North American Herpetogramma Lederer, 1863 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae): Type Specimens and Identity of Species in the United States and Canada

Abstract

Type specimens or the type series of 27 North American Herpetogramma species names were located, mostly in European museums, verified, and dissected. Acharana descripta (Warren) is designated as a new synonym of Herpetogramma phaeopteralis (Guene'e). Fifteen lectotypes and 14 paralectotypes are designated where it was deemed necessary to fix and stabilize the current concept of the name. A checklist and a key to nine North American species are provided with photographs of the adults.

Full text

PROCEEDINGS
of the
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
of
WASHINGTON
NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOGRAMMA LEDERER, 1863
(LEPIDOPTERA: CRAMBIDAE: SPILOMELINAE):
TYPE SPECIMENS AND IDENTITY OF SPECIES
IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
M. A
LMA
S
OLIS
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Smithsonian Institution, P.O.
Box 37012, National Museum of Natural History, E-517, MRC 168, Washington,
DC 20013-7012, U.S.A.

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
112(3), 2010, pp. 451–463
NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOGRAMMA LEDERER, 1863
(LEPIDOPTERA: CRAMBIDAE: SPILOMELINAE):
TYPE SPECIMENS AND IDENTITY OF SPECIES
IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
M. A
LMA
S
OLIS
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Smithsonian Institution, P.O.
Box 37012, National Museum of Natural History, E-517, MRC 168, Washington,
DC 20013-7012, U.S.A. (e-mail: alma.solis@ars.usda.gov)
Abstract.—Type specimens or the type series of 27 North American
Herpetogramma species names were located, mostly in European museums,
verified, and dissected. Acharana descripta (Warren) is designated as a new
synonym of Herpetogramma phaeopteralis (Guene
´e). Fifteen lectotypes and 14
paralectotypes are designated where it was deemed necessary to fix and stabilize
the current concept of the name. A checklist and a key to nine North American
species are provided with photographs of the adults.
Key Words: checklist, lectotypes, pests, southern beet webworm, tropical sod
webworm
DOI: 10.4289/0013-8797.112.3.451
Herpetogramma Lederer is a crambid
genus with over 108 described species
worldwide. The North American spe-
cies richness of nine species is small in
comparison to the world fauna (Table
1). McDunnough (1939) established the
historical concept of North American
species assigned to Herpetogramma in
his North American checklist as a
polyphyletic group of species within
Pyrausta Schrank. Since then the num-
ber of species names has ballooned due
to an over reliance on external charac-
ters and an abundance of brief, written
descriptions of new species in the 19
th
and early 20
th
century. In an early
attempt to create natural groups within
Pyrausta, Munroe (1950) proposed
Macrobotys Munroe as a placeholder
for many of the species discussed in this
paper. Presumably after seeing more
type specimens and material, Munroe
(1983) synonymized Macrobotys with
Herpetogramma. Additionally, Munroe
(1983) consolidated 20 species names
into nine species.
The identities of Herpetogramma
species in Canada and United States
were unclear for many decades. The
moths are large and collected frequently
at light traps throughout the United
States. Externally, most species are
various shades of brown, and in the
key there are three adjectives to de-
scribe the three major shades: light
brown, brown, and dark brown (Figs.
1–15). Some species are highly variable
externally and were described several
* Edited by John W. Brown; accepted by Robert
R. Kula

times. The genitalia structures are very
conservative, exhibiting only subtle
differences among species. Many of
the type specimens were not studied
externally or dissected to more accu-
rately define their morphology.
The purpose of this research was to
search for and locate type specimens,
determine their identity, and dissect
them if necessary. Lectotypes and
paralectotypes are designated where
necessary to fix and stabilize the current
concept of the name, and each was
labeled as described below. The second
purpose was to verify externally the
synonymies associated with the senior
name. A morphological study showed
genitalia characters to be conservative
as in many Spilomelinae (Crambidae).
These characters will be discussed in a
review of Herpetogramma species.
Photographs and a key for identifying
North American Herpetogramma are
provided so that material can be incor-
porated into a more thorough study in
the future, new species can be discov-
ered, and more accurate distributions
can be determined.
Table 1. North American Herpetograma (Munroe 1982, 1995) and current list.
Munroe (1982, 1995) Solis (2009)
aeglealis (Walker 1859) aeglealis (Walker 1859)
quinquelinealis (Grote 1875) quinquelinealis (Grote 1875)
bipunctalis (Fabricius 1794) bipunctalis (Fabricius 1794)
detritalis (Guene
´e 1854) detritalis (Guene
´e 1854)
lycialis (Walker 1859) lycialis (Walker 1859)
philealis (Walker 1859) philealis (Walker 1859)
repetitalis (Grote 1882) repetitalis (Grote 1882)
terricolalis (Mo
¨schler 1881) terricolalis (Mo
¨schler 1881)
centrostrigalis (Stephens 1834) centrostrigalis (Stephens 1834)
fluctuosalis (Lederer 1863) fluctuosalis (Lederer 1863)
ipomoealis (Capps 1964) ipomoealis (Capps 1964)
phaeopteralis (Guene
´e 1854) phaeopteralis (Guene
´e 1854)
vecordalis (Guene
´e 1854) vecordalis (Guene
´e 1854)
vestalis (Walker 1859) vestalis (Walker 1859)
additalis (Walker 1862) additalis (Walker 1862)
plebejalis (Lederer 1863) plebejalis (Lederer 1863)
cellatalis (Walker 1866) cellatalis (Walker 1866)
communalis (Snellen 1875) communalis (Snellen 1875)
intricatalis (Mo
¨schler 1890) intricatalis (Mo
¨schler 1890)
descripta (Warren 1892) n. syn.
theseusalis (Walker 1859) theseusalis (Walker 1859)
thesealis Lederer 1863, emend. thesealis Lederer 1863, emend.
feudalis (Grote 1875) feudalis (Grote 1875)
pertextalis (Lederer 1863) pertextalis (Lederer 1863)
thesealis (Zeller 1872) thesealis (Zeller 1872)
part, not thesealis (Lederer 1863) part, not thesealis (Lederer 1863)
gentilis (Grote 1873) gentilis (Grote 1873)
genitalis (Grote 1873) genitalis (Grote 1873)
Missp. of gentilis (Grote 1873) Missp. of gentilis (Grote 1873)
abdominalis (Zeller 1872) abdominalis (Zeller 1872)
fissalis (Grote 1881) fissalis (Grote 1882)
thestealis (Walker 1859) thestealis (Walker 1859)
magistralis (Grote 1873) magistralis (Grote 1873)
gulosalis (Hulst 1886) gulosalis (Hulst 1886)
452 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

