LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART WITH CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANNALEA BEARD, LIZA FOWLER, TIMM KARISCH, ROGER KEY & DAVID PRYCE START head without head with proboscis proboscis HEPIALIDAE recurved labial labial palps palps straight, sometimes (small moths) very short with metallic larger moths (> 25 mm*) bands ELACHISTIDAE very large (> 60 mm*) and strong moths with broad orange with short antenna Band on narrow SPHINGIDAE forewing cone mark COSMOPTERIGIDAE often with noctuidiform different pattern OECOPHORIDAE, CHOREUTIDAE NOCTUOIDEA (NOCTUIDAE, EREBIDAE) smaller and medium-sized moths (4-25 mm*) round mark kidney mark triangular shape in erected abdomen clubbed resting position, PYRA- in resting position antenna LIDAE, CRAMBIDAE YPONOMEUTIDAE LYCAENIDAE ARGYRESTHIIDAE NYMPHALIDAE long legs, resting different: T-like or hindwing PRAYDIDAE with 3 plumes PTEROPHORIDAE PLUTELLIDAE wings along body rough scaled in resting position head PHYCITINAE TINEIDAE TORTRICIDAE GEOMETRIDAE * wingspan LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 2 CRAMBIDAE – ARGYRESTHIIDAE CHOREUTIDAE Glaphyriinae Tebenna micalis dialecta Argyresthia curvella Hellula undalis Small Thistle Moth CRAMBIDAE – Apple Blossom Tineid Old World Webworm Not recently found! Crambinae Zovax whiteheadii ENDEMIC! Widespread Whitehead‘s Crambid Snouth Moth CRAMBIDAE – Scopariinae Helenoscoparia helenensis Helenoscoparia lucidalis Helenoscoparia nigritalis St Helena‘s Grey Shiny Grey The Dark Grey ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Widespread Peaks and High Peak only Medium & higher altitudes Dark grey median part of Head, palps, thorax dark, Whitish median part of forewing, forewing, grey band golden dot in median part of forewing white band Helenoscoparia Helenoscoparia scintillulalis transversalis Blue scintillant Grey Banded Grey ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Peaks only Medium & Blueish iridescent higher altitudes speckled, Whitish thorax, head transversal lines at and palps, costa white often with whitish transversal line LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 3 CRAMBIDAE – Spilomelinae Foto: Tonton Bernardo, Wikipedia Diaphania indica Herpetogramma licarsisalis Hydriris ornatalis Cucumber Moth Grass Webworm Ornate Hydriris Very common and widespread Cnaphalocrocis poeyalis Spoladea recurvalis Terastia subjectalis Lesser Rice Leafroller Beet Webworm Rugged Borer Moth Widespread Widespread, flying in the daytime Udea delineatalis Uresiphita Orange Perl gilvata ENDEMIC! Yellow-underwing Especially in Pearl medium & Everywhere higher around furze altitudes LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 4 GELECHIIDAE COSMOPTERIGIDAE ELACHISTIDAE Phthorimaea operculella Cosmopterix attenuatella Elachista trifasciata Potato Tuber Moth Yellow-band Cosmet Moth St Helena Elachistid Moth ENDEMIC! Peaks only GEOMETRIDAE Rhodometra sacraria GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE Vestal Glyphipterix semilunaris Vanished ENDEMIC! Especially Eastern and Scopula separata Central parts of the island St Helena Wave Half Moon Glyphipterid Moth ENDEMIC! Dryer areas GRACILLARIIDAE Phyllonorycter aurifascia Golden-banded Blotch Miner Moth ENDEMIC! LYCAENIDAE Vanished since 1875 Lampides boeticus Long-tailed Blue LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 5 NOCTUOIDEA – EREBIDAE Achaea catella Anomis flava Banded Achaea Orange Cotton Moth Cyligramma latona very large species Cream-striped Owl very large species Hypena helenae St Helena‘s Snout Hypocala rostrata Tendu Defoliator Moth ENDEMIC? Hypena obacerralis probably synonym with Hypena laceratalis Streaked Brown Snout Sphingomima chlorea Sundowner Moth very large species Ophiusa tirhaca Green Drab Moth very large species Pandesma robusta Robust Tabby LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 6 NOCTUOIDEA – EREBIDAE Schrankia costaestrigalis Simplicia extinctalis Pinion-streaked Snout Pale African Litter Moth small species,without typical small species, without typical noctuid-like pattern noctuid-like pattern NOCTUOIDEA – NOCTUIDAE without black stripes black stripes Agrotis segetum Agrotis ipsilon Turnip Moth Dark Sword-grass Common and widespread Aletia ptyonophora St Helena Wainscot ENDEMIC! Widespread Callopistria latreillei Latreille‘s Latin Only a few records Caradrina atriluna Condica pauperata Black-moon Rustic Meagre Ground Moth Only one record Quite rare LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 7 NOCTUOIDEA – NOCTUIDAE Cardepia subvelata St Helena Nutmeg ENDEMIC! Spodoptera littoralis Common in dryer areas Helicoverpa helenae African Cotton Leafworm Helenian Bollworm Common and widespread ENDEMIC! NOCTUOIDEA – NOCTUIDAE subfamily Plusiinae golden grey field dark, golden glimmer Chrysodeixis dalei Dale‘s Twin Spot golden-brown patch ENDEMIC! Especially middle and higher altitudes