Pyrausta galapagensis, Landry, 2015

Landry, Bernard, 2015, The Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l.) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Revue suisse de Zoologie 122 (1), pp. 55-70 : 62-65

Pyrausta galapagensis sp. n.

Figs 9-12 , 20 a-b, 25

Material examined: 7 ♂, 15 ♀.

Holotype: ♂, ‘ ECUADOR [sideways on left side] | GALÁPAGOS | Isabela, 3 km N. | S[an]to Tómas, Agr [iculture] Zone | 8.III.1989, M[ercury]V[apour]L[light] | B. Landry [leg.] ’; ‘ HOLOTYPE | Pyrausta | galapagensis | B. Landry’. Undissected. Deposited in the CNC .

Paratypes: 6 ♂, 15 ♀ from the Galápagos Island , Ecuador. – Floreana : 1 ♂ (dissected, slide B.M. Pyralidae 21185), 1 ♀, Charles [Island] , Asilo de la Paz, 360 m, i.1971, BM 1971-79, Ref. No. L-159. – Isabela: 1 ♂ (dissected, slide PYR 374 ) , 1 ♀, same data as holotype ; 1 ♀, NE slope Alcedo , near pega-pega camp, GPS: elev[ation]. 483 m, S 00°24.029’, W 91°02.895’, 31.iii.2004, u[ltra]v[iolet]l[ight] (B. Landry, P. Schmitz) ; 1 ♀ (slide MHNG ENTO 8622 ), NE slope Alcedo , ca. 400 m up (S) Los Guayabillos camp, GPS: elev. 892 m, S 00°24.029’, W91°04.765’, 1.iv.2004, uvl (B. Landry, P. Schmitz) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Alcedo , lado NE, 400 m, camp pega-pega, 15.iv.2002, uvl (B. Landry, L. Roque). – Santa Cruz : 2 ♀, Media Luna , pampa zone, 21.i.1989, M[ercury] V[apour]L[ight] (B. Landry) ; 1 ♀, casa L. Roque-Albelo & V. Cruz , GPS: 137 m elev., S 00°42.595’, W 090°19.196’, 17.ii.2005, day time (B. Landry) ; 2 ♂ (one dissected, slide MHNG ENTO 8620 ) , 4 ♀ (one dissected, slide MHNG ENTO 8621 ), NNW Bella Vista , GPS: 225 m elev., S 00°41.293’, W 090° 19.665’, 18.ii.2005, uvl (B. Landry, P. Schmitz) ; 1 ♀, Los Gemelos , 4.v.2002, uvl (B. Landry, L. Roque) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Indefatigable [ Island], v.1970 (R. Perry & Tj. De Vries), B.M. 1970-371, Ref. No. L. 150 ; 1 ♀, same data except ‘B.M. 1969-17’. Deposited in BMNH, CDRS, CNC , and MHNG.

Diagnosis: In forewing pattern and colour the paler specimens of this species are most similar to P. deidamialis (Druce) , the lectotype of which is from Volcan Chiriqui, Panama. In male genitalia this new species differs from P. deidamialis in the distinctly narrower valvae and uncus, the spatulate clasper, and the three cornuti of the vesica. The female genitalia of P. deidamialis are unknown to me. In the Galápagos this species stands out from the other two Pyrausta species present, which have conspicuous orange scaling (see Key above).

Etymology: The name refers to the area of distribution, the Galápagos Archipelago.

