Cheverella galapagensis Landry

Landry, Bernard, Roque-Albelo, Lazaro & Hayden, James, 2011, A new genus and species of Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Revue suisse de Zoologie 118 (4), pp. 639-649 : 645-648

Cheverella galapagensis Landry , sp. n. Figs 1–8

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype male: 1- ‘ ECUADOR | GALÁPAGOS | Santa Crúz | Los Gemelos | 31.I.1989, M[ercury] V [apour]L[ight] | B. Landry’ [printed in black ink on white card stock, with ‘ECUADOR’ sideways on left]; 2- ‘ HOLOTYPE | Cheverella | galapagensis | B. Landry’ [hand-written in black ink on red card stock]. Deposited in the CNC .

PARATYPES: 26 Ƌ, 49 ♀, 1 of unknown sex from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: – Fernandina : 1 Ƌ, SWside, craterrim, G[lobal]P[ositioning]S[system]: 1341 m, S 00° 21.910’, W 091° 34.034’, 12.ii.2005 , u[ltra-]v[iolet]l[ight] (B. Landry, P. Schmitz). – Isabela, Alcedo: 1 ♀, LadoEste , 700 melev[ation]., 6.iv.1999 , uvl-f[?].l[ight] (L. Roque); 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, NEslope, about 400 m up (S) Los Guayabillos camp, GPS: 892 m elev., S 00° 25.208’, W 91° 04.765’, 1.iv.2004 , uvl (B. Landry, P. Schmitz); 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ (DNAvoucher, Lepidoptera, M. Nuss 2007 , no. 263), ladoNE, 400 m [elev.], camppega-pega, 15.iv.2002, uvl (B. Landry, L. Roque); 2 Ƌ, 1 ♀, 570 melev., 11.x.1998, uvl (L. Roque). – Isabela , SierraNegra: 3 Ƌ, 11 kmNP[uer]toVillamil, 13.iii.1989 , M[ercury] V [apour]L[ight] (B. Landry ); 1 ♀, same locality, G[lobalP[ositioning]S[system]: S 00° 87.613’ [sic], W 91° 0.903’, 9.iv.2004 , uvl (P. Schmitz); 1 ♀, San [to] Tomas, 1200 F[ee]t. Alt [itude]., 22.viii.1906 (F. X. Williams) ; 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, Alemania, xi.1974 ( T.J. de Vries) ; 2 ♀, Corazon Verde , xi-xii.1974 ( T.J. de Vries ). – Isabela, Volcan Darwin: 1 Ƌ, 300 melev., 15.v.1992 , MVL (B. Landry ); 1 Ƌ, 630 melev., 16.v.1992 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 Ƌ (dissected, slide MHNG ENTO 6070 ), same data except 17.v.1992 ; 2 Ƌ (one dissected, slide MH- NGENTO 3041), 300 melev., 20.v.1992, MVL (B. Landry). – SanCristobal: 1 ♀ (dissected, slide CNC PYR 366 ), pampa zone, 18.ii.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 ♀, La Toma , ca. 5.6 km East ElProgreso, GPS: 299 melev., S 00° 55.356’, W 089° 31.089’, 23.ii.2005 , uvl (B. Landry). – SantaCruz: 1 ♀, C[harles]D[arwin] R [esearch]S[tation], aridzone, 19.i.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 ♀, 4 km N Puerto Ayora , 20.i.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 4 ♀, Media Luna , pampa zone, 21.i.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 2 Ƌ, 1 ♀, samedataasholotype; 1 Ƌ, C[harles] Darwin Res [earch]. Sta [tion]., alt. ± 5 m, 2.ii.1970 , atu.v. “blacklight” ( R. Silberglied ); 1 Ƌ, Tortuga Res [erve]., WS[an]taRosa, 6.ii.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 ofsexunknown, MediaLuna , pampa zone, 8.ii.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 ♀, HornemanFarm , 220 m, 16.ii.1964 (D. Q. Cavagnaro) ; 1 ♀, same data except 25.iii.1964 ; 1 ♀, same data except 30.iii.1964 ; 3 ♀, same data except 5.iv.1964 ; 2 ♀, same data except 3.v.1964 ; 1 ♀, same data except 7.v.1964 ; 1 ♀, 2 km W Bella Vista , 27.ii.1989 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 Ƌ, AcademyBay , DarwinResearchSta[tion]., 27.ii.1964 (D. Q. Cavagnaro) ; 1 Ƌ, 3 ♀, [nopreciselocality], iii.1969, B.M. 1970-172, Ref. No. L.80 (no collector); 1 ♀, E[stacion]C[ientifica]C[harles]D[arwin]., 6.iii.1992, uvl (B. Landry ); 1 Ƌ (dissected, slide MHNG ENTO 6069 ), transition zone, recently cut road, GPS: S 00° 42.528’, W 90° 18.849’, 12.iii.2004 , uvl (B. Landry, P. Schmitz); 1 ♀, lowagriculturezone, GPS: S 00° 42.132’, W 90° 19.156’, 13.iii.2004, uvl (B. Landry, P. Schmitz); 1 ♀, FincaS[teve]. Devine , 17.iii.1989 , MVL (B. Landry ); 1 Ƌ, grassland, 750 m, 6.iv.1964 (D. Q. Cavagnaro) ; 1 Ƌ, vic[inity]. “ Mirador ”, W of Media Luna, alt. ± 620 m, 26.v.1970 (Silberglied) ; 4 ♀ (one dissected, slide MNHGENTO 6068), LosGemelos , 27.v.1992 , MVL (B. Landry); 2 ♀, StationDarwin , lumière, x.1964 (J. & N. Leleup) ; 2 ♀, HaciendaSchiess. , xi.1974 , B.M. 1975-7, Ref. No. L (no collector); 1 Ƌ, CDRS, Barranco , barrenador de tallos [de] Tournefortia pubecens [sic], emergio 17.xi.1999 (L. Roque) ; 1 ♀, 80 [referring to note in notebook of? T. J. de Vries, deposited at CDRS]. – Santiago : 1 ♀, Nside , GPS: 527 melev., S 00° 13.690’, W 90° 44.135’, 5.iii.2005 , uvl (P. Schmitz); 1 ♀, Aguacate [camp], 520 melev., 6.iv.1992 , MVL (B. Landry); 3 ♀, Central [camp], 700 melev., 9.iv.1992 , MVL (B. Landry); 1 Ƌ (wingsonslideMHNGENTO 3043), 1 ♀, Aguacate , 520 melev., 12.iv.1992 , MVL (B. Landry ). DepositedintheBMNH, CAS, CDRS, CNC, MCZ, and MHNG .