Chrysodeixis nr chalcites Ctenoplusia limbirena Golden Twin Spot Scar Bank Gem Especially in medium and higher altitudes Thysanoplusia orichalcea Trichoplusia ni Trichoplusia vittata Slender Burnished Brass The Ni Moth Streaked Plusia LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 8 NYMPHALIDAE ♂ ♀ Hypolimnas misippus Diadem golden Danaus chrysippus Vanessa cardui African Monarch Painted Lady OECOPHORIDAE Schiffermuelleria pictipennis Painted Goodliness Endrosis sarcitrella Hofmannophila ENDEMIC! Not seen since 1875 White-shouldered House Moth pseudospretella Brown House Moth Schiffermuelleria splendidula- could look similar according to description, but no specimens known so far. LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 9 PLUTELLIDAE PRAYDIDAE Plutella xylostella Prays citri Diamondback Moth Citrus Blossom Moth PTEROPHORIDAE golden Agdistis cambriana Agdistis marionae Agdistis sanctae-helenae Cambrian‘s Plume Marion‘s Plume St Helena Plume ENDEMIC! Jamestown ENDEMIC! Manati Bay and ENDEMIC! and Rupert‘s Valley Man and Horse Cliff Especially middle Cannot be distinguised from A. Cannot be distinguised from A. altitudes marionae by external features! cambriana by external features! Lantanophaga pusillidactyla Stenodacma wahlbergi Lantana Plume Wahlberg‘s Plume LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 10 PYRALIDAE - Phycitinae PYRALIDAE - Galleriinae Galleria mellonella Greater Wax Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum Etiella zinckenella Honeycomb Moth Cactus Moth Lima Bean Pod Borer golden SPHINGIDAE Homoeosoma privata Daisy Tree Snout Moth see page 15 Hypargyria metalliferella ENDEMIC! Middle and Silvered Knothorn higher altitudes PYRALIDAE - Pyralinae Aglossa caprealis Hypsopygia nostralis Pyralis farinalis Stored Grain Moth Southern Hayworm Moth Flour Moth LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 11 TINEIDAE I Opogona actaeon Opogona bicolor Monopis crocicapitella Actaeon Fungus Moth Zebra Fungus Moth Saffran-head Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! Peaks only ENDEMIC! ♂ ♀ tuft with dark scales golden Opogona flavofimbriata Opogona divisa Yellow-fringed Fungus Moth Bicoloured Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! Especially old ENDEMIC! Higher and middle altitudes Gumwood forests yellow pattern along dorsum Opogona flavotincta Opogona niveopicta Opogona recurva Yellowish Fungus Moth Emoji Fungus Moth Recurved Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Higher and ENDEMIC! Peaks only Old Gumwood forests middle altitudes LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 12 TINEIDAE II mottled forewing on violett-blackish uniformous ground coloured pale wing black spot in apex two yellow spots Opogona atlantica Opogona apicalis Opogona vilis Atlantic Fungus Moth Apical Dot Fungus Moth Common Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Common unicoloured brown comparatively broad wing golden forewing Opogona congenera Opogona compositarum Opogona pulverulenta False Common Fungus Moth Daisy-Tree Fungus Moth Powdery Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Scarce Very similar to O. vilis, perhaps conspecific medium-sized moth, brown forewing small species, grey forewing small species, grey forewing with black dots and patches with black bands isolated black spots Opogona fasciolata Opogona minutissima Opogona brunneomarmorata Striped Fungus Moth Minute Fungus Moth Brown-spotted Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! Widespread ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Peaks only LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 13 TINEIDAE III slightly larger than O. pulveripennis, black spots arranged in some black spots isolated and spread irre- large species with isolated small black dots black fasciae in median and gularly on the broader forewing on broad forewing marginal parts of narrow forewing Opogona pulveripennis Opogona piperata Opogona irrorata Dusty Winged Fungus Moth Peppered Fungus Moth Besprinkled Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! Middle and ENDEMIC! Quite common ENDEMIC! higher altitudes Only found in 1875 once golden golden form brown form Opogona anticella Opogona aureomarmorata Golden-brown Fungus Moth Gold-marbled Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Large species medium-sized moth, broad paler bands, forewing with tufts broad forewing with rounded costa like O. anticella, but considerably smaller of erected scales Opogona subaeneella Opogona binotatella Opogona scalaris Striped Fungus Moth Fruit Fungus Moth Minute Fungus Moth ENDEMIC! Middle and higher ENDEMIC! ENDEMIC! Rare Vanished since 1875 altitudes LEPIDOPTERA OF ST HELENA, ILLUSTRATED IDENTIFICATION CHART, p. 14 TINEIDAE IV smaller than O. helenae, brown veins large species, cream forewing with on forewing large species, brown forewing mottled with black brown marginal line, costa and basal