Achyra eneanalis ( Schaus, 1923 )

Landry, Bernard, 2015, The Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l.) of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Revue suisse de Zoologie 122 (1), pp. 55-70 : 56

Achyra eneanalis ( Schaus, 1923)

Figs 1-3, 17 a-b, 22

Pyrausta eneanalis Schaus, 1923: 45 , 46, fig. 21. – Linsley & Usinger (1966: 162).

Loxostege eneanalis (Schaus) . – Capps (1967: 56, 57, figs 53, 101, 160, 161).

Achyra eneanalis (Schaus) . – Munroe (1976: 46). – Munroe (1995: 55). – Roque-Albelo & Landry (2014). – Nuss et al. (2014).

Material examined: 16 ♂ (4 dissected), 34 ♀ (4 dissected) from the Galápagos. – Española: Bahía Manzanillo; Punta Suarez. – Fernandina: Cabo Douglas, S 00° 18.269’, W 91° 39.098’; SW side, 352 m elev[ation]., S 00°20.503’, W 91° 36.969’; Punta Espinosa. – Floreana: close to Loberia, 6 m elev., S01° 17.002’, W 90° 29.460’; close to Las Palmas, 154 m elev., S 01° 17.049’, W 90° 28.305’; Punta Cormoran. – Gardner near Española: NW side. – Genovesa: Bahía Darwin. – Isabela: Alcedo, lado NE, low arid zone, bosque palo santo; Alcedo, lado NE, 200 m [elev.], camp arida alta; Alcedo, NE slope, 292 m elev., S 00° 23.829’, W 91° 01.957’. – Marchena : [no specific locality]. – Pinta: Plaja Ibbeston [sic]; arid zone; ± 15 m elev. – Pinzón: Playa Escondida, 14 m elev., S 00° 35.928’ W 90° 39.291’. – Plaza Sur: 18 m elev., S 00° 34.980’, W 09.990 ’. – Rábida: Tourist trail. – San Cristóbal: P[uer]to Baquarizo [sic]; near Loberia, sea level, S 00°55.277’, W 89° 36.909’; near Loberia, 14 m elev., S 00° 55.149’, W 89° 36.897’. – Santa Cruz: low agriculture zone, S 00° 42.132’, W 90° 19.156’; casa L. Roque-Albelo & V. Cruz, 137 m elev., S 00° 42.595’, W 90° 19.196’; transition zone, recently cut road, S 00° 42.528’, W 90° 18.849’. – Santiago: Cerro Inn ; La Bomba, 6 m elev., S 00° 11.151’, W 90° 42.052’. – Seymour Norte: 17 m elev., S 00° 23.935’, W 90° 17.369’. Deposited in BMNH, CDRS, CNC, and MHNG.

Diagnosis: In the Galápagos, this medium-sized species (14-20 mm wingspan) is unlike any other pyraloid moth by virtue of its grey colour and slightly darker faint pattern ( Figs 1-3) that is sometimes obliterated. One unidentified Udea Guenée species (Spilomelinae) in the Galápagos is similar in size and sometimes almost without apparent pattern on the forewing, but its colour is brown and the paler hindwing has a pair of dark brown dots at about 1/3 below costa and medially.

Biology: One specimen from Fernandina (v.1975, G. M. Wellington, BMNH) was reared on ‘ Cacabus miersii ’ ( Solanaceae ). The name of this plant taxon is now Exodeconus miersii (Hook. f.) D’Arcy. Widespread and endemic in the Galápagos, it is recorded on more than 13 islands of the archipelago in the coastal zone to the arid lowlands ( McMullen, 1999; Jaramillo Díaz & Guézou, 2014). Moths have been collected between February and May, mostly near sea level, but also up to 352 m in elevation.

Distribution: This species is a widespread endemic to the Galápagos Islands. The type locality is Conway Bay, Santa Cruz Island. Schaus (1923) also reports it from South Seymour Island, nowadays more widely known as Baltra, and Tower, now Genovesa. I have examined or collected specimens from Española, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Marchena, Pinta, Pinzón, Plaza Sur, Rábida , San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santiago , and Seymour Norte.

Remarks: The original description did not take genitalia into account and the moth was illustrated in black and white. Capps (1967) added details to the external morphology description, described and illustrated the genitalia, and provided a black and white photograph of the moth. The male holotype deposited in the USNM (genitalia slide n° 107,347) was studied; the male genitalia of my specimens ( Figs 17 a-b) correspond perfectly although there is some apparent variation in the disposition and number of cornuti, but the vesica in its devaginated state was not investigated.

Figures

Figs 17-19. Male genitalia of Galápagos Pyraustinae, a and b always from same slide, but not to scale, a showing the genitalia without phallus and b, the phallus. (17) Achyra eneanalis: slide MHNG ENTO 8616, Fernandina. (18) Neohelvibotys hoecki paratype: slide MHNG ENTO 8610, Santa Cruz. (19) Pyrausta panopealis; slide CNC PYR 373, Santa Cruz. bss: basal spine of sacculus; c: clasper; hps: hump-like process of sacculus.