SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología

Further knowledge of the genus Nyctobrya Boursin, 1957 from the Canary Islands (Spain), with description of a new species from El Hierro (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Per Falck — 2024-06-30

It describes Nyctobrya ingridae Falck, sp. nov. and record N. canaria (Alphéraky, 1890) for the first time from the Canary Island, El Hierro, Spain. Photographs of adults and genitalia of the new species are provided. Both species are DNA barcoded. Both morphology and analyses of DNA barcodes support the identification and distinctiveness of the new species as it appears well-supported and genetically isolated.

Merulempista turturella (Zeller, 1848) new to the Maltese Islands (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Phycitinae)

Jonathan Agius — 2024-06-30

The genus Merulempista Roesler, 1967 and the species Merulempista turturella (Zeller, 1848) are reported for the first time from the Maltese Islands. Distribution and habits of the larvae and adult are included. A Maltese name is proposed for this new record.

Bioecological and Molecular Studies of Heliothis nubigera Herrich-Schäffer, 1851 and Trichoplusia ni (Hübner, [1803]) associated with Ferula communis L. as a new host in AlUla, Saudi Arabia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Rayan M. Alansari — 2024-06-30

Heliothis nubigera Herrich-Schäffer, 1851 and Trichoplusia ni (Hübner, [1803]) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are serious polyphagous for economic crops searching for a host to complete their life cycle. The present study was conducted to estimate the relationship between Heliothis nubigera and Trichoplusia ni with Ferula communis L. in two locations, Hassat Al-dab and Almotadal, AlUla Government, Almadina Almunawarah, Saudi Arabia. Genomic DNA was isolated from Heliothis nubigera and Trichoplusia ni for molecular identification. The results indicate that Heliothis nubigera and Trichoplusia ni completes their larval stages during the growth of Ferula communis. Molecular identification by gene sequencing of the target fragment of COI showed 100% identical to Heliothis nubigera with Accession number HM875008.1 and 98.44% identical to Trichoplusia ni with Accession number KX862907.1 using BLAST/N. The study concludes that the target fragment of the COI mitochondrial gene is a useful method for the identification of Heliothis nubigera and Trichoplusia ni. The study recorded that Heliothis nubigera and Trichoplusia ni use Ferula communis as a new host plant located in Hassat Al-dab and Almotadal, AlUla Government, Saudi Arabia.

Contribution to the knowledge of Stygioides italica Mazzei & Yakovlev, 2016 (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)

Edgardo Bertaccini — 2024-06-30

With this new report of Stygioides italica Mazzei & Yakovlev, 2016 for southern Italy (Calabria: Monte Pollino), we take the opportunity to survey some populations from central and southern Italy from a molecular-genetic point of view and to highlight some morphoanatomical characters that may facilitate the distinction between the recent S. italica Mazzei & Yakovlev and Stygioides colchica (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851).

A Rapid Assessment of Pronophilina Reuter, 1896 community structure and diversity in the uppermost cloud forests near timberline in Manu National Park, Peru (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)

José Cerdeña — 2024-06-30

The subtribe Pronophilina Reuter, 1896 is a group of Papilionoidea that is particularly useful for assessing biodiversity and human-made disturbance, especially in cloud forests. This is because of their high diversity, abundance, distribution patterns, ecological fidelity, and usefulness in formulating conservation policies. A rapid assessment (RAP) was conducted on the Pronophilina in two locations in the upper montane area of Manu National Park, southeastern Peru. The assessment included an evaluation of species richness, faunal composition, similarity, and community structure of Lepidoptera in the area. The two locations were only 30 km apart but in different elevations, ranging from 2800 to 3200 m above sea level. The study recorded a total of 1941 specimens of 45 species, with 18 species (40%) belonging to the genus Pedaliodes Butler, 1867, and as many as 1356 individuals (70%) were found in this genus. Some local species were found to be restricted to very narrow elevation ranges at the forest-puna grassland ecotone. The community structure showed good adjustment with the RAD log-normal model in Trocha Unión and with the Zipf-Mandelbrot model in Qurqurpampa, indicating that the sample obtained is representative of well-preserved uppermost cloud forests. The Sørensen similarity index was relatively low, despite the short distance between the two sites and no apparent geographic isolation. Sampling by “Van Someren-Rydon” traps was confirmed as a very effective method for studying

A new species of Rhuda Walker, 1857 from Colombia (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae, Heterocampinae)

Efraín R. Henao — 2024-06-30

The new species Rhuda guayuyaco Henao, Bernal & Martínez, sp. nov. from the Andean-Amazonian piedmont of Colombia, is described and illustrated. The new species differs in the FW being pale pinkish brown, the dark area pale brown, with smooth margins, its distal margin perpendicular to the costa. It superficially resembles the Brazilian R. procas (Druce, 1894), from which it differs in the irregular band beyond the two subterminal lines near the tornus being a pale, thin irregular line, instead of a dark band. The male genitalia differ from those of other species in the size of the valve, the shape of the uncus and the shape and size of the aedeagus.

