Salbia haemorrhoidalis Guenée, 1854

Bernard Landry, 2016, Taxonomic revision of the Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l.) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Revue suisse de Zoologie 123 (2), pp. 315-399 : 371-372

Salbia haemorrhoidalis Guenée, 1854

Figs 51, 52 , 124 , 170

Salbia haemorrhoidalis Guenée, 1854: 201 -202.

Material examined: 2 ♂, 1 ♀ from the Galápagos Islands: – Floreana: Scalesias near Cerro Pajas, GPS: elev[ation]. 329 m, S 01° 17.743’, W 90° 27.111’. – San Cristóbal: antiguo botadero, ca. 4 km SE P[uer]to Baquerizo, 169 m elev., S 00° 54.800’, W 89° 34.574’. – Santa Cruz: NNW Bella Vista, GPS: 225 m elev., S 00° 41.293’, W 90° 19.665’. Deposited in MHNG.

Diagnosis: In the Galápagos this species ( Figs 51, 52 ) is most similar to Omiodes indicata (Fabricius) ( Figs 41, 42 ), based on size and mostly orange colouration. Generally around 17 mm in wingspan, S. haemorrhoidalis can be recognized from O. indicata in the forewing by the thinner, less contrasting dash in the cell, the absence of a smaller spot anteriorly in the same cell, and the usually straight submedian line without a separate subcostal dash in the hindwing. In addition, the male abdomen of S. haemorrhoidalis has apical white and black patches on the last and penultimate segments dorsally, whereas the male (and female) abdomen of O. indicata apically is without any contrasting markings.

Biology: The known host plants of the larva are in family Verbenaceae and genus Lantana , especially L. camara L. ( Robinson et al., 2014). Lantana camara is a perennial, invasive shrub present in the Galápagos along with the endemic Lantana peduncularis Andersson (Jaramillo Diaz & Guézou, 2015) . Specimens available from the Galápagos were collected in various habitats located between 169 and 329 m in elevation, in February and April.

Distribution: Based on BMNH specimens and Patterson et al. (2015) this species described from Brazil is present from the southern US States of Alabama, Florida and Texas, through the Antilles, Central and South America at least to Brazil in the south. It is also distributed widely elsewhere around the world in tropical and subtropical locales (BMNH specimens; De Prins & De Prins, 2015; Robinson et al., 2014; Shaffer et al., 1996). In the Galápagos specimens collected are from Floreana, San Cristóbal, and Santa Cruz.

Remarks: The type specimens (a male and a female from Brazil) of this species were not found in the BMNH, but the types of synonyms dotatalis Walker, suffectalis Walker, abruptalis Walker, and dircealis Walker are all there. This is the first record of this species for the Galápagos archipelago, where specimens have been collected in 2004 and 2005. The three available specimens match the original description and BMNH types of the synonyms mentioned above.

phallus and (b), the phallus. (134) Udea galapagensis paratype: slide BL 1803. (135) Udea sideralis holotype.

Salbia haemorrhoidalis was introduced to Hawaii for the control of lantana and it quickly became established ( Munroe, 1989).

Figures

Figs 49 - 56. Neotropical specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (49, 50) Rhectocraspeda periusalis. (49) ♂, Galápagos, Santiago, Central, 700 m, 9. iv. 1992, MHNG. (50) ♀, Galápagos, Isabela, ± 15 km N Pto Villamil, 25. v. 1992, MHNG. (51, 52) Salbia haemorrhoidalis. (51) ♂, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, antiguo botadero, ca. 4 km SE Pto Baquerizo, 169 m, 22. ii. 2005, MHNG. (52) ♂, Ecuador, Pichincha, Septimo Paraiso Reserve, ± 1300 m, 8. v. 2002, MHNG. (53, 54) Samea castellalis. (53) ♀, Galápagos, Santiago, close to Caseta, 686 m, 6. iii. 2005, MHNG. (54) ♂, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, pampa zone, 15. ii. 1989, CNC. (55, 56) Samea coffea. (55) ♀ holotype, CNC. (56) ♂ paratype, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, 4 km SE Pto Baquerizo, 12. ii. 1989, CNC.

Figs 122 - 124. Male genitalia of Galápagos Spilomelinae, a and b from same slides, but not to scale, (a) showing the genitalia without phallus and (b), the phallus. (122) Psara chathamalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8663, Santiago. (123) Rhectocraspeda periusalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8981, Isabela. (124) Salbia haemorrhoidalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8700, Santa Cruz.

Figs 168 - 172. Female genitalia of Neotropical Spilomelinae, not to scale. (168) Psara chathamalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8993, Galápagos, Española. (169) Rhectocraspeda periusalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8982, Galápagos, Isabela. (170) Salbia haemorrhoidalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8994, Brazil. (171) Samea castellalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8707, Galápagos, San Cristóbal. (172) S. coffea paratype: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8720.

Figs 41 - 48. Neotropical specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (41, 42) Omiodes indicata. (41) ♂, Galápagos, Tagus Cove, emerged ex pupa on Desmodium glabrum, 20 - 25. v. 1992, MHNG. (42) ♀, Galápagos, Pinta, ± 50 m, 20. iii. 1992, MHNG. (43) Patania silicalis ♀, Galápagos, Alcedo, NE slope, 292 m, 30. iii. 2004, MHNG. (44, 45) Penestola bufalis. (44) ♂, Galápagos, Santiago, Cerro Inn, 28. iii. 1992, MHNG. (45) ♀, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, CDRS, wall of Inverts. lab., 11 m, 6. iv. 2004, MHNG. (46, 47) Pilocrocis ramentalis. (46) ♂, Venezuela, Aragua, PN H. - Pittier, Estacion Rancho Grande, 1100 m, 15. vii. 2009, MHNG. (47) ♀, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, E. C. C. D., 6. iii. 1992, MHNG. (48) Psara chathamalis ♀, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Bahía Conway, 14. iv. 1992, MHNG.