Erionota acroleuca apicalis

Xue, Guo-Xi & Lo, Yik Fui Philip, 2015, A taxonomic note on Erionota acroleuca (Wood-Mason & de Nicéville, 1881) stat. rest. (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), Zootaxa 3926 (3), pp. 445-447 : 446-447

Erionota acroleuca apicalis de Jong & Treadaway, 1992, new combination

( Figs. 1–4 )

Erionota thrax thrax var. apicalis Evans, 1932: 373 (original description).

Erionota acroleuca apex: Inoué & Kawazoé (1970: 3) (description and illustrations of male and female genitalia); Ek- Amnuay (2006: 810) (description, color plates of adults).

Erionota hiraca apicalis : de Jong & Treadaway (1992: 135) (description, distribution); Devyatkin & Monastyrskii (1999: 172) (nomenclature).

Material examined. 1♀, Menglun, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, 570m, 7.IX.2004, leg. Y. Qiao ( ZULI); 1♂ 1♀, Nangongshan, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, 1000m, 29.III.2012, leg. Y.F.P. Lo, reared from Caryota ochlandra , emgd. 22.IV.2012, genitalia preparation: YFL h0032 ( KFBG); 2♂, Laohutiao Nature Reserve, Napo County, Baise, Guangxi, China, 370m, 24.II.2014, leg. Y.F.P. Lo, pupa from Arenga westerhoutii , emgd. 8.III.2014.

Immature biology. Host plant records are Caryota ochlandra in Yunnan and Arenga westerhoutii in Guangxi, both species belong to the family Arecaceae . Eggs are laid in cluster on the underside of host plant. The larvae on Caryota ochlandra stay on different pinnae of the same secondary rachis and roll the pinnae into a cone-shape shelter. The pupa is pale cream in colour with brown spiracles and is sealed in a cocoon. The proboscis is long, extending just beyond the cremaster. The cremaster is attached to a diffuse silk pad and there is no girdle. The length of pupa is 33mm (n=2). The pupa shelter on Arenga westerhoutii is constructed by rolling the undersurface of the apex half of rachis laterally. Similar to the other two Chinese Erionota species, E. torus and E. grandis , the larva and pupa of E. acroleuca are covered with white waxy powder.

Kitamura (2003) reported the immature stage of E. acroleuca apex (as E. hiraca apex) from Samar Island, Philippines and the recorded host plant was Livistonia rotundifolia ( Arecaceae ). The second author of the present paper also reared two individuals of E. acroleuca apicalis from an unidentified palm in Singapore (unpublished record). Available information reveals that the species is primarily a palm feeder.

Remarks. As an infrasubspecific name, Erionota thrax thrax var. apicalis Evans, 1932 is nomenclaturally unavailable. de Jong & Treadaway (1992) treated apicalis as a good subspecies of E. hiraca and used the name “ Erionota hiraca apicalis Evans, 1932 ”. This act actually established a new subspecific combination which is an available name. According to Article 45.5.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Fourth Edition), the authorship of this name should be attributed to de Jong & Treadaway (1992).

Acknowledgements. Field work in Guangxi, China was assisted by Napo County Forestry Department. This study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41401067) and the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Erionota acroleuca apicalis from S. Yunnan, China. 1. last instar larva; 2. pupal nest; 3. pupa; 4. male adult, scale bar = 1 cm.