M
ATERIALS AND
M
ETHODS
This study is based on the species
listed under Herpetogramma in North
American (Munroe 1983) and Neotrop-
ical checklists (Munroe 1995). Type
specimens are deposited at The Natural
History Museum, London, England
(BMNH); National Museum of Natural
History, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
(USNM); Naturhistorisches Museum
Wien, Vienna, Austria (NMW); Rijks-
museum van Natuurlijke Historie, Lei-
den Museum, the Netherlands (RMNH);
Zoologisches Museum, Humboldt Uni-
versita
¨t, Berlin, Germany (ZMHB);
American Museum of Natural History,
New York, U.S.A. (AMNH); and Mu-
seum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
U.S.A. (MCZ). The search for type
specimens associated with specific au-
thors was facilitated by a very useful
publication known as ‘‘Horn & Kahle’’
(Horn et al. 1990) in which the history
of collections and photos of labels with
author’s handwriting are summarized.
Material was dissected as needed.
General distribution is based on speci-
mens examined. A preliminary study of
host plant information with respect to
H. pertextalis Lederer, H. abdominalis
Zeller, H. thestealis Walker is based
only on specimens examined by the
author at the USNM. The moths are
highly variable externally, and Herpe-
togramma identifications in the litera-
ture may be incorrect. With the excep-
tion of Allyson (1984) and Landry
(1993, see H. pertextalis below), host
plant data from the literature or any
database was not included in this paper
and will be addressed in another paper.
R
ESULTS
Herpetogramma aeglealis
(Walker)
(Figs. 1–3)
Botis aeglealis Walker (1859: 565)
was described from a male holotype
deposited in the BMNH from the
‘‘United States.’’ It has the following
labels: ‘‘Type’’ [round green-bordered
label]; ‘‘U.S.’’ [round label];
‘‘41.BOTYS AEGLEALIS’’ [clipped
from Walker’s text]; ‘‘B.M. Pyralidae
Genitalia slide No. 21200 [square
label]’’;‘‘BMNH(E) #846365’’ [oblong
label].
Synonym.—Botis quinquelinealis
Grote (1875: 231) was described pre-
sumably from five Grote specimens
deposited in the BMNH. I hereby
designate as LECTOTYPE a male with
the following labels: ‘‘Botis 5-linealis,
Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s handwriting
[oblong red-bordered label]; ‘‘LECTO-
TYPE, designated by, A. Solis, 2009
[white label].’’ One PARALECTO-
TYPE: 1 male, no locality label, ‘‘Botis,
5-linealis, Grote’’ in Grote’s handwrit-
ing [oblong blue-bordered label]. The
original description indicated that spec-
imens were collected in New York and
Massachusetts. I found three males
from New York in the BMNH, their
labels with ‘‘Evans Centre, NY, July
1877, A. R. Grote, Coll.,’’ but the 1877
date implies that they were not part of
the syntype series. I was unable to find
specimens from Massachusetts at the
BMNH.
Remarks.—This species occurs in
eastern Canada and northeastern United
States as far west as Iowa and Louisi-
ana. Specimens in the USNM indicate
that Solidago sp. (Asteraceae), raspber-
ry, and ferns are host plants.
Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius)
(Figs. 4–5)
Phalaena bipunctalis Fabricius
(1794: 232) was described from ‘‘Amer-
ica Insulis’’ [West Indies]. The type,
deposited in the Zoological Museum,
Copenhagen, was not examined.
Synonym.—Botys detritalis Guene
´e
(1854: 347) was described from seven
specimens from ‘‘Bre
´sil, Colombie,
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 453

