Catharylla Zeller, 1863

Leger, Theo, Landry, Bernard, Nuss, Matthias & Mally, Richard, 2014, Systematics of the Neotropical genus Catharylla Zeller (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l., Crambinae), ZooKeys 375, pp. 15-73 : 21-23

Catharylla Zeller, 1863

Catharylla Zeller 1863: 50, Bleszynski and Collins 1962: 226, Landry 1993: 1088, Munroe 1995: 35, Nuss et al. 2013.

Type species.

Crambus tenellus Zeller, 1839, by subsequent designation by Schaus 1922: 131.

Diagnosis.

Catharylla species have snow white to creamy white wings and short labial palpi. They can be separated from other Argyriini by the presence on the forewing of median and subterminal thin transverse lines, slightly curved, convex on costal 1/3. The labial palpi are also shorter in comparison to those of Vaxi . The highly variable male genitalia do not show any synapomorphy or generic diagnostic character. In females, a possible synapomorphy is the strongly reduced anterior and posterior apophyses of abdominal segments VIII and IX, but this is shared with some Crambini and a few other Crambinae (see Landry 1995).

Redescription.

Head white, chaetosemata present. Antenna brown, covered with light ochreous to brown scales. Maxillary palpus light ochreous to brown, white tipped. Labial palpus 1.0-1.95 × width of head, curved upward; white basally, light ochreous to ochreous, white tipped, with some brown or dark brown. Thorax white, with ochreous to brown scales at collar. Foreleg coxa white to whitish brown, femur dorsally brown to dark brown, tibia and tarsomeres distally ringed with dark brown. Midleg white to light ochreous with tibia-femur joint ashen brown, with pair of spurs at apex of tibia, tarsomeres II–V dorsally brown to dark brown, with white tips. Hindleg white, with 2 pairs of spurs on tibia, tarsomeres as on midleg. Male frenulum simple, frenulum hook present; female frenulum with 3 or 4 acanthae. Forewing length: 7.5-15 mm in males; 9.5-22 mm in females. Wing venation (of Catharylla chelicerata ) (Fig. 9): R1 present and free, not connected to Sc; R2 free; R3 connected with R4 at 3/4; R5 stalked with R3+R4 at 1/4; M1 from upper corner of cell; cell opened between M1 and M2; M2 and M3 not stalked; CuA1 from lower corner of cell; CuA2 at distal 1/3 of cell; 1A+2A strong. Hindwing Sc+R1 connected to Rs at distal 1/3; M1 connected to Sc+R1 by short narrow vein; M3 connecting to M2 at distal 1/3, CuA1 connecting to M2 at half of length and CuA2 connecting at basal 2/5; 1A unforked; 2A unforked, strong; 3A present, unforked. Forewing (Figs 1-8) background snow white; pattern with costal margin ochreous to brown, sometimes faded; median and subterminal transverse lines thin, ochreous to brown, convex toward costa; outer margin ochreous, sometimes with dark brown spots between veins, or spots forming a continuous line; fringes white; verso light ochreous to ochreous; with marginal spots pronounced. Hindwing snow white to cream-colored; with hairs along 2A and root of M2; with small dark brown spots on outer margin, sometimes in continuous line; sometimes with postmedian transverse line; verso white with marginal spots pronounced.

Tympanal organs (Fig. 10): Transverse ridge regularly rounded. Tympanic pockets more or less extending beyond transverse ridge. Tympanic bridge present, straight, lightly sclerotized. Tympanic drum more or less ovoid.

Male genitalia (Figs 11-33): Uncus long, basally wide, straight or downcurved, bare or setose. Gnathos arms connecting at 1/4 to 1/2 from base, thin, slightly curved to hook shaped, with apex pointing upward. Tegumen arms enlarging toward uncus, connecting dorsally. Valva with cucculus long, densely setose on inner side, apically more or less rounded, slightly curved upward; costal arm present, variable in shape. Transtilla present only in Catharylla tenellus group, strongly developed. Juxta medially curved downward, narrowing toward rounded apex, slightly directed downward apically, basally triangular, sometimes with additional lobes at base or ventro-lateral projections. Vinculum of medium width; saccus short, rounded, directed anterad and slightly upward. Phallus straight or curved, usually more strongly sclerotized at apex; vesica without cornuti, with one cornutus, or with crest of cornuti.

Female genitalia (Figs 34-41): Papillae anales strongly setose, connecting dorsally and ventrally, usually slightly produced dorsally, with basal band of sclerotization. Poste rior apophyses 0.25-0.45 × length of papillae anales, straight, regularly thin. Tergite VIII narrow, with postero-dorsal line of setae. Anterior apophyses reduced, 0.01-0.1 × length of papillae anales. Sternite VIII about twice length of tergite, not connecting ventrally in tenellus species group. Sterigma present, strongly sclerotized except in tenellus species group, usually forming pockets of variable shape; reduced to sclerotized lamella antevaginalis in Catharylla bijuga . Ductus seminalis connecting posteriorly at base of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae long, at least 2 × length of corpus, wide, basally curved. Corpus bursae usually rounded, egg-shaped, often enlarging progressively from ductus bursae, usually with one signum, sometimes without; corpus and ductus bursae covered with minute spicules.

Distribution.

The genus is restricted to the Neotropical Region, from Costa Rica to Santa Catarina, Brazil, from sea level to 1300 m (Figs 43-46).

Biology.

The biology of the species remains unknown. In the Serra Bonita Reserve in march 2011, we observed Catharylla serrabonita in its environment, i.e. forested hills up to about 950 m in elevation, surrounded by cacao or coffee plantations in the lowlands. The moths were coming to light, usually very late (after 23:00).

Phylogenetic relationships and monophyly.

Presumably, given the reduced labial palpi and the forewing color and pattern, Catharylla has been placed in the Argyriini ( Munroe 1995). But our phylogenetic analyses do not support tribe Argyriini with Catharylla included, and the genus seems to be most closely related to Micrelephas .