ETYMOLOGY: From the name of the archipelago where this species is presumably endemic.

DIAGNOSIS: Currently unique within the genus Cheverella , this species can be separated from presumably related taxa as mentioned in the generic diagnosis above. In the Galapagos, this species is unique by virtue of its whitish grey colour with deep dark brown markings on the forewing, head, and thorax. An undescribed species of endemic Agathodes Guenée ( Pyralidae , Spilomelinae) has a similar colour and pattern, but its wings are narrower and longer, and its hindwing is completely suffused with brown, with a light purple shine.

DESCRIPTION: MALE (n=27) (Fig. 1). Head white with greyish brown as spot between antennae, and ventrally behind eyes. Antenna white, with brown on basal

Cheverella galapagensis Landry , sp. n. Male genitalia of paratype (MHNG). (6) Genitalia without phallus. (7) Phallus. (8) Cheverella galapagensis Landry , sp. n. Female genitalia of paratype (CNC).

flagellomeres. Haustellum and maxillary palpus white. Labial palpus mostly white, brown laterally on palpomeres II and III. Thorax white with brown spots as shown, deeper brown (almost black) at collar, greyish brown on metascutellum. Foreleg with greyish brown on dorsal side, white ventrally; midleg white with brown at tips of femur and tibia; hindleg entirely white. Forewing white with deep dark brown spots and lines as shown, sometimes (1 specimen) with more extensive dark brown suffusion, especially between subapical line and outer margin. Forewing length 6.4–9.6 mm (holotype 8.7 mm). Hindwing white with more or less strongly marked subapical and apical lines, except in anal sector. Abdomen mostly white, with some greyish brown dorsally on all or most segments.

Male genitalia: See generic description.

FEMALE (n=49) (Figs 2, 3, 8). Forewing length 7.7–10.3 mm. Female genitalia: See generic description.

REMARKS: As mentioned above, L. R.-A. reared the only known larva from the host plant Tournefortia pubescens Hook. f. ( Boraginaceae ). This taxon is endemic to the Galapagos and found on the islands of Fernandina, Floreana, Isabela, Pinzon, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Santiago, and Wolf ( McMullen, 1999). Thus, the moth may also occur on the islands of Floreana, Pinzon, and Wolf, where adults have not yet been collected.

The latitude and longitude data of the specimen collected on Sierra Negra, Isabela, 11 km north of Puerto Villamil, on 9 April 2004 by P. Schmitz were taken in decimal degrees shown above in degrees, minutes, and seconds. In degrees with decimal minutes these data correspond to S 0° 52.568, W 91° 05.418.