454 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

Guyane.’’ There are six specimens in
the USNM that likely are part of the
type series. A search at the BMNH
resulted in no other potential syntypes. I
hereby designate as LECTOTYPE a
female with the following labels: ‘‘Co-
lombie’’ in Guene
´e’s handwriting
[small, round white label]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo,
Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’ [oblong, white label];
‘‘Oberthur Collection’’ [yellow label
with a red box and red printing];
‘‘Detritalis, Gn., Bre
´s’’ [in Guene
´e’s
handwriting, oblong white label];
‘‘Botys detritalis Guene
´e, Sp. G. Viii-
405’’;‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated by, A.
Solis, 2009’’ [white label]; lacks the
abdomen. Five specimens are designat-
ed PARALECTOTYPES: one female,
‘‘Colomb’’ in Guene
´e’s handwriting
[small, round white label]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo,
Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’ [oblong, white label];
‘‘Oberthur Collection’’ [yellow label
with a red box and red printing]. One
female, ‘‘Silhet’’ [(locality mislabelled
in Guene
´e’s handwriting) [small, round
white label]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach Gue
´-
ne
´e’’ [oblong, white label]; ‘‘Oberthur
Collection’’ [yellow label with a red box
and red printing]; ‘‘Barnes Collection’’
[red print on white oblong label]. One
male, ‘‘Cayenne’’ in Guene
´e’s handwrit-
ing [small, round white label]; ‘‘Ex
Musaeo, Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’ [oblong, white
label]; ‘‘Oberthur Collection’’ [yellow
label with a red box and red printing];
‘‘Barnes Collection’’ [red print on white
oblong label]. One male, ‘‘Cayen’’ in
Guene
´e’s handwriting [small, round
white label]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach Gue
´-
ne
´e’’ [oblong, white label]; ‘‘Oberthur
Collection’’ [yellow label with a red box
and red printing]; ‘‘Barnes Collection’’
[red print on white oblong label]. One
male, ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’
[oblong, white label]; ‘‘Oberthur Col-
lection’’ [yellow label with a red box
and red printing]; ‘‘Barnes Collection’’
[red print on white oblong label]. One
specimen, unknown sex (hind wing &
abdomen missing), ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach
Gue
´ne
´e’’ [oblong, white label]; ‘‘Ober-
thur Collection’’ [yellow label with a
red box and red printing]; ‘‘Barnes
Collection’’ [red print on white oblong
label].
Synonym.—Botys lycialis Walker
(1859: 572) was described from three
syntypes. Munroe (1995) designated a
lectotype and paralectotype:
3
Figs. 1–15. Adults of Herpetogramma.1,H. aeglealis, male, New York, Six Mile Creek, 17-VII-
1954, J. G. Franclemont, wing length ¼15 mm; 2, H. aeglealis, male, New York, Six Mile Creek, 17-
VII-1957, J. G. Franclemont, wing length ¼16 mm; 3, H. aeglealis, male, New York, McLean Bogs
Reserve, 13-VII-1959, D. R. Davis, wing length ¼15 mm; 4, H. bipunctalis, male, South Carolina,
McClellanville, 12-VIII-1968, D. C. Ferguson, wing length ¼11 mm; 5, H. bipunctalis, female, South
Carolina, McClellanville, 16-X-1969, D. C. Ferguson, wing length ¼12 mm; 6, H. centrostrigalis,
male, Georgia, Black Mountain St. Pk., 3-VII-1958, J. F. Janson, O. S. Flint, wing length ¼16 mm; 7,
H. fluctuosalis, male, Mississippi, Gulf Isl. Nat. Sea., 3–6-VI-1984, R. Brown, G. Baker, wing length
¼12 mm; 8, H. fluctuosalis, female, Maryland, Seneca, 3-IX-1988, D.C. Ferguson, wing length ¼11
mm; 9, H. fluctuosalis, female, Mississippi, Noxubee Ref., 21-VIII-1983. R. Brown, wing length ¼11
mm; 10, H. phaeopteralis, male, Florida, Homestead, 17-XI-1976, D.C. Ferguson, wing length ¼9
mm; 11, H. phaeopteralis, female, Florida, Homestead, 17-XI-1976, D.C. Ferguson, wing length ¼10
mm; 12, H. theseusalis, male, Maryland, Clipper Mill Farm, 18-VII-1992, W. E. Steiner, J. M.
Swearingen, wing length ¼12 mm; 13, H. pertextalis, female, Maryland, C&O Canal, Lock 10, 30-V-
1998, M. Pogue, wing length ¼14 mm; 14, H. abdominalis, male, New York, McLean Bogs Reserve,
19-VII-1956, J. G. Franclemont, wing length ¼14 mm; 15, H. thestealis, male, New York, McLean
Bogs Reserve, 31-VII-1956, J. G. Franclemont, wing length ¼14 mm.
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 455

‘‘*83. fBotys lycialis Walker (1859:572)
was described from three female syntypes
from, ‘‘a,b.St.Domingo.FromMr.
Tweedie’s collection. c. Jamaica.’’ I hereby
designate as lectotype a female in the
BMNH, with the following labels: ‘‘St.
Dom./ 50.1’’;‘‘43. BOTYS LYCIALIS.’’
[clipped from Walker’s text]; ‘‘Type [round
green-bordered label]; ‘‘Lecto-/ type’’
[round purple-bordered label]; and ‘‘Botys/
lycialis/ Walker, // LECTOTYPE/ det. E.
G. Munroe 1991: [oblong black-bordered
label]. One female paralectotype has the
same data label; a round blue-bordered
label, ‘‘Para-/ lecto-/ type’’; and my deter-
mination label. The paralectotype is not a
syntype. [p. 61]g.’’
Synonym.—Botys philealis Walk er
(1859: 596) was described from two
syntypes from Venezuela deposited at
the BMNH. I hereby designate the
specimen with a lectotype label (un-
published designation) by B. Landry at
the BMNH as the LECTOTYPE. It has
the following labels: ‘‘47-9,’’ Ve n e /
zuela on the underside [round label];
‘‘Type’’ [round green-bordered label];
‘‘74.BOTYS PHILEALIS’’ [clipped
from Walker’s text]; ‘‘B.M. Pyralidae
Genitalia slide No. 22278, female’’;
‘‘lectotype’’ [round dark blue label];
‘‘March 2000/Lectotype/ by B. Landry’’
[oblong white label with black line
box]. ‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated by,
A. Solis, 2009 [white label].’’ I desig-
nate a PARALECTOTYPE with the
following labels: ‘‘47-9’’ [round label];
‘‘Botys philealis Wlk.’’ [square blue
label]; ‘‘paralectotype’’ [round light
blue label]; ‘‘PARALECTOTYPE, des-
ignated by, A. Solis, 2009 [white
label].’’ According to the original de-
scription, the specimens are from Ven-
ezuela, but the only locality information
is on the underside of one of the labels
of the lectotype.
Synonym.—Botis repetitalis Grote
(1882b: 53) was proposed as a name
on a check list (#108), presumably
based on two specimens from North
Carolina deposited in the BMNH. I
hereby designate as LECTOTYPE a
female with the following labels: ‘‘N.
Car.’’ [oblong white label]; ‘‘Botis
repetitalis, Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s
handwriting [oblong red-bordered la-
bel]; ‘‘Botis repetitalis, in Grote’s hand-
writing [oblong blue-bordered label];
‘‘Type’’ [round red-bordered label];
‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated by, A. Solis,
2009 [white label].’’ The genitalia are in
a glycerin vial. The paralectotype has
the following labels: ‘‘N. Car.’’ [oblong
white label]; ‘‘Botis repetitalis, Grote,
Type’’ in Grote’s handwriting [oblong
red-bordered label]; ‘‘Type’’ [round red-
bordered label]; ‘‘PARALECTOTYPE,
designated by, A. Solis, 2009 [white
label].’’ The genitalia are in a glycerin
vial.
Synonym.—Botys terricolalis
Mo
¨schler (1881: 424) was described
from one male specimen from Para-
maribo, Surinam. The type in the
ZMHB is a female with the following
labels: ‘‘Type, Z.B.G.1881, p. 424’’
[oblong white label]; ‘‘Type, T.L., 8’’
[square green label]. Four other speci-
mens of H. bipunctalis discovered in
the ZMHB have Mo
¨schler handwritten
labels but from Jamaica. They are
deposited at the ZMHB.
Remarks.—This species occurs in
eastern United States as far west as
Kansas and Texas. It is commonly
known as the southern beet webworm.
Allyson (1984) indicated that the larvae
feed on beets, cauliflower, cabbage and
weeds.
Herpetogramma centrostrigalis
Stephens
(Fig. 6)
Margaritia centrostrigalis Stephens
(1834: 49) was described from Devon-
shire, England. The female holotype at
the BMNH has the following labels:
‘‘Holotype’’ [round red-bordered label];
‘‘Devon’’ handwritten [square white
456 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

