Marasmia trapezalis ( 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 : 353

Marasmia trapezalis ( Guenée, 1854)

Figs 33, 34 , 112 , 158

Salbia trapezalis Guenée, 1854: 200 .

Marasmia trapezalis (Guenée) : Peck et al., 1998: 227. ‒ Causton et al., 2006: 141. ‒ Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2015.

Material examined

Holotype: ♂ from Sierra Leone without abdomen ( BMNH).

Other specimens: 6 ♂, 10 ♀ from the Galápagos Islands: – Isabela: Sierra Negra, 11 km N Puerto Villamil, GPS: S 00° 87.613’, W 91° 00.903’; ± 15 km N P[uer] to Villamil. – San Cristóbal: El Junco, east side, GPS: 654 m elev[ation]., S 00° 53.734’, W 89° 28.727’. – Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Research Station, Barranco, 20 m elev.; low agriculture zone, GPS: S 00°42.132’, W 90° 19.156’; NNW Bella Vista, GPS: 225 m elev., S 00° 41.293’, W 90° 19.665’; Finca Vilema, 2 km W Bella Vista; Los Gemelos. – Santiago: Aguacate [camp], 520 m elev.; Central [camp], 700 m elev. Deposited in CDRS and MHNG.

Diagnosis: The three straight lines of the hindwing, the basal two slightly interrupted ( Figs 33, 34 ), represent a unique diagnostic character with regard to the other Spilomelinae species of the Galápagos. The wingspan based on the Galápagos specimens examined is 19-21 mm.

Biology: The larva is recorded to feed on a wide variety of plants of the family Poaceae , including rice, millet, sugar cane, and sorghum ( Robinson et al., 2014). In the Galápagos specimens have been collected from the littoral zone up to about 1000 m in elevation in a diverse range of habitats, and from February until May.

Distribution: Based on BMNH specimens this species is found in the Neotropical region in Argentina, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Patterson et al. (2015) record it from Florida, Texas and a few other states of the south east USA. It was described from Sierra Leone and has been recorded widely in Africa (BMNH specimens; De Prins & De Prins, 2015). It is also known from India and Myanmar ( Robinson et al., 2014). On the Galápagos the species has been collected on Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Santiago.

Remarks: Marasmia trapezalis was described from a male from Sierra Leone. The genitalia on the slide preparation of the lectotype of Botys creonalis Walker, 1859 (BMNH), a synonym of M. trapezalis , are identical to those of a dissected female from Sierra Leone, and of those of a female from the Galápagos ( Fig. 158 ). lectotype is designated here for Botys creonalis Walker, 1859 , described from Santo Domingo on the basis of two specimens. This female lectotype bears the following labels: 1-‘Type’ [circular, green bordered, typed], 2- ‘St. Dom. / 55.1’ [typed]; 3- ‘ Pyralidae / Brit. Mus. / Slide. / 6402’ [typed in red, except for hand written number in black ink]; 4- ‘Photographed / B. M. Negative’ [typed, except for cross bar]; 5- ‘55. BOTYS CREONALIS .’ [typed, folded]; 6- ‘Lecto/ type’ [circular, marine blue bordered, typed]; 7- ‘ LECTOTYPE / Botys / creonalis / Walker / Des. B. Landry, 2000’ [typed except for name and last two zeros]. The second syntype is designated paralectotype; it is a dissected female ( Pyralidae Brit. Mus. Slide. 6404).

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 110 - 112. Male genitalia of Galápagos Spilomelinae, a and b from same slides, but not to scale, (a) showing the genitalia without phallus and (b), the phallus. (110) Lineodes vulcanalis holotype, BMNH ©, the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. (111) Loxomorpha cambogialis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 6588, San Cristóbal. (112) Marasmia trapezalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9005, Santa Cruz.

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.