Microthyris lelex (Cramer) Hayden & Dickel, 2014

Hayden, James E. & Dickel, Terhune S., 2014, New North American records of Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae, Pyralidae) from southern Florida, Insecta Mundi 2014 (361), pp. 1-16 : 5-6

Microthyris lelex (Cramer) n. comb.

Figures 2B , 3H , 5A .

Phalaena lelex Cramer, 1777: 2 , pl. 97 fig. C ( Surinam).

Botis flexalis Möschler, 1881: 424 ( Surinam) .

Botys janiralis Möschler, 1886: 78 ( Jamaica) .

Cyclocena gestatalis Möschler, 1890: 309 , fig. 20 ( Puerto Rico).

Haritala foviferalis Hampson, 1895: 335 ( Grenada) .

Lygropia (Cyclocena) lelex: Hampson, 1899: 727 .

Lygropia lelex: Klima, 1939: 231 ; Wolcott, 1948: 665 .

Cyclocena lelex: Munroe, 1995: 77 .

New records. 1M: “ Florida: Monroe Co. Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site 24 Feb 1995 Terhune S. Dickel Collected at MV light”, “J.E. Hayden slide no. 2412 M” (TSDC).

Discussion. The record is of a single specimen, but the species’ uniqueness deserves comment. Microthyris lelex is widespread in the Caribbean, Central, and northern South America, and it has been traditionally placed in the monotypic genus Cyclocena Möschler, 1890 n. syn. Although Munroe (1995) did not assign Cyclocena to a genus group of Spilomelinae, Möschler (1890) had already recognized its close relationship to Microthyris Lederer, 1863 . Microthyris anormalis ( Guenée, 1854) breeds in southern Florida, and M. prolongalis ( Guenée, 1854) has been recorded as a stray. They uniquely share with M. lelex a pincer-shaped apex of the phallus. Other shared characters are 1) gnathos complete, Vshaped, without a medial process, 2) one simple, narrow fibula closer to the sacculus than to the costa of the valva, 3) costa of valva membranous and wider distad than proximad, 4) the postmedial line of the fore- and hind wings is contracted near the wing costa and extended distad between M 2 and CuA 2, 5) in females (not shown), the posterior third of the ductus bursae is expanded and lightly sclerotized, and 6) the corpus bursae has one granulose, thorn-shaped signum. Microthyris species other than M. lelex differ primarily in the male sexual characters, which include large leg tufts, antennal modifications, a hind wing extension in M. prolongalis , and tufts of hairs on the valvae. In M. lelex , the legs are not tufted and antennae not modified, but the forewing has a large fovea distal of the cell between M 1 and M 2 that compresses the cell into the basal quarter of the wing. The fovea may be homologous to the transparent maculae in the other species. The simple presence of secondary sexual characters, regardless of particular expression, could be a deeper-level synapomorphy. Females lack the fovea and other secondary characters.

In size and color, M. lelex can be confused with several other spilomelines, such as the common Herpetogramma phaeopteralis ( Guenée, 1854) (Tropical sod webworm). That species lacks a fovea, and the forewing postmedial line is not distinctly projected distad as in M. lelex . Another is Penestola bufalis ( Guenée, 1854) , which does have a male fovea but very different genitalia; it inhabits coastal mangrove swamps and shorelines.

Munroe (1995) placed Microthyris in his “ Syllepte group,” although he left Cyclocena unplaced. From our observations, we characterize this group by a reduced uncus that is usually truncate and lacks robust, bifid chaetae (in some cases with a few elongate, simple setae). Members also generally share rectangular or oval valvae with straight costae, a cyclindrical, slightly bulbous saccus, and a tegumen with a broad medial extension. In females, the colliculum is broad and flat rather than tightly cylindrical, and the one or two signa are round and granulose, sometimes extended as horn(s) or an elongate trough.

Microthyris species are leaf-tiers on Ipomoea . Microthyris anormalis is a pest on sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) in Peru ( Vergara de Sánchez and Sánchez 1989), the Virgin Islands ( Wolcott 1948 ) and rarely in Florida (FDACS-DPI regulatory database 2013). In Cuba, it has been raised on the same host and on Turbina corymbosa ( Bendicho-Lopez 1998) . Dyar (1901) raised M. anormalis on morning glory ( Ipomoea sp. ) in southern Florida. Records of M. lelex are rare, but Wolcott (1948) recorded it on sweet potato in Puerto Rico, and it has been raised on Ipomoea batatas in Guanacaste, Costa Rica (e.g. 09-SRNP- 44557 in Janzen and Hallwachs 2013). A few other members of the Syllepte group, such as Lygropia tripunctata ( Fabricius, 1794) , Pleuroptya silicalis (Guenée) and species of Phostria Hübner, 1819 , also feed on Ipomoea and other Convolvulaceae .