label]; ‘‘Type’’ handwritten [square
white label]; ‘‘centrostrigalis’’ handwrit-
ten [oblong white label]; ‘‘B.M. Pyrali-
dae Genitalia slide No. 8520’’ [square
white label]; ‘‘TYPE PHOTO-
GRAPHED’’ printed [oblong blue la-
bel]; ‘‘Stephens Coll./Botys centrostri-
galis/Named by Steph.’’ Printed/
handwritten label [square white label];
‘‘centrostrigalis Steph.’’ handwritten la-
bel [oblong white label].
Remarks.—This species is known to
occur in the southeastern United States
in Georgia and Louisiana. Nothing is
known about its biology. Until recently
it was known only from the type. It is
unknown whether this American spe-
cies was actually collected in England
or is mislabeled. In 2009 M. Shaffer at
the BMNH and I concluded that it could
not be a Palearctic species.
Herpetogramma fluctuosalis
Lederer
(Figs. 7–9)
Botys fluctuosalis Lederer (1863b:
473) was described from one male.
The locality was not given in the
description, but in his list of species
groups of Botys Tr. Lederer (1863a:
375), it was listed as fluctuosalis from
‘‘Nordamerica.’’ Munroe (1995) trans-
ferred fluctuosalis to Herpetogramma.
He had previously placed fluctuosalis in
Pleuroptya Meyrick with a note ‘‘ident.
uncert.’’ (Munroe 1983). I was able to
locate a specimen in the NMW that is
presumably the holotype. It has Le-
derer’s handwritten, oblong white label
‘‘fluctuosalis.’’ I have added a red,
oblong label to this specimen to indi-
cate its status.
Synonym.—Pachyzancla ipomoealis
Capps (1964: 13) was described from
Louisiana, United States. Munroe
(1995) synonymized ipomoealis with
fluctuosalis. The holotype is deposited
in the USNM, and 24 paratypes are
deposited in various museums; all have
red labels with ‘‘USNM Type No.
66606.’’ Only the specimens at the
USNM were examined. Capps included
paratypes from Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, and District of
Colombia.
Remarks.—This species occurs in the
southeastern United States as far north
as Maryland and as far west as Texas. It
is not as well represented in the USNM
as other Herpetogramma species, so it
may be less common than its North
American congeners. Alternatively, the
paucity of specimens could be an
artifact of collecting. It was reared on
sweet potato (Capps 1964). Capps
(1964) described it to clarify its status
as a species separate from the southern
beet webworm, H. bipunctalis.
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis Guene
´e
(Figs. 10–11)
Botys phaeopteralis Guene
´e (1854:
349) was described from 15 syntypes.
Munroe (1995) stated:
‘‘*87. fBotys phaeopteralis Guene
´e
(1854:349) was described from 15 syntypes
from ‘‘toute l’Ame
´rique Me
´ridionale’’. The
BMNH, has two syntypes, from ‘‘Canad’’
and ‘‘Cayenne’’, both without abdomen. As
it is possible that better syntypes will turn
up, in the BMNH or elsewhere, I refrain
from designating a lectotype or restricting
the type locality. [p. 61]g.’’
In order to stabilize the identity of
this common species and contrary to
Munroe’s suggestion above, I hereby
designate the specimen in the BMNH
from Cayenne as the LECTOTYPE
with the following labels: ‘‘Cayenne’’
in Guene
´e’s handwriting [round label];
‘‘Cotype’’ [round yellow-bordered la-
bel]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’
[square label]; ‘‘Guyane franc¸aise, Cay-
enne, ex col. Gn.’’ [oblong label];
‘‘Paravicini Col., B.M. 1937–383’’ [ob-
long label]; ‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated
by, A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label].
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 457

