Cangetta micralis (Hampson) 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 : 3-4

Cangetta micralis (Hampson) n. comb.

Figures 1F , 3F , 4D , 5G .

Deuterophysa micralis Hampson, 1907: 7 ( Jamaica) .

New records. 1 F: “ FLORIDA: Monroe Co. Upper Key Largo 22 Feb 1992 Terhune S. Dickel mercury vapor lamp”, “ J.E. Hayden slide no. 1587F” ; 1F: same data except “ 11 Mar 1992 ” ( TSDC) ; 1F: “FLOR- IDA: Monroe Co. Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site. 2 Feb 1995. Terhune S. Dickel Collected at MV light” ( TSDC) ; 1 (sex unknown): “ Florida: Monroe Co. No Name Key Apr. 21, 1987 Terhune S. Dickel Mercury Vapor Lamp ” ( TSDC) ; 1 (sex unknown): “ USA Fla. Monroe Co. / Key Vaca Crane Pt. / Hammock 17. V.1990 / MV & UVL B. Landry ” ( NMNH) ; 1M: “ FLORIDA: Monroe Co. Key Largo Key vi.9.1975 Mrs. Spencer Kemp blacklight trap ”, “FLMNH-MGCL slide M00377 ” ( FSCA) ; 1M, headless: “ FLORIDA: Monroe Co., Big Pine Key 12-I-1988 John B. Heppner ” ( FSCA) ; 1 (sex unknown): “ Florida: Dade County. Long Pine Key, Everglades Natl. Pk. 28-IV-1975 ”, “At ( UV) Blacklight”, “ J.B. Heppner collector”, “ Project Photo J. B. Heppner 8858” ( FSCA) .

Discussion. Cangetta micralis ( Hampson, 1907) is a small spilomeline widespread in the Caribbean and South America. Distinctive characters include glossy violet maculation, the toothed fibula, and the rectangular, laterally setose uncus. In Florida, the more common Deuterophysa fernaldi Munroe, 1983 is larger, has long, porrect palpi, and has a triangular, yellowish-white costal spot and a fovea on the forewing. The larval behavior of C. micralis in Florida is unknown, but in the Brazilian cerrado, they feed on the buds and flowers of Palicourea rigida Kunth (Rubiaceae) ( Diniz and Morais 2002).

The species is transferred from Deuterophysa Warren to Cangetta Moore, 1886 on the basis of the following characters: the labial palpi are slightly upturned, protruding about the length of the head, and the maxillary palpi are prominent and narrow. The wings are concolorous and have dark transverse lines that are relatively straight on the forewing, with only slight basal curvature on the costa and anal fold. Forewing Rs 1 is stalked with Rs 2+3, and a fovea is absent; M 2 and M 3 are stalked in the hind wing. In the male genitalia, the valve fibula is directed ventrodistad and bears three to five digitiform processes. The uncus is broad and bears several large, elongate, non-bifid setae on the ventrolateral margins. The female genitalia are simple and have only minor sclerotization about the antrum. The curved digiti of the fibula, which resemble the teeth of salad tongs, and the broad uncus with large setae along the ventrolateral margins are unusual among spilomelines.

Cangetta micralis is the only described representative of its genus in the New World. It differs from congeners by its uniformly dark gray-violet maculation, without a pale costal triangle or terminal spots on the forewing. It differs from the type of the genus, C. rectilinea Moore, 1886 , by vein Rs 4 of the forewing arising separately from the cell and by the presence of three metathoracic tibial spurs. Males have an uncus with parallel sides (rather than an ovate uncus), and females have one frenular bristle and lack an obvious appendix bursae.

Examined species of Deuterophysa Warren, 1889 differ in several characters. The antennal flagellomeres are thick and have one row of dorsal scales, with ventral side bare. The labial palpi are at least as long as the head, often longer. The whitish forewing costal spot is lunate and distinctly margined. The male genitalia have broad valvae, a fibula that lacks digitiform projections, a prominent sacculus, and a transtilla consisting of two acute projections. The simple uncus is nearly bare, and the gnathos is well-developed with an obvious medial process. The phallus has a caecum penis. The tympanal organs are similar to those of Cangetta but have a shallow puteolus posterior of the tympanic ridge. Based on available material, the female genitalia of Cangetta are indistinctive and qualitatively similar to those of Deuterophysa , lacking distinct sclerotizations except around the antrum.

Collection of the specimens over two decades suggests that C. micralis was resident in the Florida Keys at least from 1975–1995, and it is probably still present but not detected for lack of collecting effort. The species is also present on the mainland, as evidenced by one specimen from Long Pine Key.

Other material examined. Cangetta rectilinea Moore : 1M, 1F: Sri Lanka, NMNH slides 114733, 114768 (NMNH). Cangetta sp. near rectilinea : 1M, 1F: Taiwan: Taichung, 1100m MGCL slides 389, 390 (FSCA). Deuterophysa fernaldi Munroe : 1M, 1F: USA, FL: Collier Co., MGCL slides 380, 381 (FSCA). Deuterophysa spp. : 2M: USA, Puerto Rico, Bosq. Est. Toro Negro, JEH slides 790 (CMNH) and 1551 (JEHC); 1F: USA, Puerto Rico, Sierra Luquillo, JEH slide 791 (CMNH); 1M: Venezuela: Rancho Grande, MGCL slide 388 (FSCA).

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus: A) Ennomosia basalis male (FL, Key Largo, March 1995; TSDC). B) E. basalis female (FL, Key Largo, March 1995; TSDC). C) Neoleucinodes torvis male (raised ex larva, FL, Davie, April 2013; FSCA). D) N. torvis female (FL, Fuchs Hammock, 27 Dec. 1991; TSDC). E) Lineodes triangulalis (FL, Bahia Honda, 8 Nov. 1991; TSDC). F) Cangetta micralis (FL, Key Largo Hammocks St. Bot. Site, 2 Feb. 1995; TSDC). 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 4. Male genitalia (not to scale): A) Ennomosia basalis (FL, Monroe Co. Key Largo Hammocks State Bot. Site, 2 Mar. 1995, JEH slide 1368; TSDC). B) Neoleucinodes torvis (FL, Broward Co. Davie, 24 Apr. 2013 ex S. torvum fruit, MGCL slide 1205; FSCA). C) Lineodes triangulalis (TX, Cameron Co. Brownsville, 3 Dec. 1975, NMNH slide 114956; NMNH). D) Cangetta micralis (FL, Monroe Co. Key Largo, 9 June 1975, MGCL slide 377; FSCA). E) Nomophila triticalis (FL, Vero Beach, MGCL slide 1290; FSCA).

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).