Hymenia perspectalis (Hübner, 1796), Hubner, 1796

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 : 341-343

Hymenia perspectalis (Hübner, 1796)

Figs 22, 23 , 106 , 152

Pyralis perspectalis Hübner, 1796: 18 .

Hymenia perspectalis (Hübner) : Parkin et al., 1972: 104. ‒ Linsley, 1977: 37. ‒ Peck et al., 1998: 227. ‒ Causton et al., 2006: 141. ‒ Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2015.

Material examined: 13 ♂, 32 ♀, 22 of undetermined sex from the Galápagos Islands: – Española: Bahía Manzanillo ; Las Tunas Trail, 100 m elev[ation]. – Fernandina: SW side, crater rim, GPS: 1341 m elev., S 00° 21.910’, W 91° 34.034’. – Isabela: Tagus Cove; ± 15 km N P[uer]to Villamil; V[olcan]. Darwin, 300 m elev.; Albermarle, San[to] Tomas, 1200 f[ee]t; V. Darwin, 630 m elev.; V. Darwin, 1000 m elev.; Alcedo, lado NE, 1100 m, cumbre, caseta Cayot. – Pinta: ± 15 m elev.; 200 m elev.; 400 m elev. – San Cristóbal: La Toma, ca. 6.5 km east El Progreso, GPS: 299 m elev., S 00° 55.356’, W 89° 31.089’. – Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Research Station; Bahía Conway ; low agriculture zone, GPS: S 00°42.132’, W 90° 19.156’; Finca Vilema, 2 km W Bella Vista; Horneman Farm, 200 m; Horneman Farm, 220 m; Los Gemelos. – Santiago: San Salvador, Bahia James ; Bahía Espumilla ; N side, GPS: 147 m elev., S 00° 12.186’, W 090° 42.888’; 200 m elev.; N side, GPS: 437 m elev., S 00° 13.316’, W 090° 43.808’; Aguacate [camp], 520 m elev.; NE side, close to Caseta, GPS: 686 m elev., S 00°14.177’, W 90°44.619’; Central [camp], 700 m elev.; Jaboncillo [camp], ± 850 m elev.. Deposited in AMNH, BMNH, CAS, CDRS, CNC, and MHNG.

Diagnosis: Quite variable in size, with a wingspan between 15 and 21 mm, this dark brown species ( Figs 22, 23 ) is most similar to Spoladea recurvalis (Fabricius) ( Fig. 63 ), which is somewhat paler brown. Their white markings differ in the forewing by the thin median fascia from the dorsum not touching the discocellular stigma in H. perspectalis , wider and touching the discocellular stigma in S. recurvalis , and on the hindwing by the thin fascia presenting a median bilobed projection medially on the external margin in H. perspectalis compared to the wider and evenly margined fascia of S. recurvalis . Cryptobotys zoilusalis (Walker) ( Figs 10, 11 ) also has white to cream fasciae, but these are very thin and that of the hindwing doesn’t have a bilobed projection medially.

Biology: Reputed to be polyphagous, this species has been reared on host plants in the family Amaranthaceae , Apocynaceae , Asteraceae , Balsaminaceae , Chenopodiaceae , Fabaceae , Liliaceae , Scrophulariaceae , and Solanaceae ( Robinson et al., 2014) . Galápagos specimens have been collected from February until May in all altitudinal zones, up to the top of volcanoes, such as at 1341 m on Fernandina, in a diverse range of habitats.

Distribution: Based on specimens in the BMNH and MHNG this species is widespread in the Western Hemisphere from the USA to Argentina and the West Indies, but it occurs also in tropical and subtropical locales of Africa ( De Prins & De Prins, 2015) and India ( Robinson et al., 2014) and other islands such as Aldabra in the Indian Ocean (Shaffer & Munroe, 2007). Widespread in the Galápagos, it has been found so far on the seven islands listed above.