Specimen without abdomen. I designate
the second specimen as a PARALEC-
TOTYPE with the following labels
mentioned by Munroe (1995): ‘‘Canad’’
[small, round label]; ‘‘Ex Musaeo, Ach
Gue
´ne
´e’’ [square label]; ‘‘Doubtful co-
type of B. phaeopteralis Gn., GaBisset,
Dec’34’’ [handwritten, large label];
‘‘Paravicini Col., B.M. 1937–383’’ [ob-
long label]; ‘‘1953/446’’ [square label];
‘‘PARALECTOTYPE, designated by,
A. Solis, 2009 [white label].’’ Specimen
is without the abdomen, and the right
forewing apex is torn. Four specimens
discovered at the USNM came via the
Oberthur collection acquisition and are
part of Guene
´e’s type series. I hereby
designate as PARALECTOTYPES
specimens with the following labels:
‘‘Cayen’’ [round white label]; ‘‘Ex
Musaeo, Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’ [square label];
‘‘Oberthur Collection’’ [yellow label
witharedboxandredprinting];
‘‘Phaeopteralis, Gn., Bra
´s’’ [Guene
´e’s
handwriting, oblong white label]; ‘‘PA -
RALECTOTYPE, designated by, A.
Solis, 2009’’ [white label]; lacks the
abdomen. Also, three specimens ‘‘Ex
Musaeo, Ach Gue
´ne
´e’’ [square label];
one with ‘‘76’’ [small square label];
‘‘PARALECTOTYPE, designated by,
A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label].
Synonym.—Botys vecordalis Gue-
ne
´e (1854: 348) was described from
two females from Haiti deposited in
the BMNH. I hereby designate as
LECTOTYPE the female with the
following labels: ‘‘female sign’’ [small
white label]; ‘‘Cotype’’ [round yellow-
bordered label]; ‘‘vecordalis, Gn., Hai-
ti’’ [in Guene
´e’s handwriting, oblong
white label]; ‘‘LECTOTYPE, designat-
ed by, A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label]. I
designate the other specimen as a
PARALECTOTYPE with the follow-
ing labels: ‘‘female sign’’ [small white
label]; ‘‘Cotype’’ [round yellow-bor-
dered label]; ‘‘vecordalis, Gn., Haiti’’
[in Guene
´e’s handwriting, oblong
white label]; ‘‘PARALECTOTYPE,
designated by, A. Solis, 2009’’ [white
label]. The ICZN (1999), p. 73, rec-
ommends in 69A.10, ‘‘that preference
should be given to the nominal species
cited first in the work, page or line (p.
328 versus p. 329 of H. phaeopteralis).
I have chosen not to follow this
recommendation because H. phaeop-
teralis is an established, well-recog-
nized name for this common, wide-
spread pest species.
Synonym.—Botys vestalis Wal ker
(1859: 579) was described from one
male and one female from Jamaica
deposited in the BMNH. I hereby
designate as LECTOTYPE a male with
the following labels: ‘‘Type’’ [round
green-bordered label]; ‘‘Jamaica’’
[round label]; ‘‘56.BOTYS VESTALIS’’
[clipped from Walker’s text]; ‘‘B.M.
Pyralidae Genitalia slide No. 21203’’;
‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated by, A. Solis,
2009’’ [white label]. I designate the
second specimen as a PARALECTO-
TYPE with the following labels: ‘‘Ja-
maica’’ [round label]; ‘‘B. vestalis Walk.
Typ e femal e’’ [square small label];
‘‘PARALECTOTYPE, designated by,
A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label]. This
specimen is a male, not a female.
Synonym.—Botys additalis Walker
(1862: 125) described from presumably
one female from Brazil and is presum-
ably lost. I could not locate this
specimen at the BMNH, and it is not
in Michael Shaffer’s list as a type
specimen deposited in the Hope Muse-
um, Oxford University. This species
was listed as a newly combined species
under H. phaeopteralis by Munroe
(1983); no reason was given.
Synonym.—Botys plebejalis Lederer
(1863b: 469) was described from a type
specimen that is deposited in the
BMNH. The locality was not given in
the description, but in his list of species
groups of Botys Tr. (Lederer, 1863a:
373), he listed plebejalis from ‘‘Ven-
458 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

