Herpetogramma phaeopteralis Guenee 1854

Herpetogramma phaeopteralis (Guenée, 1854)

Figs 20, 21, 105, 151

Botys phaeopteralis Guenée, 1854: 349.

Herpetogramma phaeopteralis (Guenée): Peck et al., 1998: 227. ‒ Causton et al., 2006: 141. ‒ Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2015.

Material examined

Type specimens: 2 ♀ syntypes without abdomen (BMNH).

Other specimens: 17 ♂, 25 ♀, 17 of undetermined sex from the Galápagos Islands: – Fernandina: SW side, GPS: 815 m elev[ation]., S 00° 21.270’, W 91°35.341’; SW side, crater rim, GPS: 1341 m elev., S 00° 21.910’, W 91° 34.034’. – Floreana: Scalesias near Cerro Pajas, GPS: elev. 329 m, S 01° 17.743’, W 90° 27.111’. – Isabela: Alcedo, lado NE, camp arida alta, 200 m; Alcedo, lado NE, 400 m, camp pega-pega; ± 15 km N P[uer]to Villamil; Sierra Negra, Corazon Verde; NE slope Alcedo, Los Guayabillos camp, GPS: 869 m elev., S 00° 24.976’, W 91° 04.617’; Sierra Negra, pampa zone, 1000 m [elevation]; Alcedo, lado NE, 1100 m, cumbre, caseta Cayot. – San Cristóbal: near Loberia, sea level, GPS: S 00° 55.277’, W 89° 36.909’; near Loberia, sea level, GPS: elev. 14 m, S 00° 55.149’, W 89° 36.897’; 1 km S El Progreso; base of Cerro Pelado; La Toma, ca. 6.5 km east El Progreso, GPS: 299 m elev., S 00° 55.356’, W 89° 31.089’; vic[inity]. El Junco, ca. 700 m; pampa zone. – Santa Cruz: 2 km W Bella Vista; Finca Vilema, 2 km W Bella Vista; Media Luna, pampa zone. – Santiago: 200 m elev.; Aguacate [camp], 520 m elev.; Central [camp], 700 m elev.; Jaboncillo [camp], ± 850 m elev. Deposited in BMNH, CDRS, CNC, MCZ, and MHNG.

Diagnosis: This 18-22.5 mm wide species (Figs 20, 21) can be difficult to separate from four other brown species in the Galápagos by virtue of their darker brown markings. The key below, which excludes the similarly coloured Beebea guglielmi, because of its larger, 58-72 mm wingspan, should be sufficient for that purpose.

Biology: The recorded host plants are mostly Poaceae, but also Amaranthaceae and Polygonaceae in the Western Hemisphere (Robinson et al., 2014). Available Galápagos specimens were collected in all vegetation zones, up to the top of several islands, in anthropized as well as more natural habitats although at one time colonized by goats or other feral farm animals. Collecting dates are in January until May and November and December.

Distribution: Described from ‘toute l’Amérique méridionale’, this species is widespread across the Western Hemisphere from the USA (mostly in the south, but also as far north as Minnesota) to Argentina and across the West Indies (BMNH specimens; Patterson et al., 2015). Elsewhere it is also reported from Africa (De Prins & De Prins, 2015) as well as India and Sri Lanka (Robinson et al., 2014). In the Galápagos the available specimens are from Fernandina, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Santiago.