Ategumia geographicalis Guenée, [1854]; PED 12

• 1

  Taxonomy

  
  

  The holotype of Samea geographicalis Guenée, 1854: 197 is from the East Indies [Java]. [Treated as Pyrausta in LepIndex]. Comb. n. to Ategumia Amsel, 1956, (Munroe 1989: 203.). TL Amboina. The type is in the NHM.
  
  Ms syn. Botys adipalis Lederer, 1863: 475, pl. 11, fig.16.
  
  is in the NHM. TL Amboina. Comb. n. to Ategumia Amsel (Munroe 1989: 203.) (= Botys abipalis [sic] Lederer, 1863: 376. Orig. misspel.);
  
  syn. Samea cuprinalis Moore, 1877: 615 (LepIndex) TL S. Andaman Is. (Port Blair) as a ssp.;
  
  ms. syn. Botys notatalis Walker [1866] 1865: 1437 (LepIndex) TL Myssol. Type in U.M. Oxford;
  
  syn. Bochoris nigromarginalis Caradja, 1925: 339. TL China as a ssp.;
  
  syn. Ategumia chosokeiialis Strand, 1922) [as ssp. nigromarginalis Caradja] (Wang & Spiedel, 2000: 254). TL Taiwan (Chosokei);
  
  Although listed as syn. in the LepIndex, Mimorista marginalis (Warren, 1896b: 114). Shaffer (1970, note on LepIndex card) considered this a good sp and we treat it as such in this work.
  
  Three sspp are recognised but others may be surmised.
  
  nominate ssp., geographicalis; India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaii.
  
  ssp. cuprinalis; Sri Lanka, India.
  
  ssp. nigromarginalis Caradja, 1925; China, Taiwan;
  
  A. geographicalis nigromarginalis morphotypes are larger than cuprinalis types. Specimens from the Indian area resemble ssp. nigromarginalis but most Malaysian specimens are closer to the ssp. cuprinalis type. Detailed systematic work needs to be carried out on this sp. and its genus. There is considerable variation over its range, which strongly suggests that it could well prove to be a species complex.
  
  The genus Ategumia [gen. n. for Syllepta (Amsel, 1956: 199)], TS Ategumia matutinalis Guenée, 1854, TL Cayenne] appears to consist of only three or four spp.: A matutinalis is from Brazil and Botys adipalis Lederer, 1863: 475 [= Samea geographicalis Guenée, 1854] is in Asia and is likely that the spp. are not congeneric and a new genus may be needed for the Old World spp. LepIndex suggests Bocchoris fatualis Lederer, 1863 is also an Ategumia (The holotype from Java is in the NHM). This sp. may also be a syn. of Samea geographicalis Guenée, 1854 and not syn. with Botys cancellalis Zeller as given in (Hepner & Inoue 1992) (Shaffer,1999 note on LepIndex card).
  
  Note it is probable that Samea Guenée, 1854 (TS S. ecclesialis Guenée, 1854 194, pl. 6, fig. 7) should only be applied to New World spp.

• 2

  Description

  
  

  Wing length : 12mm. A delicate yellow moth with brown wing margins and looped brown postmedian lines. FW and HW subcosta are fulvous. The orbicular and reniform stigmas are thin scaled and outlined with brown. See the similar Ategumia sp. 1. Botys euryphaea Meyrick and A. marginalis (Warren 1896).

• 3

  Distribution & Habitat

  
  

  Sri Lanka, India (Andaman Is.), Malaysia, Singapore, Sabah, Indonesia, (Java, Amboina, Mysol), China (S, Yunnan), Taiwan, Australia (Q), Hawaii. Primary & secondary forest; <1200m.

• 4

  Life History & Pest Status

  
  

  Unverified sources suggest the related Neotropical sp. A. matutinalis Guenée, 1854 was introduced to Hawaii around 1969 (although researchers thought they were introducing Samea ebulealis) to control Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) soapbush or 'Koster's Curse' a noxious weed originally from the American Neotropics, Later A. adipalis and Botys [Ategumia] fatualis Lederer, 1863 were also tried to control another introduced weed Melostoma malabathrium (Melastomataceae) (Indian Straits rhododendron (senduluk)).

• 5

  Similar spp.

  
  

  Bocchoris fatualis
  Botys euryphaea

• 6

  Unrelated Look-alike

  
  

  Mimorista marginalis

• 7

  References

  
  

  Guenée, A. (1854) Deltoïdes et pyralites. In Boisduval, J.A. & Guenée, A., Hist. nat. des Insectes (Spec. gén. Lépid.) Vol. 8, 448pp. + 10 pls., Librarie Encyclopédique de Roret: Paris.
  
  Caradja, A. (1925b) Euber Chinas Pyraliden, Tortriciden, Tineiden nebst kurze Betrachtungen, zu denen das Studium dieser Fauna Veranlassung gibt Acad. Romana Mem. Sect. Stiint. ser. iii, 3 (7): 257-383, figs.
  
  Moore, F. (1877b) The Lepidopterous Fauna of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Proc. zool. soc. Lond: 580-632, pls. 58-60.
  
  Lederer, J., (1863) Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Pyralidinen. Wien. entomol. Monat. 7: 243-280, 331-502, pl. 2-18.
  
  Munroe, E. G. (1989) Changes in classification and names of Hawaiian Pyraloidea since the publication of Insects of Hawaii, Volume 8, by. E. C. Zimmerman (1958) (Lepidoptera). Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, 29: 199-212.
  
  Walker ([1866 Jan 13]1865) List Spec Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. 34, (Suppl. 4): 1121-1533.
  
  Wang, HsiauYue. & Speidel, W (2000) Guide Book to Insects in Taiwan (19). Pyraloidea (Pyralidae, Crambidae). Shu Shin Books, Taipei, Taiwan: pp 295.
  
  Warren, W. (1896b) XVI New species of moths from the Khasia Hills, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, (18): 107-119.

• 8

  Genitalia

  
  

  no content available.

• 9

  DNA Barcode

  
  

  no content available.

• 10

  3D Imaging

  
  

  no content available.

• 11

  Spare

  
  

  no content available.

KEY TO TABS
(1) Taxonomy, (2) Description, (3) Distribution & Habitat, (4) Life History & Pest Status, (5) Similar spp., (6) Unrelated Look-alikes, (7) References, (8) Genitalia, (9) DNA Barcode, (10) 3D Imaging, (11) Spare