Artitropa erinnys comoranum Oberthür, 1916

Cock, Matthew J. W., Congdon, T. Colin E. & Collins, Steve C., 2015, Observations on the Biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 8. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Dracaena Feeders, Zootaxa 3985 (3), pp. 301-348 : 337-338

Artitropa erinnys comoranum Oberthür, 1916

This subspecies was described from Grande Comore (Njazidja, Comoros) ( Oberthür 1916), and also occurs on Anjouan (Nzwani, Comoros) ( Turlin 1995) and Mayotte (Overseas Department of France) (ABRI collection), and can be expected to occur on other islands of the Comoro archipelago where its food plants occur. ABRI collectors have reared this subspecies many times since 1978 from D. reflexa on Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mayotte.

We also show photographs of caterpillars and a pupa collected on D. reflexa , Grande Comore, mostly taken by Alain Gauthier ( Figure 34 ). The head of the final instar caterpillar collected by TCEC (Figure 34.2) is yellow brown, with the adfrontals and frons concolorous; just two relatively small black spots on the face on each epicranium, comparable to the form of the caterpillar A. e. ehlersi from Nguru Mountains (Figure 28.3–4). In contrast, one caterpillar photographed by Alain Gauthier, has three additional dark dashes dorsally on the adfrontals and frons, comparable to the caterpillar attributed to A. e. ehlersi from the Kenya Coast (Figure 28.1), while the other has more strongly developed markings on the adfrontals and frons, and lateral spots on the epicranium, comparable to the caterpillars of A. e. nyasae from Ruo Gorge (Figure 29.1–2). The newly formed pupa (Figure 34.5) has no markings.

We have examined images of just three caterpillars in preparing this account, and they show considerable variation, paralleling that found in different populations in mainland Africa. This highlights the need to understand the extent of individual variation in separate populations and subspecies before coming to firm conclusions about the differences observed in the early stages of A. erinnys .

Figures

FIGURE 34. Early stages of Artitropa erinnys comoranum, collected on Dracaena reflexa, Grande Comore, Comoro Islands; 1 – 4, final instar caterpillar; 5, pupa. 1, 3 – 5, Moroni, 3 – 9 Sep 2014 [© Alain Gauthier]; 2, 13 Apr 2004 [TCEC]. 1, dorsal / dorsolateral view in shelter; 35 mm; 2, detail of head, anterior view; 3, detail of head, anterodorsolateral view; 4, detail of head, anterodorsolateral view; 5, newly formed pupa, dorsolateral view.