Report of a New Larval Host Plant of Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) from Kolkata, West Bengal, India (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Galleriinae)

Srinjoy Das — 2024-06-30

In this study, we report for the first time a new larval host plant Cassia fistula L. for Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Galleria mellonella is an established pest of beehives and till date, its larvae were known to feed only on the wax comb of Apis sp.,and destroy it. For this reason, beekeeping enterprises face high economic losses. Our finding opens a scope for extensive surveys in areas surrounding apiaries in order to quantify infestations in C. fistula which might provide a new insight in the pest management practices for G. mellonella.

A morphological comparative study of proboscis sensilla between Pierinae and Coliadinae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Yagmur Mengi — 2024-06-30

Pontia edusa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785 in Fourcroy), which are in different subfamilies within Pieridae, feed on nectar. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that sensilla differ in the subfamily category. For this purpose, we investigated the ultrastructural structure of proboscis and sensilla in Pontia edusa (Pierinae) and Colias croceus (Coliadinae) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition of the wall of proboscis, their surface structure, the shape and distribution of different types of sensilla were compared. Three sensillum types are located on the proboscises of both species, sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, and sensilla styloconica being most common in Lepidoptera. It was determined that the size and distribution of sensilla and especially the structure of sensilla styloconica differ in two species. The results will contribute to studies on food and proboscis morphology of Lepidoptera, and will also be beneficial in further studies on the significance of proboscis and sensilla structure in classification

Re-description of three little known species of Palaearctic Chrysoesthia Hübner, [1825], with description of the hitherto unknown female of Chrysoesthia falkovitshi Lvovsky & Piskunov, 1989 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Oleksiy V. Bidzilya — 2024-06-30

Additions to original descriptions are provided for three little-known species - Chrysoesthia falkovitshi Lvovsky & Piskunov, 1989, C. mironovi Bidzilya, 2001 and C. tuvella Bidzilya, 2005. The colour photographs of adults and ventral view of the male genitalia are given for all three species for the first time, and their diagnostic characters are discussed. The hitherto unknown female genitalia of C. falkovitshi are described. The diagnosis of the genus and its differences from closely related Metanarsia Staudinger, 1871 are briefly discussed

Rhopalocera in modified landscape: The Mizoram University Campus, Aizawl, Mizoram, India (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

G. S. Solanki — 2024-06-30

A survey for the diversity of Rhopalocera at the Mizoram University (MZU) campus was carried out in selected areas with different habitat types. Pollard walks sampling method was adopted, and 16 randomly selected permanent line transects were established in three different sites. The length of the studied transacts was 500 m and the breadth was a region covered by visual observation on both sides from the point of observation along the length. Survey was carried out during September to November 2016 and from February to May 2017. A total of 3,618 individuals of 78 species of these insects belonging to six families were recorded. Maximum number of species recorded belonged to the family Nymphalidae while the family Riodinidae is represented by one species only. Three rare species namely, Parthenos sylvia (Cramer, 1775), Elymnias patna (Westwood, 1851), and Tanaecia lepidea (Butler, 1868) were also recorded. Another consequential aspect in this study is the record of Euploea midamus (Linnaeus, 1758), Castalius rosimon (Fabricius, 1775), Jamides allectus (Grose-Smith, 1894), Euploea mulciber (Cramer, [1777]), and Polytremis discreta (Elwes & Edwards, 1897), which are categorized into different conservation schedules of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 with amendment made in 2022. Nymphalidae is the most diverse (H = 3.295) and dominant species (D = 22.727) while evenness is highest for the family Pieridae (E = 0.973) and diversity, dominance, and evenness (H = 1.818, D = 5.646, E = 0.826) is least for the family Lycaenidae. This study manifest that the modified habitats are also important repository for biodiversity which also need attention for conservation

Immature stages and life cycle of a Megalopyge Hübner, [1820] causing dermatitis in the city of Córdoba, Argentina (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae)

