Terastia meticulosalis Guenée (: Pyralidae) in Louisiana by Vernon Antoine Brou Jr., 74320 Jack Loyd Road, Abita Springs, Louisiana 70420 USA email: [email protected]

Adults of the large pyralid moth Terastia meticulosalis Guenée (Fig. 1.) have been captured quite uncommonly over 39 years of light trapping in Louisiana. Adults were taken during the months mid-May through early November (Fig. 2). The parish records for a b captured adults are provided in

Fig. 1. Terastia meticulosalis: a. male, b. female. 3 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2

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0 number of adults Fig. 2. Adult Terastia meticulosalis captured in Louisiana. n = 36 Fig. 3., though it is probable that meticulosalis will be found to be more abundant at locations where the foodplant is more plentiful. Heppner (2003) lists the range of meticulosalis in the southern United States from Florida to Arizona, and also West Indies and Mexico to Argentina, with dates in all months in Florida. The reported foodplants are species of , a large tropical of over 100 species and are members of the Legume family. Erythrina herbacea L., one of the specific foodplant species documented in literature, occurs two to five feet in height as a showy erect plant commonly called Coral Bean with distinctive flame-like bright red elongated flower clusters T. meticulosalis was not addressed by Covell (1984). Literature cited Covell, Jr., C.V. 1984. A field guide to moths eastern North America. The Peterson Field Guide Series No. 30. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. xv + 496pp., 64 plates. Fig. 3. Parish records for Heppner, J.B. 2003. of Florida and neighboring land areas, vol. 17: Terastia meticulosalis. Lepidoptera of Florida, Div. Plant Industry, Fla. Dept. Agr. & Consum. Serv., Gainesville. x + 670 pp., 55 plates. 0 1-Jan 0 0 n = 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Feb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Apr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-May 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1-Jun 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Jul 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 1-Aug 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Sep 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 Oct. 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 1-Nov 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1-Dec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0