A New Subspecies of Sparagmia gigantalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Extract

Specimens recently received for identification from Dr. C. Bernard Lewis, Institute of Jamaica, Kingston, proved to belong to the widely distributed Neotropical species Sparagmia gigantalis Guenée, described from NouvelleFribourg, Brazil. These specimens agree with others from Jamaica in the collection of Mr. N. Shoumatoff, New Yorlr, in having the ground colour of a much brighter orange than in South American specimens, in having the transverse lines somewhat weaker, and in having the submarginal violaceaus patch of the fore wing relatively pale. These characters are not duplicated in the long series from various parts of Central and South America with which I have compared the Jamaican specimens, and I accordingly designate the latter as Sparagmia gigantalis shouwatoffi, new subspecies, with type material as follows: Holotype, male, “Monigue” [Moneague], St. Ann, Jamaica, July 19, 1933, A. Avinoff and N. Shoumatoff; allotype, female, Baron Hill, Trelawny, Jamaica, October, 1931, Lilly Perkins; one male paratype, Greenhills, Hardwar Gap, Jamaica, July 17, 1936, E. Paine; these specimens in the collection of N. Shoumatoff, deposited at the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh. AdditionaI paratypes as follows: in the Canadian National Collection, one male, Christiana, Jamaica, August, 1940, and one female, Jacks Hill, St. Andrew, Jamaica, Aug. 5, 1951, J. V. Neish, type No.6460, C.N.C.; in the Institute of Jamaica, one male, Jacks Hill, St. Andrew, Jamaica, Aug. 5, 1951, J. V. Neish, this specimen with most of the fore wing suffused with dark brown.