Other material examined. Microthyris lelex : 1M: Costa Rica, JEH slide 664 (CMNH); 1M: Colombia, Valle Prov., MGCL slide 1124 (FSCA); 1M: Peru, Junin (FSCA); 1F: Honduras, Atlantida, Pico Bonito Lodge, MGCL #221172, slide 1669 (MGCL). Microthyris anormalis : 1M: USA, FL, Key Largo, MGCL slide 402 (FSCA); 1F: USA, FL, Collier-Seminole St. Pk., MGCL slide 403 (MGCL); 1M: Dominican Republic, Barahona, MGCL slide 1126 (MGCL). Microthyris asadias (H. Druce, 1899) : 1M, 1F: Costa Rica, MGCL slides 1142, 1143 (MGCL). Microthyris sp. near asadias : 1F: Ecuador, Yanayacu, JEH slide 1580 (in Lee Dyer Collection, U. Nevada, Reno, NV, USA). Microthyris prolongalis : 1M: Honduras: Pico Bonito, MGCL slide 425 (MGCL); 1F: Puerto Rico, San German, MGCL slide 1125 (FSCA). Herpetogramma phaeopteralis : 1M: USA, FL, Alachua Co, 6-X-1973, J.B. Heppner, MGCL slide 157; 1F: ditto, 29-VIII-2007 J.B. Heppner, MGCL slide 181 (FSCA). Lygropia unicoloralis ( Guenée, 1854) : 1M: Bolivia, Rio Yapacani, JEH slide 697 (CMNH); 1F: Costa Rica, JEH slide 698 (CMNH). Lygropia tripunctata : 1M, 1F: USA, FL, Winter Park, MGCL slides 360, 361 (FSCA); 1M, 1F: USA, FL, Gainesville, CLR slides 64, 65 (MGCL). Lypotigris reginalis ( Stoll, 1781) : 1M, 1F: Mexico, Veracruz, MGCL slides 419, 420 (FSCA). Pantographa limata Grote and Robinson, 1867: 1 M: USA, PA, JEH slides 657, 658 (CMNH). Penestola bufalis : 1M, 1F: USA, FL, Monroe Co. Long Key, 31-III-1984, H.D. Baggett, MGCL slides 220, 221 (FSCA). Phostria oajacalis ( Walker, 1866) : 1M: Nicaragua, JEH slides 742, 743 (CMNH). Pleuroptya silicalis ( Guenée, 1854) : 1M: USA, AL, JEH slide 726 (CMNH); 1F: USA, FL, JEH slide 727 (CMNH).

Figures

Figure 2. Habitus: A) Nomophila triticalis (FL, Vero Beach; FSCA).B) Microthyris lelex (FL, Key Largo Hammocks St. Bot. Site, 24 Feb. 1995; TSDC). C) Ancylosis bonhoti (FL, Fuchs Hammock, 28 Dec. 1986; TSDC). D) Ancylosis balconiensis (FL, Hollywood, Port Everglades, 20/21 July 2013; FSCA). Scale bars = 5 mm.

Figure 3. Heads in lateral aspect (not to scale): A) Ennomosia basalis male (same as Fig. 1A). B) E. basalis female (same as Fig. 1B). C) Neoleucinodes torvis male (Dominica, Mar. 1965; NMNH). D) N. torvis female (Dominica, Oct. 1964; NMNH). E) Lineodes triangulalis (same as Fig. 1E). F) Cangetta micralis (FL, Upper Key Largo, 22 Feb. 1992; TSDC). G) Nomophila triticalis (same as fig. 2A). H) Microthyris lelex (same as Fig. 2B). I) Ancylosis bonhoti (FL, Fuchs Hammock, 28 Dec. 1986; TSDC). J) Ancylosis balconiensis (same as Fig. 2D).

Figure 5. Male genitalia: A) Microthyris lelex (Colombia, Valle Prov. Anchicaya Dam, 11 Aug. 1973, MGCL slide 1124; FSCA). B) Ancylosis bonhoti (FL, Homestead, April 2013; MGCL slide 1304; FSCA). C) Female genitalia of Ennomosia basalis (FL, Monroe Co. Key Largo Hammocks State Bot. Site, 31 Mar. 1995, JEH slide 1369, TSDC). D) same as previous, detail of signum. E) tympanal organs of female E. basalis (JEH slide 1369). Female genitalia: F) Neoleucinodes torvis (Dominica, Clarke Hall, 26-31 Oct. 1964, NMNH slide 114946; NMNH). G) Cangetta micralis (FL, Monroe Co. Upper Key Largo, 11 Mar. 1992, JEH slide 1587; TSDC). H) Ancylosis bonhoti (FL, Miami-Dade Co. Miami, 19 Mar. 2013, MGCL slide 1113; FSCA). I) Ancylosis balconiensis (FL, Hollywood, MGCL slide 1286; FSCA).