ezuela.’’ The labels are: ‘‘Type’’ [round
red-bordered label]; ‘‘Venezuela’’ [ob-
long black bordered]; ‘‘Venezuela’’
[small square label]; ‘‘Rothschild Be-
quest BM 1939–1’’ [oblong label];
‘‘phaeopteralis’’ handwritten (presum-
ably by Lederer who thought this might
be a variety of phaeopteralis), folded
[oblong label]; ‘‘probably type of Botys
plebejalis, E.M. 1958’’ handwritten
[oblong label]. The male genitalia are
in an attached gelatin capsule.
Synonym.—Botys cellatalis Walker
(1866: 1400) was described from a
female from Brazil and is presumably
lost. I could not locate this type
specimen in the BMNH, and it is not
listed in M. Shaffer’s list of the type
specimens occurring at the Hope Mu-
seum, Oxford University. This species
was listed as a newly combined species
under H. phaeopteralis by Munroe
(1983); no reason was given.
Synonym.—Botys communalis
Snellen (1875: 196) was described from
Bogota, Colombia. A male lectotype
deposited in the RMNH was designated
by Munroe et al. (1958: 71). Munroe
(1995: 61) listed it as new synonym of
phaeopteralis. I did not examine the
lectotype.
Synonym.—Botys intricatalis
Mo
¨schler (1890: 286)was described
from Puerto Rico. The type is depos-
ited in the ZMHB. I examined the
holotype. There are four other speci-
mens from Puerto Rico that are not
part of the type series. Munroe (1995)
stated that intricatalis (Mo
¨schler 1890)
was preoccupied by intricatalis Le-
derer 1863. The locality was not given
in the description, but in his list of
species groups of Botys Tr. Lederer
(1863a: 373) listed intricatalis from
‘‘Nordamerica.’’
New synonym.—Acharana descripta
Warren (1892: 436) was described from
one female from ‘‘S. Paolo.’’ The
holotype is deposited in the BMNH
and has the following labels: ‘‘Type’’
[round red-bordered label]; ‘‘Sao Paolo
89–28’’ [square label]. I examined the
holotype and consider A. descripta a
new synonym of H. phaeopteralis.
Remarks.—This species occurs in the
southeastern United States west to
Missouri and Texas and ranges south
throughout Central and South America
and the Caribbean. It is commonly
known as the tropical sod webworm.
Allyson (1984) indicated that the larvae
feed on St. Augustine and centipede
grass.
Herpetogramma theseusalis
(Walker)
(Fig. 12)
Botys theseusalis Walker (1859: 562)
was described from one male, but after
dissection (BMNH 22295) it was dis-
covered to be a female. It has the
following labels: ‘‘Type’’ [round green-
bordered label]; ‘‘24.BOTYS THESEU-
SALIS’’ [clipped from Walker’s text];
‘‘B.M. Pyralidae Genitalia slide No.
22295’’ [square label]; ‘‘BMNH(E)
#846366’’ [oblong label]. The type
locality is ‘‘United States’’ in the
original description, but there is no
locality label on the specimen.
Synonym.—Botis feudalis Grote
(1875: 231) is described from an
unknown number of specimens depos-
ited in the BMNH. Presumably two
specimens from New York and Massa-
chusetts in the BMNH are syntypes. I
hereby designate as LECTOTYPE a
male with the following labels: ‘‘Botis
feudalis, Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s hand-
writing [oblong red-bordered label];
‘‘Type’’ [round red-bordered label];
‘‘B.M. Pyralidae Genitalia slide No.
8805’’ [square label]; ‘‘BMNH(E)
#846364’’ [oblong label]; ‘‘LECTO-
TYPE, designated by, A. Solis, 2009’’
[square white label]. I designate as a
PARALECTOTYPE a female with the
following labels: ‘‘Botis feudalis,
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 459

Grote’’ in Grote’s handwriting [oblong
blue-bordered]; ‘‘B.M. Pyralidae Geni-
talia slide No. 8740’’ [square white
label].
Remarks.—This species occurs in the
eastern United States west to Illinois
and Texas. It has been reared from ferns
(e.g., Thelypteris palustris (Thelypter-
idaceae)) based on specimens at the
USNM.
Herpetrogramma pertextalis
(Lederer, 1863b)
(Fig. 13)
Botys pertextalis Lederer (1863b:
466) was described from two males.
The locality was not given in the
description, but Lederer, in his list of
species groups of Botys Tr.
(1863a:371), listed pertextalis from
‘‘Nordamerica.’’ I located one specimen
in the NMW that is presumably one of
the syntypes. I hereby designate it as
the LECTOTYPE with the following
labels: ‘‘pertextalis’’ in Lederer’s hand-
writing [oblong white label]; ‘‘Po
¨p./
852’’ handwritten [square white label];
‘‘LECTOTYPE, designated by, A. Solis,
2009’’ [white label].
Botis thesealis Zeller (1872: 514)
[part, not thesealis (Lederer 1863a:
373)] was described from two males
and one female from Texas (Boll) and
Massachusetts (Packard). I hereby des-
ignate as LECTOTYPE a male in the
BMNH with the following labels: ‘‘N.
Amer./Pack. 2/66’’ [square blue label];
‘‘Botys thesealis Z./ ?theseusalis W./
Pack. 65.’’ in Zeller’s handwriting [pink
square label]; ‘‘Zell. Coll., 1884’’
[small, white, oblong label]; ‘‘LECTO-
TYPE, designated by, A. Solis, 2009’’
[white label]. I hereby designate a male
specimen without an abdomen as the
PARALECTOTYPE with the following
labels: ‘‘Massachus./Pack. 2/66’’ [ob-
long, small green label]; ‘‘Zell. Coll.,
1884’’ [small, white, oblong label];
‘‘PARALECTOTYPE, designated by,
A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label].
Botis gentilis Grote (1873: 173) was
described from two specimens, a male
and a female, deposited in the BMNH. I
hereby designate as LECTOTYPE the
female with the following labels: ‘‘gen-
tilis Grote’’ in Grote’s handwriting
[oblong red-bordered label]; ‘‘2.’’
[square, small white label]; ‘‘7.’’
[square, small blue label]; ‘‘LECTO-
TYPE, designated by, A. Solis, 2009’’
[white label]. Two other specimens with
‘‘Botis gentilis’’ in Grote’s handwriting
[oblong blue-bordered label, one with
‘‘75’’ [small, square label] and another
with ‘‘N. Car.’’ [oblong label] were not
included as part of the type series.
Remark.—Specimens with the same
external morphology as the type species
are from the eastern United States west
to Texas and Illinois. No internal
differences were found with H. abdom-
inalis and H. thestealis listed below. For
the purpose of this paper, these two
species were not synonymized with H.
pertextalis. Specimens of H. pertextalis
have been reared from 15 species of
plants including red clover, raspberry,
burdock, Solidago sp. (Asteraceae),
Physalis sp. (Solanaceae), and Clethra
sp. (Clethraceae) based on specimens at
the USNM. Landry (1993) reared 12
adults from larvae collected on Pedicu-
laris canadensis L. (Orobanchaceae).
Although he identified the species as H.
pertextalis, the photo provided is that of
H. abdominalis. The author states that
there may be two species of Herpeto-
gramma due to differences in wing
pattern. These data from individually
collected larvae provide a hint that
reared siblings from the same female
may provide additional information to
support the synonymy of H. abdomi-
nalis and H. thestealis with H. pertex-
talis.
460 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

