Artitropa, Holland, 1896

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 : 341-342

Artitropa sp. SCC04

In Nov 2006, SCC found distinctive caterpillars of an unknown species of Artitropa at Anjozorobe, about 100km north of Antananarivo, central Madagascar. Caterpillars were not successfully reared but they are completely distinct from any other species of Artitropa sp. that we have seen. They may represent A. alaotrana , A. hollandi or an undescribed species. However, even though this may prove to be a known species, to minimise confusion with undescribed taxa treated in this paper, it is referred to here as Artitropa sp. SCC04.

The food plant was a narrow-leaved Dracaena sp. also used by other relatively small Artitropa spp. species in Madagascar. The final instar caterpillar ( Figure 37 ) has the head yellow brown with small dark spots at the top of the adfrontals, on the epicranium just below the apex, laterally and over the stemmata; the anal plate is darker than the body, with a white margin. Pupae were not obtained.

Figures

FIGURE 37. Final instar caterpillar of unknown Artitropa sp. SCC04 collected on Dracaena sp., Anjozorobe, central Madagascar [SCC]. 1, detail of head, anterior view, 21 Nov 2006; 2, dorsolateral view, 11 Dec 2006; 3, dorsal view, 11 Dec 2006.