Microthyris anormalis ( Guenée, 1854 ), Guenee, 1854

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 : 355-357

Microthyris anormalis ( Guenée, 1854)

Figs 36 , 114 , 160

Botys anormalis Guenée, 1854: 352 .

Microthyris anormalis (Guenée) : Roque-Albelo & Landry,

2015.

Material examined: 15 ♂, 20 ♀, 4 of undetermined sex from the Galápagos Islands: – Isabela: Punta Albermarle, SW old US radar site; 1 km W Puerto Villamil; Sierra Negra, 11 km N Puerto Villamil, GPS: S 00° 87.613’, W 91° 00.903’; 3 km N S[an]to Tómas, Agr[iculture]. zone; Sierra Negra, pampa zone, 1000 m; V[olcan]. Darwin, 300 m elev[ation].; Alcedo, lado NE, 400 m, camp pegapega; ± 15 km N P[uer]to Villamil. – San Cristóbal: near Loberia, sea level, GPS: S 00° 55.277’, W 89° 36.909’; 4 km SE Pto Baquarizo [sic]; 1 km S El Progreso; base of Cerro Pelado; La Toma, ca. 6.5 km east El Progreso, GPS: 299 m elev., S 00° 55.356’, W 89° 31.089’; pampa zone; El Junco, east side, GPS: 654 m elev., S 00° 53.734’, W 89° 28.727’. – Santa Cruz: transition zone, recently cut road, GPS: S 00°42.528’, W 90°18.849’; Finca Vilema, 2 km W Bella Vista; Horneman Farm, 200 m; Horneman Farm, 220 m; Los Gemelos; Media Luna. Deposited in AMNH, CAS, CDRS, CNC, MCZ, and MHNG.

Diagnosis: The greyish brown wings with dirty white to pale cream spots on the forewing and a pair of black lines on the hindwing ( Fig. 36 ) will easily allow for this species to be identified among Galápagos Spilomelinae. other species has a combination of the presence of paler spots on the forewing and only darker lines on the hindwing. In Samea coffea sp. n. ( Figs 55, 56 ) the more numerous paler markings of the forewing are partly linear and on the hindwing, the darker lines are generally outlined by paler scaling and there is usually a submedian spot with paler centre. Wingspan: 24-30 mm.

Biology: One CDRS specimen labelled ‘106’ refers to a note mentioning ‘Ipomoea’ as the ‘food’. Robinson et al. (2014) report it from Convolvulaceae [sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. and common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth]. Heppner (2003) adds Turbina corymbosa (L.) Raf. ( Convolvulaceae ), a native Mexican morning glory that has become invasive elsewhere. Available Galápagos specimens have been collected from the littoral zone up to about 1000 m in elevation, in habitats ranging from anthropized to nearly pristine, from February until June.

Distribution: Widespread in the Western Hemisphere, it has been recorded from the USA (Florida and Texas), south through the Antilles, Central America and South America to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Ecuador (BMNH and MHNG specimens; Patterson et al., 2015). On the Galápagos so far this species has been found on Isabela, San Cristóbal, and Santa Cruz.

Remarks: This species was described from a male from Brazil. This holotype would normally be in the BMNH, but it wasn’t found there or elsewhere. The Galápagos specimens match the original description and specimens identified as such in the BMNH.

Figures

Figs 33 - 40. Neotropical specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (33, 34) Marasmia trapezalis. (33) ♂, Galápagos, Isabela, Sierra Negra, 11 km N Puerto Villamil, 9. iv. 2004, MHNG. (34) ♀, Galápagos, Santiago, Central, 700 m, 9. iv. 1992, MHNG. (35) Maruca vitrata ♀, Ecuador, Pichincha, Septimo Paraiso Reserve, ± 1300 m, 10. v. 2002, MHNG. (36) Microthyris anormalis ♀, Galápagos, Isabela, V. Darwin, 300 m, 15. v. 1992, MHNG. (37) Neoleucinodes elegantalis ♂, Guyane française, Rte de Kaw @ pk 37, 271 m, 6. iv. 2008, MHNG. (38, 39) Neoleucinodes galapagensis. (38) ♂ holotype, MHNG. (39) ♀ paratype, Isabela, NE slope Alcedo, ca. 400 m up Los Guayabillos camp, 892 m, 1. iv. 2004, MHNG. (40) Palpita flegia ♂, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, ix-xi. 1970, BMNH ©, the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

Figs 113 - 115. Male genitalia of Neotropical Spilomelinae, a and b from same slides, but not to scale, (a) showing the genitalia without phallus and (b), the phallus. (113) Maruca vitrata: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8995, French Guiana. (114) Microthyris anormalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9006, Galápagos, Isabela. (115) Neoleucinodes elegantalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8693, French Guiana.

Figs 158 - 162. Female genitalia of Neotropical Spilomelinae, not to scale. (158) Marasmia trapezalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9026, Galápagos, Santa Cruz (MHNG). (159) Maruca vitrata: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8996, French Guiana. (160) Microthyris anormalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9027, Galápagos, Isabela (MHNG). (161) Neoleucinodes elegantalis: slide MHNG- ENTO- 8694, Venezuela. (162) N. galapagensis paratype: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8692.

Figs 49 - 56. Neotropical specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (49, 50) Rhectocraspeda periusalis. (49) ♂, Galápagos, Santiago, Central, 700 m, 9. iv. 1992, MHNG. (50) ♀, Galápagos, Isabela, ± 15 km N Pto Villamil, 25. v. 1992, MHNG. (51, 52) Salbia haemorrhoidalis. (51) ♂, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, antiguo botadero, ca. 4 km SE Pto Baquerizo, 169 m, 22. ii. 2005, MHNG. (52) ♂, Ecuador, Pichincha, Septimo Paraiso Reserve, ± 1300 m, 8. v. 2002, MHNG. (53, 54) Samea castellalis. (53) ♀, Galápagos, Santiago, close to Caseta, 686 m, 6. iii. 2005, MHNG. (54) ♂, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, pampa zone, 15. ii. 1989, CNC. (55, 56) Samea coffea. (55) ♀ holotype, CNC. (56) ♂ paratype, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, 4 km SE Pto Baquerizo, 12. ii. 1989, CNC.