Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 7. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: grass and bamboo feeders
Author
Cock, Matthew J. W.
Author
Congdon, T. Colin E.
text
Zootaxa
2014
3872
4
301
354
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3872.4.1
3278c375-6c89-42a2-b7ac-24b9bb91730e
1175-5326
251860
8FECCFC1-7CA9-4A90-B881-4BD40157AD99
Meza
Hemming, 1939
Hemming (1939)
established this genus, with
Hesperia meza
Hewitson, 1877
as its
type
species, because
Gastrochaeta
Holland
, 1896
which had been extensively used for this and similar skippers (
Evans 1937
) was an unavailable homonym. This genus was discussed in
Cock & Congdon (2013)
, as most of its members are dicotyledon feeders. Only the
type
species has been recorded to feed on
Poaceae
and this, together with differences in the genitalia and markings, indicated the genus will need to be divided, and only the
type
species,
Meza meza
will be left in the genus (
Larsen 2005
, T.B. Larsen pers. comm. 2012, Larsen in prep.).
Meza meza
(
Figure 21
) is found through West Africa, east to
Uganda
and south to
Angola
(
Evans 1937
,
Larsen 2005
).
Vuattoux (1999)
notes that the caterpillar of this species eats
Paspalum conjugatum
(
La chenille
de cette espèce consomme la Graminée
Paspalum conjugatum
). Vuattoux is not explicit about the number of records, but MJWC identified just one specimen (Vuattoux ref. 10 86). We have no other information on the biology of this species.