Pablo Alejandro Acosta — 2024-06-30

During the last decades in Argentina, the cases of erucism have increased notably, with some outbreaks of epidemiological importance. In December 2019, a resident of the city of Córdoba reported a case of erucism caused by contact with caterpillars of Megalopyge Hübner, [1820] present in a shrub in the sidewalk. Taking into account the little information available in the literature about the family in general, and in this region of the country in particular, and the potential health risk that these caterpillars could represent, our goals were to know what species it is, to describe the immature stages and the development times of this species, and to evaluate the possibility of the caterpillars using some common tree species as alternative hosts. Adults and immatures reared in the laboratory are more similar to those described as Megalopyge undulata vulpina Berg, 1882 than any other species of the genus, but some morphological and chromatic differences lead to the proposition that these are two related but different taxa. According to our observations, at the latitude of Córdoba the species seems to be bivoltine, with an average embryogenesis time of 6 days and 58 days of larval development time for the second generation. The time spent inside the cocoon was highly variable. On the other hand, the limited success in the development of the larvae with the alternative hosts that we offered them would indicate that the species does not represent, at the moment, an emerging health problem.

Two new species of Pelagodes Holloway, 1996 from Eastern New Guinea (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae, Thalassodini)

Aare Lindt — 2024-06-30

Two new species of the Indo-Australian genus Pelagodes Holloway, 1996 are described as new. Pelagodes sebastiani Lindt, Lennuk & Viidalepp, sp. nov. resembles Pelagodes rana Holloway, 1996 in the shape of its frog-leglike appendages on the male eighth abdominal sternite. The appendages are strongly curved in P. rana, while almost straight in P. sebastiani Lindt, Lennuk & Viidalepp, sp. nov. The second newly described species, Pelagodes tristani Lindt, Lennuk & Viidalepp, sp. nov., somewhat resembles Pelagodes furcatus Inoue, 2006 but differs in many aspects in the ornamentation of the male genitalia. The adults and their male genitalia structures are described and illustrated. It is noteworthy that both Papuan species of Pelagodes share massive processes on their eight sternites.

The northern distribution limit of Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle, 1809) in Albania: results obtained by sex pheromone traps (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae, Procridinae)

Blerina Vrenozi — 2024-06-30

Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle, 1809) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae, Procridinae), occurs as a partly harmful species in vineyards in the Mediterranean region, where it has the proper conditions for larvae development, including the host plants and hilly relief. In 2017, has been registered as a new country record in the vineyards of the western lowland in Albania on the base of a large-scale study using traps baited with the synthetic sex pheromone of Th. ampellophaga females or the sex attractant EFETOV-2. The further field works in 2018 and 2019 using sex pheromone traps aimed to establish in new localities in Albania and determine the northern distribution limit of Th. ampellophaga in this country. In 2019, low numbers males were captured in three vineyards in Apolloni, Radostinë (district of Fier) and Dukat i Ri (district of Vlorë), southern Albania in the first half of July, all from the first generation. As a preliminary result, the northern distribution limit in Albania is reported.

Description of the female Coleophora alfacarensis Baldizzone, 1998 and other records of interest for Spain (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae, Gelechiidae, Tortricidae)

Javier Gastón — 2024-06-30

Unknown until now, the female of Coleophora alfacarensis Baldizzone, 1998 is also described. Records are
provided that constitute first records for Spain, such as Coleophora pulmonariella Zeller, 1839; Coleophora
aleramica Baldizzone & Stübner, 2007; Coleophora asteris Mühlig, 1864; Coleophora thurneri Glaser, 1969;
Coleophora pseudociconiella Toll, 1952 and Psamathocrita dalmatinella Huemer & Tokar, 2000. The second
confirmed record of the Coleophora albidella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) and the third of Coleophora
quadristraminella Toll, 1961, in Spain is presented. Finally, the genitalia female of Cochylimorpha sparsana is
represented for the first time (Staudinger, 1880).

The Antillean genus Pogrima Schaus, 1940 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Galleriinae)

Vitor O. Becker — 2024-06-30

Pogrima Schaus, 1940 is represented by three species: P. palmasalis Schaus, 1940, from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles, P. borinqualis Becker, sp. nov., from Puerto Rico, and P. tainalis Becker, sp. nov., from Cuba.

Unveiling the Hidden Gem: An Observational Report, Taxonomic Insights and First Photographic Evidence of Pseudochazara baldiva Moore, 1865, from India (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Lovish Garlani — 2024-06-30

A field survey of the Spiti and Pin Valley of Himachal Pradesh in September 2023 revealed the presence of Pseudochazara baldiva Moore, 1865 in the region. In the earlier studies recently conducted in the region, the species is believed to have been misidentified by many authors as Pseudochazara lehana Moore, 1878. The identification of the species was done based on the phenotypic description given in Moore (1865), Evans (1932), and Talbot (1947). The study also provides the first photographic evidence of Pseudochazara baldiva Moore, 1865, from the region

First record of genus Lakshmia Yakovlev, 2004 from India along with description of a new species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae, Zeuzerinae)

Navneet Singh — 2024-06-30

The present manuscript deals with description of a new species of genus Lakshmia Yakovlev, 2004, Lakshmia narayani Singh, Ahmad, Yakovlev & Joshi, sp. nov. is described from specimens of Mizoram, India. This also represents the first record of genus Lakshmia from India. Images of the adult and genitalia along with a complete checklist of the species is also provided.

