Galgula partita Guenée, 1852

(Figs. 3, 11, 15)

Galgula partita Guenée, 1852, in Boisduval & Guenée, Historie Naturelle des Insectes. Species G é n é ral des Lépidoptéres 6: 239, (Type-locality North America [Syntypes: BMNH, London].

Synonymy: heparca Guenée, 1852; subpartita Guenée, 1852; ferruginea (Walker, 1857); externa (Walker, 1865); novarae (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874); rorex Möschler, 1886; bias (Druce, 1889); hippodamada (Druce, 1889); mandane (Druce, 1891), interna Barnes & McDunnough, 1917, form.

References: Hampson 1911: text fig. 122 ( Galgula, Acronyctinae); Warren 1913: 217, fig. 50a ( Galgula); Poole 1985: 455 ( Galgula); Fibiger & Hacker 2007: 61, Pl. 2: 78–85, gen. figs. 26, 170 ( Galgula, Xyleninae, Elaphriini).

Material examined. 7 specimens from Portugal (Azores) and Spain (Canary Isl.) (coll. M. Fibiger).

Diagnosis. Adult (Fig. 3). Wingspan 20 – 26 mm. Frons smooth, rounded; labial palps porrect, the 3rd segment about 1/3 length of the 2nd. Sexually dimorphic. Male forewing colour vary from light brown to dark reddishbrown; in the female – from dark-brown to blackish brown. Wing pattern formed by distinct oblique postmedial line, weakly traceable the lower part of antemedial line, antemedial line of dots and dark interstigmatal patch; orbicular and reniform are indistinct; costal, outer and ventral margins of forewing tinged with brown or dark–brown, fringes pale brown-grey. Hindwing uniformly grey, darker to outer margin. In male genitalia (Fig. 11) uncus upturned, tegument shorter than vinculum; transtilla wide, plate-like; valva rather broad, constricted distally, with large pointed clavus; sacculus broad, clasper with transversal position, harpe bifurcate; costa apically separated from valva; cucullus well developed, looks like an apical flap. Aedeagus moderate, on the left lateral side with long spine-like callus; vesica projecting ventrally, rather broad, subbasally scobinate. In female genitalia (Fig. 15) the 7th segment with prominent heavily sclerotised antevaginal crest and with wrinkled sclerotised band ventrally; ductus bursae short, sclerotised, wrinkled; corpus bursae ovoid with three long ribbon-like signums; appendix bursae sclerotised.

Distribution and biology. A Neotropical-Nearctic species with its main distribution in South and North America to southern Canada, and possible anthropogenic distribution in SW Europe. It is known here from the Azores, Canary Islands, England and southern Spain. The species occurs in open warm habitats. The moths fly in several generations from May to October. The larva feeds on Oxalis .