Description: MALE (n=7): Head with frons slightly projecting, apically flat, burnt orange in middle, dark brown along the sides, with white band laterally from base of antennae to above frons and also ventral from compound eye; antennae filiform, with ciliation dense, as long as 1/3 width of flagellomeres, with one single longer (half as long as corresponding flagellomere) seta dorsally on about first 10 flagellomeres, scaling mostly greyish brown, with some white, dark brown and burnt orange on scape and pedicel; maxillary palpus burnt orange or dark brown with few burnt orange scales; labial palpus burnt orange, sometimes with dark brown, on most of second segment and all of third, satiny white ventrally on second segment and all of first; haustellum light yellow to light orange and sometimes greyish brown. Thorax dorsally at collar burnt orange, sometimes with longitudinal darker lines on scales, to lighter royal yellow, progressively becoming lighter toward apex, sometimes with brown scales, dirty white to light yellow on thoracic segment III. Foreleg coxa light greyish brown with few burnt orange and dirty white scales; femur burnt orange; tibia dark greyish brown with white laterally and some burnt orange; tarsomeres light greyish brown, with some white at base of first tarsomere, progressively becoming darker greyish brown. Midleg coxa satiny white; femur light gold, with burnt orange and dark brown at tip; tibia dorsally at base with dark brown and burnt orange, progressively becoming paler toward apex, laterally satiny white; tarsus light gold with greyish white on last two tarsomeres. Hindleg coxa white, otherwise leg entirely light gold. Forewing length: 6.0-7.0 mm (holotype 6.0 mm); forewing colour ( Figs 9, 12 ) dark brown on costa and second half of wing, more or less speckled with burnt orange, base of wing more mellow to light yellow toward dorsum; dark brown markings as submedian line straight from dorsum to base of cell where one or two more or less distinct dark brown spots may be present, postmedian line from dorsum straight to middle of wing where it curves externally to sometimes reach broad terminal band, and short bar at end of cell; mellow yellow markings as pair of spots or complete line from dorsum, but not reaching costa, bordering postmedian dark line, and in cell and sometimes below until dorsum; fringe with shorter basal scales dark greyish brown and longer scales lighter greyish brown. Hindwing base light yellow, often with dark brown spot submedially in median sector and straight line from median sector to anal sector postmedially, followed by light yellow before broad apical dark brown band; fringe as on forewing. Abdomen dorsally mostly light greyish brown speckled with light yellow or orange and with white line at apices of segments II-VII, although last two segments mostly light gold; ventrally light gold with some light greyish brown on sternites V-VII.

Male genitalia (n=3) ( Figs 20 a-b). Uncus elongate, about 1.6 X length of tegumen dorsally, flattened, very slightly down-turned, narrowing from base to about 2/5, then parallel-sided until slightly pointed apex, with medium-length setation laterally from about middle to 3/4, with short, thick setae from beyond middle dorsal- ly until apex. Subscaphium lightly sclerotized, shorter than uncus. Tegumen short, dorsally with more thickly sclerotized teguminal ridges diverging apically and basally, without distinct median bar connecting them, but rather with scale-less area slightly shorter than teguminal ridges; laterally with more thickly sclerotized ventral margin slightly concave, with scaled area between it and teguminal ridges rounded, more thickly scaled toward dorsoapical margin. Valva narrow, with dorsal margin slightly humped at connection with transtilla, then slightly concave; medially bare and thickly sclerotized band along costa narrowing to 2/3, with some moderately long thin setae and scales on dorsal edge; ventral margin straight at base, subbasally angled, then straight until rounded apex; medially with few short thin scales at base; laterally, next to ventral margin, and along ventral margin with about 10 moderately long to very long setae between 1/10 to 1/3; clasper directed basomedially, shaped like racquetball racquet, with mostly short and thick, apically unmodified setae, but also a few longer ones mostly along apical and lateral margins; sclerotized plate before clasper medially forming broad, low triangle with short, narrow, rounded point set with about 10 short setae; sacculus unmodified. Transtilla thin, unsclerotized medially. Diaphragma ventrad from transtilla with patch of about 10 medium-length setae on each side. Juxta short, quadrangular, almost completely flat, with low depression medially, with apical margin projecting and medially with short v-shaped cut, with basal margin at each angle with short, rounded projection. Vinculum narrow with short saccus apically narrowly rounded. Phallus an almost straight tube, about 10% longer than tegumen + uncus, basal half thickly sclerotized only ventrally; coecum penis absent; vesica with three cornuti: longest half as long as phallus shaft, second 3/5 length of longest, third 2/5 length of longest; ductus ejaculatorius forming one coil distally.