First Global Report on Mud-puddling by Pyraloidea from India (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Avishek Talukdar — 2024-06-30

Mud-puddling though very common phenomenon in case of Rhopalocera (especially males) is not so common for Heterocera. The phenomenon was observed during one trapping night at Tippi village in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Here the authors present the first global report of Pyraloidea from India

Evaluation of the type of bait in catching Nymphalidae in Van Someren-Rydon traps in the National Park Yanachaga-Chemillén-Paujil sector, Pasco, Peru (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

Yeison Vega-Garrido — 2024-06-30

The use of baited traps for the study of Lepidoptera has increased in recent decades, offering advantages and disadvantages compared to direct methods of capture. However, studies evaluating the attractiveness of different types of different baits are scarce, and published works are limited to using the standard bait consisting of fermented fruit with sugar. This study evaluates the variation in the attractiveness and effectiveness of three types of bait (fermented fruit, rotting fish, and human feces) in the capture of Lepidoptera in Van Someren-Rydon traps (VSR) in the National Park Yanachaga-Chemillén (PNYCh), sector Paujil, by the use of VSR located in sites with different canopy cover. Certain species were found to visit all three types of bait, e.g. Archaeoprepona demophon (Linnaeus, 1758) and Diaethria clymena (Cramer, 1775), others only two of these, e. g. Memphis glauce (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862), Memphis moruus (Fabricius, 1775), Adelpha mesentina (Cramer, 1777), Temenis laothoe (Cramer, 1777), and some were unique to one type of bait, e. g. Zaretis itys (Cramer, 1777), Ancyluris etias (Saunders, 1859), Catoblepia berecynthia (Cramer, 1777), Catonephele numilia (Cramer, 1775). Furthermore, it was found that the fruit bait presents significant differences concerning the rotting fish and feces baits, however, it presented the least number of individuals and species attracted. Meanwhile, rotting fish and feces presented a similar attractiveness in species number and quantity of individuals. The results suggest the bait’s importance in capturing Lepidoptera and, consequently, their potential relevance in the elaboration of subsequent ecological studies

New larval host plants of Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius, 1798) and Rapala manea schistacea (Moore, 1879) from Eastern India (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Arajush Payra — 2024-06-30

In the present communication we report Vigna stipulacea (Lam). Kuntze as a larval host plant of Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius, 1798) and Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. as a larval host plant of Rapala manea schistacea (Moore, 1879) for the first time from the coastal areas of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. The study also report new record of Vigna stipulacea for the state West Bengal.

Plusiinae of Kashmir: Taxonomy, distribution and new faunistic records (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea)

Muzafar Riyaz — 2024-06-30

The present study encompasses twelve Plusiinae species, shedding light on their taxonomy, and geographical distribution. Among these, four species viz. Chrysodeixis acuta (Walker, [1858]), Cornutiplusia circumflexa (Linnaeus, 1767), Autographa nigrisigna (Walker, [1858]), and Sclerongenia jessica (Butler, 1878) are reported for the first time from the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India thereby adding novel insights to the local lepidopteran fauna. For future scientific endeavors, each of these newly reported species has been meticulously prepared and preserved with mounted specimens and genitalia, ensuring that researchers have access to valuable reference material for further studies.

The secret of ancient images of Lepidoptera in the Egyptian tomb of Nakht - Nabokov’s opinion and the contemporary view (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Konstantin A. Efetov — 2024-06-30

The Lepidoptera images in the ancient Egyptian tomb of Nakht have been studied. The opinion of V. Nabokov on these images is discussed. Most probably, not Zygaena sp. but the dimorphic butterfly Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1767) was the model for the ancient painters.

The discovery of a localized colony of Brithys crini (Fabricius, 1775) in the Maltese archipelago (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Aldo Catania — 2024-06-30

Brithys crini (Fabricius, 1775) is here recorded after many years from the Maltese archipelago.

The Pterophoridae fauna of Mali (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Petr Ya. Ustjuzhanin — 2024-06-30

Nine species of Pterophoridae are recorded for the Republic of Mali. All species except Exelastis pumilio (Zeller, 1873) are recorded for the fauna of the country for the first time.

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