Massepha? litanalis Walker
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Pyraustinae
- Genus: Massepha
- Distribution: India (Meghalaya), Sabah, Sarawak.
- Habitat: Lowland including cultivated areas <420m.
- Wing Length: 6mm
Taxonomy
The holotype of Botys? litanalis Walker, 1859d: 706 is in the UM Oxford. TL Sarawak. The type #900 was collected by A.R. Wallace.
- syn. Endotricha? stenialis Warren 1891: 68. Syn. n. (Swinhoe 1906: 414).
- syn. Nymphula titanalis Hampson 1897: 144, misspell., syn. n. (Speidel & Mey 1999b: 138).
It resembles some dingy Elophila spp. or possibly Parthenodes [Paracymoriza] immanis Hampson which is probably why it was considered as an acentropine for many years. Speidel & Mey transferred it to the Spilomelinae. Comb. n. to Aetholix Lederer, 1863 (Speidel & Mey 1999b: 138). This arrangement is where it is treated in Globiz.
Yoshiyasu (1990: 151) considered the genitalic characters are Pyraustinae and that the genus was characterised by an upturned labial palpus, the short fore-tibia, the produced wing apex and the FW with vein R2 stalked with or very close to R3+4.
We provisionally treat it as Massepha Walker 1859: 488 but it may be a lathrotelid.
Description
A pale brown species, lightly marked with indistinct white markings. Note the pointed FW apex and the small white markings on the FW costa.
References
- Lederer, J., (1863) Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Pyralidinen. Wien. entomol. Monat. 7: 331-502, pl. 2-18.
- Warren, W. (1891) VI Descriptions of new genera and species of Pyralidae contained in the B.M. Coll. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (Ser. 6), (8) (43): 61-70.
- Swinhoe, C. (1906) LIX New and little known species of Heterocera from the East, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (Ser. 7) 18 (108): 403-416.
- Yoshiyasu, Y., (1990) Esakia (Special Issue) 1: 151-154. A new Massepha species from Japan. (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae).
- Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. (Ser. 4), 18: 509-798.
- Speidel, W & Mey, W. (1999b) Catalogue of the Oriental Acentropinae (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) Tijdsch. v. Ent., 142: 125-142.
- Hampson, G.F. (1897b) On the classification of two subfamilies of moths of the Family Pyralidae: The Hydrocampinae and Scopariinae. Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. :127-240.