Remarks: I confirmed the identification of Galápagos specimens by comparing them with the original description and specimens in the BMNH. The type material pertaining to this species is lost, but the illustration in the original description (pl. 16 fig. 101) provided by Hübner leaves no doubt as to the identity of this species. The type locality is recorded as England, but the species is not resident in Europe, nor a regular migrant ( Slamka, 2013; Nuss et al., 2016).

Figures

Figs 17 - 24. Neotropical specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (17) Diaphania nitidalis ♀, Brazil, Bahía, Camacan, Res. Serra Bonita, 800 m, 8. iv. 2011, MHNG. (18) Ercta vittata ♂, Galápagos, Marchena, 12. iii. 1992, MHNG. (19) Herpetogramma bipunctalis ♂, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, CDRS, Barranco, 20 m, 30. iv. 2002, MHNG. (20, 21) Herpetogramma phaeopteralis. (20) ♂, Galápagos, Isabela, NE slope Alcedo, Los Guayabillos camp, 869 m, 2. iv. 2004, MHNG. (21) ♀, Galápagos, San Cristóbal, near La Loberia, sea level, 24. ii. 2005, MHNG. (22, 23) Hymenia perspectalis. (22) ♀, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Los Gemelos, 4. v. 2002, MHNG. (23) ♀, same locality, 27. v. 1992, MHNG. (24) Lineodes integra ♂, Pinta, Cabo Ibbetson, 8 m, MHNG.

Figs 104 - 106. 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. (104) Herpetogramma bipunctalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9007, Genovesa. (105) H. phaeopteralis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8683, Fernandina. (106) Hymenia perspectalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9003, Santiago.

Figs 148 - 152. Female genitalia of Neotropical Spilomelinae, not to scale. (148) Diaphania nitidalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8960, French Guiana. (149) Ercta vittata: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9029, Galápagos, Marchena (MHNG). (150) Herpetogramma bipunctalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8685, Galápagos, Isabela. (151) H. phaeopteralis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 8684, Galápagos, Fernandina. (152) Hymenia perspectalis: slide MHNG-ENTO- 9000, Galápagos, Santa Cruz.

Figs 57 - 64. Galápagos specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (57, 58) Samea inconspicuella. (57) ♂ holotype, CNC. (58) ♀ paratype, Santiago, close to Caseta, 686 m, 6. iii. 2005, MHNG. (59, 60) Sisyracera inabsconsalis. (59) ♀, Santa Cruz, NNW Bella Vista, 225 m, 18. ii. 2005, MHNG. (60) ♂, Rábida, tourist trail, 3. iv. 1992, MHNG. (61, 62) Sisyracera jacquelinae. (61) ♀ holotype, MHNG. (62) ♂ paratype, Isabela, Sierra Negra, Corazon Verde, xi-xii. 1974, BMNH ©, the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. (63) Spoladea recurvalis ♂, Santa Cruz, E. C. C. D., 4. iii. 1992, MHNG. (64) Syngamia florella ♀, Santa Cruz, agriculture zone, near (NNW) Bella Vista, 223 m, 7. iv. 2004, MHNG.

Figs 9 - 16. Specimens of Spilomelinae, size not to scale. (9) Cheverella galapagensis ♀, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Los Gemelos, 27. v. 1992, MHNG. (10, 11) Cryptobotys zoilusalis. (10) ♀, Brazil, Bahía, Camacan, Res. Serra Bonita, 800 m, 8. iv. 2011, MHNG. (11) ♂, same locality, 27. iii. 2011, MHNG. (12, 13) Desmia mordor. (12) ♂ paratype, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Los Gemelos, 4. v. 2002, MHNG. (13) ♀ holotype, CNC. (14) Diaphania galapagensis ♂ paratype, Galápagos, Isabela, NE slope Alcedo, near pega-pega camp, 483 m, 31. iii. 2004, MHNG. (15) Diaphania hyalinata ♂, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Los Gemelos, 4. v. 2002, MHNG. (16) Diaphania indica ♂, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haut Katanga, Tshinkolobwe, 12. iii. 1931, MHNG.