Herpetogramma abdominalis
(Zeller, 1872)
(Fig. 14)
Botis abdominalis Zeller (1872: 515)
was described from one specimen from
North America. The holotype deposited
in the BMNH has the following labels:
‘‘Botys abdominalis Z.’’ in Zeller’s
handwriting [pink square label]; ‘‘Zell.
Coll., 1884’’ [small, white, oblong
label]; no BMNH round red-bordered
type label.
Botis fissalis Grote (1882a: 273) was
described presumably from two females
from near Buffalo, New York, both of
which are deposited in the BMNH. I
hereby designate as LECTOTYPE a
female with the following labels: ‘‘Botis
fissalis Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s hand-
writing [oblong red-bordered label];
‘‘Botis fissalis,’’ in Grote’s handwriting
[oblong blue-bordered label]; ‘‘Type’’
[round red-bordered label]; ‘‘B.M. Py-
ralidae Genitalia slide No. 22297’’
[square label]; ‘‘LECTOTYPE, desig-
nated by, A. Solis, 2009’’ [white label].
The specimen is without a head. I
designate as a PARALECTOTYPE a
female with the following labels: ‘‘Botis
magistralis, Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s
handwriting [oblong red-bordered la-
bel]; ‘‘Evans Center, New York, June
1877, A.R. Grote, Coll.’’ [square white
label]. This specimen may have been
mislabeled by Grote because B. magis-
tralis was described from specimens
from Massachusetts, not New York, and
the specimen resembles H. abdomina-
lis, not H. thestealis. This species was
mistakenly listed as described in 1881
by Munroe (1983).
Remark.—Specimens with the same
external morphology as the type species
are found throughout the United States.
They have been reared from 19 species
plants including box elder, chrysanthe-
mum, honeysuckle, Erigeron sp. (As-
teraceae), basswood, violets, morning
glory, may apple, blackberry, Aruncus
sylvester (Rosaceae), raspberry, straw-
berry, Acer sp. (Aceraceae) and Clethra
sp. (Clethraceae) based on specimens at
the USNM.
Herpetogramma thestealis
(Walker, 1859)
(Fig. 15)
Botys thestealis Walker (1859: 733)
was described from a female holotype
deposited in the BMNH; it has been
dissected (BMNH 22296). It has the
following labels: ‘‘Type’’ [round green-
bordered label]; ‘‘41.BOTYS THE-
STEALIS’’ [clipped from Walker’s
text]; ‘‘B.M. Pyralidae Genitalia slide
No. 22296’’ [square label]; ‘‘BMNH(E)
#846367’’ [oblong label]. Type locality
was given as ‘‘—————?’’ in the
original description, and there are no
locality data on the specimen.
Botis magistralis Grote (1873: 173)
was described from an indeterminate
number of specimens from Massachu-
setts, but presumably two Grote speci-
mens deposited in the BMNH are
syntypes. I hereby designate as LEC-
TOTYPE a male with the following
labels: ‘‘Botis magistralis, Grote, Type’’
in Grote’s handwriting [oblong red-
bordered label]; ‘‘Botis magistralis’’,in
Grote’s handwriting [oblong blue-bor-
dered label]; ‘‘Type’’ [round red-bor-
dered label]; ‘‘B.M. Pyralidae Genitalia
slide No. 21202’’ [square label]; ‘‘LEC-
TOTYPE, designated by, A. Solis,
2009’’ [white label]. I designate as
PARALECTOTYPE a male with the
following labels: ‘‘Botis magistralis,
Grote, Type’’ in Grote’s handwriting
[oblong red-bordered label]. The abdo-
men and left forewing are missing from
the paralectotype.
Botis gulosalis Hulst (1886: 155) was
described from one male from New
York, USA and was listed by Rindge
(1955) in his work on the Hulst types at
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 461

the American Museum of Natural
History. I examined the holotype.
Remark.—Specimens with the same
external morphology as the type species
are from the eastern United States west
to Texas and Iowa. They have been
reared from Clethra sp. (Clethraceae),
Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray (Aquifo-
liaceae), Celastrus scandens L. (Celas-
traceae), and ginseng or Panax quin-
quefolius L. (Araliaceae) based on
specimens at the USNM.
Key to the Species of Herpetogramma
in North America
1. Forewing without bright white between
the orbicular and reniform spots . . . . . 2
– Forewing with bright white between the
orbicular and reniform spots . . ...... 6
2. Forewing without a darker marginal
shade ........................ 3
– Forewing with darker marginal shade 5
3. Ground forewing color light yellow (in
fresh specimens) to beige (in worn
specimens); wing length 15 mm or longer
(Fig. 6) ............ H. centrostrigalis
– Ground forewing color brown; wing
length 14 mm or shorter ........... 4
4. Pattern lines prominent, in contrast to
basal color; forewing greater than 10 mm
in length; postmedial line straight be-
tween M
2
and costa (Fig. 12) . ......
................... H. theseusalis
– Pattern lines not prominent, not strongly in
contrast to basal color; forewing 10 mm in
length or less; postmedial line between M
2
and costa curving basally near costa (Fig.
10–11).............. H. phaeopteralis
5. Abdomen with 2 dark brown spots
dorsolaterally on sternite 2; forewing
with marginal shade immediately adja-
cent to postmedial line (Figs. 4–5) . . . .
................... H. bipunctalis
– Abdomen without 2 dark brown spots on
sternite 2; forewing with marginal shade
not immediately adjacent to postmedial
line (Figs. 7–8) . . ...... H. fluctuosalis
6. Forewing with no white or only partially
white between reniform spot and post-
medial line; marginal shade immediately
adjacent to postmedial line and not
strongly zig-zag adjacent to postmedial
line (Figs. 1–3 . . . ........ H. aeglealis
– Forewing white between reniform spot
and postemedial line; marginal shade
strongly zig-zag adjacent to postmedial
line . ........................ 7
7. Forewing with high contrast between
dark brown or beige marginal shade and
basal areas (Fig. 15) . . . . . . H. thestealis
– Forewing with low contrast between light
brown or beige marginal shade and basal
areas. ........................ 8
8. Hind wing terminal line dark brown and
prominent; forewing basal line dark
brown and entire width prominent (Fig.
13).................. H. pertextalis
– Hind wing terminal line, if present, light
brown or beige, not prominent; forewing
basal line light brown or beige, not
prominent and/or incomplete (Fig.
14).............. H. abdominalis
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Mark Metz, SEL, USDA, for
dissecting and photographing type
specimens and locating literature. Mar-
ie Metz, formerly SEL, USDA, photo-
graphed most of the specimens for the
plate. Curators at all of the institutions
visited were very helpful, providing
easy access to the collections in their
care and often finding a place for me to
stay in their beautiful cities. I especially
thank Michael Shaffer, retired Pyraloi-
dea curator, who passed away soon
after I visited the BMNH in February
2009. Vernon A. Brou provided a long
series of many species including H.
centrostrigalis that is rare in collec-
tions. I greatly acknowledge the fol-
lowing reviewers for constructive com-
ments that improved this manuscript: E.
Metzler, Alamogordo, New Mexico; B.
Landry, Muse
´um d’histoire naturelle,
Switzerland; and D. Davis, Smithso-
nian Institution, Washington, D.C.; J.
Brown and N. Woodley, Systematic
Entomology Laboratory, Washington,
D.C.
462 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