FEMALE (n=15) ( Figs 10, 11 ): Antenna thinner than that of the male. Forewing length: 6.5-7.5 mm.

Female genitalia (n=2) ( Fig. 25 ). Papillae anales short, slightly convex, moderately setose, with short to moderately long setae mostly along basal (in one line) and apical margins; cuticle covered with spinules, with laterobasal sclerotized band narrow, wider at bases of apophyses, not connecting either ventrally or dorsally; posterior apophyses long and thin, without ventral projection at base, about 1.5 X width of papillae anales. Segment VIII short, 2 (ventrally) – 3 (dorsally) X length of sclerotized band of papillae anales at level of apophyses, ventrally not connected in middle, with few short to medium-length setae mostly along apical margin and dorsally, covered with spinules; anterior apophyses about 0.85X length of posterior apophyses, with dorsal, triangular enlargement at about 1/4. Membrane unspecialized around ostium bursae. Ductus bursae with membranous and spinulose funnel-shaped antrum about 1/5 of total length, followed by shorter colliculum devoid of spinules, followed by short membranous lateral extension and constriction abundantly adorned with thick spinules, followed by sclerotized and ridged wider section devoid of spinules and about 1/3 length of whole structure, with lateral rounded projection at base, followed by membranous, narrower, ridged and bent section devoid of spinules and slightly enlarging into corpus bursae. Ductus seminalis connecting between second sclerotized section of ductus bursae and next. Corpus bursae circular, with spinules either single or in rows of 2-6 except distad of signum; signum very large, shaped like closed pair of thick, stylized human lips, with two low crests directed internally on each side of middle along midline, which thus appears more thickly sclerotized, with perpendicular scale-like extensions from middle, and with thick, short spines directed internally; with accessory sac about half of size of corpus bursae, devoid of spinules.

Biology: Unknown except that moths are attracted to light and that the species seems to prefer habitats situated at medium (225 m) to high elevations, up to the pampa zone.

Distribution: Galápagos Islands of Floreana, Isabela, and Santa Cruz; probably endemic.

Remarks: The females are often darker than males. The colour definitions are partly from Wikipedia.

Figures

Figs 9-16. Adults of Galápagos Pyraustinae. (9-12) Pyrausta galapagensis. (9) ♂ holotype, CNC. (10) ♀ paratype, Santa Cruz, NNW Bella Vista, 225 m elev., 18.ii.2005, MHNG. (11) ♀ paratype, Isabela, NE slope Alcedo, 483 m elev., 31.iii.2004, MHNG. (12) ♂ paratype, same data as Fig.10, MHNG. (13-16) Pyrausta insolata. (13) ♂ holotype, MHNG.(14) ♂ paratype, Isabela, NE slope Alcedo, 869 m elev., 2.iv.2004, MHNG. (15) ♀ paratype, Isabela, 3 km N Sto Tómas, Agr. zone, 8.iii.1989, CNC. (16) ♀ paratype, Pinta, 400 m elev., 17.iii.1992, MHNG.

Figs 20-21. Male genitalia of Galápagos Pyrausta species paratypes, a and b from same slide, but not to scale, a showing the genitalia without phallus and b, the phallus. (20) P. galapagensis: slide CNC PYR 374, Isabela. (21) P. insolata: slide MHNG ENTO 8628, Santiago.

Figs 22-26. Female genitalia of Galápagos Pyraustinae. (22) Achyra eneanalis: slide MHNG ENTO 8617, Fernandina. (23) Neohelvibotys hoecki paratype: slide BL 1792, Santa Cruz, CNC. (24) Pyrausta panopealis: slide MHNG ENTO 8624, Santiago. (25) P. galapagensis paratype: slide MHNG ENTO 8621, Santa Cruz. (26) P. insolata: a- slide CNC PYR 372, Isabela; b- signum, slide BM Pyralidae n° 21186, Santiago. ab: appendix bursae; as: accessory sac; co: colliculum; odb: outgrowth of ductus bursae.