalia without phallus and (b), the phallus. (131)
Synclera jarbusalis
: slide MHNG-ENTO-8985, Brazil. (132)
Syngamia florella
: slide MHNG-ENTO-8987, Galápagos, Santa Cruz. (133)
Terastia meticulosalis
: slide MHNG-ENTO-9032, Galápagos, Santa Cruz.
Diagnosis:
Although the males of this dark brown species with darker brown markings (
Fig. 49
) are easily separated from other species by virtue of their thickened antennae at base and enlarged anal sector of the hindwing, females (
Fig. 50
) will be best separated with the key presented above under
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis
(Guenée)
. The wingspan of the available males is
20-22 mm
, that of the females
18-19 mm
.
Biology:
Known as the Eggplant webworm (
Heppner, 2003
) the larva has been reared on several species of
Solanaceae
, including many tomato species (
Solanum
spp.), potato (
Solanum tuberosum
L.), and tobacco (
Nicotiana tabacum
L.), but also on other plants in the
Acanthaceae
,
Amaranthaceae
,
Cucurbitaceae
,
Myrtaceae
,
Phytolaccaceae
,
Piperaceae
, and
Rosaceae (
Robinson
et al
., 2014
)
. In the
Galápagos
moths were collected between sea level and
1000 m
in elevation, mostly in uninhabited areas or islands, in January until May.
Distribution:
Based on BMNH specimens this widespread
Western
Hemisphere native described from the
USA
is also found in
Jamaica
,
Mexico
,
Venezuela
,
Colombia
,
Brazil
,
Peru
, and
Argentina
.
Ferguson
et al
. (1991)
also mention it from
Bermuda
and as a migrant in the eastern
USA
as far north as
Massachusetts
(see also
Patterson
et al
., 2015
). In the
Galápagos
it has been found so far only on the four islands listed above.
Remarks:
External characters of the male
holotype
in the BMNH were found to match
Galápagos
specimens. The
holotype
has no abdomen, but the wing pattern and the enlarged anal angle of the hindwing are deemed sufficient to insure proper identification.