L
ITERATURE
C
ITED
Allyson, S. 1984. Description of last-instar larvae
of 22 species of North American Spilomelini
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Pyraustinae) with a
key to species. Canadian Entomologist 116:
1301–1334.
Capps, H. W. 1964. Description of new Pachy-
zancla species reared on sweet potato in
southern United States (Lepidoptera: Pyraus-
tidae). Florida Entomologist 47: 13–15.
Fabricius, J. C. 1794. Entomologica systematica
emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordi-
nes, genera, species adiectis synonymis,
locia, observationibus, descriptionibus. C.
G. Proft et. C. F. Mohr. Hafniae et Kiliae.
349 pp.
Grote, A. R. 1873. XI. Kleiner Beitrag zur
Kenntnis einiger Nordamerikanischer Lepi-
doptera. Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of
Natural Sciences 1: 168–174.
———. 1875. IX. North American Pyralides.
Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural
Sciences 2: 229–232.
———. 1882a. North American moths, with a
preliminary catalogue of the species of
Hadena and Polia. Bulletin of the Geological
and Geographic Survey of the Territories
6(2): 257–277.
———. 1882b. New check list of North
American moths. New York Entomological
Club, New York. 73 pp.
Guene
´e, A. 1854. Species ge
´ne
´ral des Le
´pidop-
te
`res. Tome huitie
`me. Deltoı
¨des et Pyralites.
Librairie Encyclope
´dique Roret. 448 pp.
Horn, W., I. Kahle, G. Friese, and R. Gaedike.
1990. Collectiones entomologicae. Teil I–II.
Akademie der Landwirtschaftswissenschaf-
ten der Deutschen Demokratishchen Repub-
lik. 573 pp.
Hulst, G. D. 1886. Descriptions of new Pyralidae.
Transactions of the American Entomological
Society 13: 155.
ICZN (International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature). 1999. International Code of
Zoological Nomenclature, 4
th
edition. The
International Trust for Zoological Nomen-
clature, London. 306 pp.
Landry, B. 1993. La Pe
´diculaire du Canada
(Pedicularis canadensis L., Scrophularia-
ce
´es) comme plante-ho
ˆte de Le
´pidopte
`res
dans l’Outaouais. Fabreries 18(1): 1–10.
Rindge, F. H. 1955. The type material in the J. B.
Smith and G. D. Hulst collections of
Lepidoptera in the American Museum of
Natural History. Bulletin of the American
Museum of Natural History 106(2): 91–172.
Snellen, P. C. T. 1875. Opgave der Geometrina en
Pyralidina, in Nieuw Granada en op St.
Thomas en Jamaica verzameld door W.
Baron von Nolcken, met beschrijving en
afbeelding der nieuwe soorten. Tweede
Afdeeling: Pyralidina. Tijdschrift voor En-
tomologie 18: 187–264.
Stephens, J. F. 1834. Illustrations of British
Entomology. (Haustellata). Volume 4. Lon-
don. 436 pp.
Walker, F. 1858–1866. List of the specimens of
lepidopterous insects in the collection of the
British Museum. Parts 16, 17, 18, 19, 27, 31,
33, 34, 35. Edward Newman, London, 1–
253; 254–508; 509–798; 799–1036; 1–286;
1–706; 707–1120; 1121–1533; 1536–2040.
———. 1862. Characters of undescribed Lepi-
doptera in the collection of W. W. Saunders,
Esq. Transactions of the Entomological
Society of London 3(1): 7–128.
Warren, W. 1892. Descriptions of new genera and
species of Pyralidae contained in the British
Museum collection. Annals and Magazine of
Natural History, including Zoology, Botany
and Geology, London (ser. 6) 9: 429–442.
Zeller,F.C.1872.Beita
¨ge zur Kenntniss der
nordamerikanischen Nachtfalter, besonders
der Microlepidopteren. Verhandlungen
zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in
Wien. Band XXII. Tafel II–III: 447–566.
VOLUME 112, NUMBER 3 463