Spialia ferax, Wallengren

Cock, Matthew J. W., 2016, Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) with particular reference to Kenya. Part 10. Pyrginae, Carcharodini, Zootaxa 4173 (4), pp. 301-350 : 302-305

Spialia Swinhoe , [1912] (in Swinhoe 1912–1913)

Swinhoe (1912–1913) introduced this genus for species resembling Pyrgus and Carcharodus , but lacking a costal fold in the male. He designated the South Asian S. galba (Fabricius) as the type species, although the genus is mostly Afrotropical ( De Jong 1974, 1978, Ackery et al. 1995). Although the genus contains a confusing number of superficially similar species, the African species have been reviewed by Higgins (1925) and Evans (1937), and monographed by De Jong (1978), so that there is now little confusion. De Jong's review includes a key to the African species, photographs of the adults and drawings of the male and female genitalia (except for the female of S. kituina (Karsch)) . De Jong recognised seven species groups based largely on male and female genitalia, all of which have Afrotropical representatives ( Table 1 ). Below, I will show that although closely related, S. ferax (Wallengren) stat. rev. should be considered a valid species rather than a subspecies of S. diomus (Hopffer) ; for clarity they are treated as separate species throughout.

Of the 20 African species, 15 occur in Kenya, although some seem very rare. I have reared seven species, six of them in Kenya. The southern African species are relatively well documented; their food plants are summarised in Table 2. G.C. Clark (in Dickson & Kroon 1978) illustrated six detailed life histories of which two species and two subspecies are not covered here ( Table 1 ). Henning et al. (1997) include photographs of early stages of S. agylla (Trimen) and S. asterodia .

Spialia galba belongs in the sertorius group. Davidson et al. (1897) and Bell (1924) provide detailed descriptions of the life history on Waltheria indica in India, and I illustrate it here from material that I found in Pakistan on a Sida sp. ( Figure 1 ).

De Jong species Food plant References

group

Species

asterodia group

S. agylla Hermannia comosa , H. cuneifolia (= pollens), H. Murray 1959

diffusa (= pilosula), H. incana (= candicamus)

Hermannia spp. Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Woodhall 2005

Hermannia sp. unidentified Henning et al. 1997 Pavonia burchellii (= macrophylla) Murray 1959, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005

S. asterodia Hermannia comosa , H. cuneifolia (= pollens) Murray 1959

H. diffusa (= pilosula) Murray 1959, Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 H. incana (= candicamus, = candicans) Murray 1959, Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 Hibiscus sp(p). Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 H. pulverata Dickson & Kroon 1978 , Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 Mahernia sp. (= Hermannia sp.) Dickson & Kroon 1978, Ackery et al. 1995 Hibiscus aethiopicus Dickson & Kroon 1978 , Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 Pavonia burchellii (= macrophylla) Murray 1959

S. sataspes Hermannia comosa , H. cuneifolia (= pollens), H. Murray 1959

diffusa (= pilosula), H. incana (= candicamus)

Hermannia spp. Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 Hibiscus aethiopicus Murray 1959 , Dickson & Kroon 1978, Pringle et al. 1994, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 Pavonia burchellii (= macrophylla) Murray 1959, Henning et al. 1997, Woodhall 2005 The caterpillars of all species are quite similar, but they differ principally in the markings and arrangement and type of setae of the head, and the markings of the pronotum. All the Spialia spp. treated below feed on Malvaceae , although S. doris also feeds on Convolvulaceae . It may be noted that Palaearctic species include Convolvulaceae and Rosaceae amongst their food plants ( De Jong 1974, 1978). All Afrotropical Spialia spp. seem to make shelters between young leaves or by folding leaves without necessarily cutting them.

Adults rest with their wings nearly fully open when active, and with them closed when quiescent. They all have a fast darting flight, close to the ground, which is usually difficult to follow. All species are likely to be attracted to flowers, and some come to damp patches and faeces. Most species, at least in southern Africa , seem to hill-top ( Henning et al. 1997), but I have not made systematic observations in Kenya.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Biology of Spialia galba, collected as caterpillars on Sida sp., Islamabad, Pakistan, 5 Jul 1995. 1, penultimate instar, dorsal / dorsolateral view; moulted to final instar 18 Jul; photographed 18 Jul; pupated 28 Jul; MJWC 95 / 203 B. 2, final instar, detail of head, anterolateral view; as # 1. 3, pupa, lateral view; pupated 13 Jul; photographed 15 Jul; emerged 23 Jul; 12 mm; MJWC 95 / 203 A. 4, adult male, emerged 23 Jul 1995; MJWC 95 / 203 A.

Tables

TABLE 1. The Spialia species groups of De Jong (1978), the Afrotropical members of each, and those which are documented here and by G. C. Clark (in Dickson & Kroon 1978).

Species group	Afrotropical members	Species treated here Species treated by G.C. Clark
asterodia group	asterodia (Trimen) , agylla (Trimen) , kituina (Karsch)	S. kituina S. asterodia
spio group	spio (Linnaeus) , diomus (Hopffer)	S. spio , S. diomus S. spio , S. ferax
phlomidis group	doris (Walker)
colotes group	colotes (Druce) , confusa Evans	S. colotes
sertorius group	mafa (Trimen)	S. mafa mafa
dromus group	wrefordi Evans , paula (Higgins) , secessus (Trimen) , dromus (Plötz) , ploetzi (Aurivillius)	S. dromus , S. ploetzi S. dromus
delagoae group	mangana (Rebel) , nanus (Trimen) , delagoae (Trimen) , zebra (Butler) , sataspes (Trimen) , depauperata (Strand)	S. zebra S. sataspes , S. nanus