Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius, 1794)

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 : 337-339

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.155309
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5823166
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EA87B1-FFAA-8237-7C1B-F9CFFD78F97A
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius, 1794)
status

Treatment

Figs 19 View Figs 17 - 24 , 104 View Figs 104 - 106 , 150 View Figs 148 - 152

Phalaena bipunctalis Fabricius, 1794: 232 .

Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius) : Peck et al., 1998: 227. ‒ Causton et al., 2006: 141. ‒ Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2015.

Material examined: ♀ lectotype of synonym Botys philealis Walker, 1859 , 3 ♂, 2 ♀ from the Galápagos Islands: – Genovesa: Bahía Darwin. – Isabela: ± 15 km N P[uer]to Villamil. – Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Research Station; Charles Darwin Research Station, Barranco, 20 m elev[ation]. – Santiago: Jaboncillo [camp], ± 850 m elev. Deposited in MHNG.

Diagnosis: Measuring 23 to 25 mm in wingspan, this pale tan species can be recognized by its slightly darker forewing costa and apex, as well as by the two small contrasting eponymous dots in the cell, with the apical slightly bigger ( Fig. 19 View Figs 17 - 24 ). Herpetogramma phaeopteralis ( Figs 20, 21 View Figs 17 - 24 ) is much darker and its darker markings are poorly apparent. Paler specimens of Asciodes quietalis ( Fig. 6 View Figs 1 - 8 ) are more evenly coloured on the forewing, without darker costa and apex, their transverse lines are zigzagged, and their apical cell dot is quadrangular with the centre concolourous with the forewing background.

Biology: The larva has been recorded to feed on a wide variety of host plants in the Acanthaceae , Amaranthaceae , Araceae , Asteraceae , Brassicaceae , Chenopodiaceae , Euphorbiaceae , Fabaceae , Hydrangeaceae , Malvaceae , Poaceae , Rubiaceae , Schisandraceae , Solanaceae , Tiliaceae , Urticaceae , Zingiberaceae ( Robinson et al., 2014) . In the Galápagos the five specimens available have been collected from March until May in anthropized as well as pristine habitats from the littoral zone to about 850 m in elevation.

Distribution: Described from ‘Americae Insulis’ (American Islands) this species is widespread across the World, including Australia in warmer regions, and the Western Hemisphere from Canada and eastern USA, across the West Indies and south to Argentina ( Shaffer et al., 1996; Patterson et al., 2015; Robinson et al., 2014). It is known in the Galápagos from the islands of Genovesa, Isabela, Santa Cruz, and Santiago.

Remarks: I have identified Galápagos specimens based on specimens in the BMNH. Michael Shaffer, former curator of Pyraloidea at the BMNH, pinned a note under one specimen saying that it was conspecific with this species. The type would be in Copenhagen. female lectotype for the synonym Botys philealis Walker, 1859 , is designated with the following labels: 1- ‘47 | 9’ [recto], ‘Vene | zuela’ [verso] [circular, pale blue, hand written]; 2- ‘74. BOTYS PHILEALIS .’ [typed, folded]; 3- ‘Type’ [circular, green bordered, typed]; 4- ‘1953 | 424’ [hand written, upside down]; 5- ‘Lecto | type’ [circular, navy blue bordered, typed]; 6- ‘ LECTOTYPE | Botys | philealis | Walker | Des. B. Landry, 2000’ [hand written except for Latin name, describer, and last two zeros]’; 7- ‘B.M. Pyralidae | Genitalia slide |. 22278 ♀ ’ [typed except for female sign]; 8- LECTOTYPE | designated by |. Solis, 2009’ [typed]. paralectotype male without abdomen is also designated. The species is known as the Southern beet webworm ( Heppner, 2003).