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1964
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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
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45
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NOTES ON FIVE MEGATHYMIDAE
by Don B. Stallings, J. R. Turner and Viola N. Stallings Caldwell, Kansas, U. S. A.
Megathymus streckeri (Skinner): In 1895 Skinner described this species as a member of the genus Aegiale. He stated "This fine species is described from two males in my own collection; one is from Texas and the other probably from Arizona (the exact locality not being known in either case), and a pair in the collection of Dr. Herman Strecker, . . ." Several years ago Cyril F. dos Passos furnished us with photographs of the type of this species which is now in the collection of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The photographs included the various labels on the specimen. One label has the following data: Arizona -Morrison -1883, which would indicate that the type specimen was collected by Morrison in 1883 in Arizona. Another label indicates the type number to be 7053. In his description Skinner states ". . . in the female the five spots on the wing are in two series, the two upper being nearer the exterior margin, and the three lower are nearer the base; in other words, they do not form a continuous line as in the male." The five spots that he is referring to are the lower five spots on the upper surface of the primaries, which we usually refer to as spots 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9. The photographs of the type, which is a male, do not show these five spots to form a "continuous line" but are in "two series" the same as he describes the female to be. No doubt the Texas specimen before Skinner was Megathymus texanus (Barnes & McDunnough). The two specimens in the Strecker collection were collected in Texas and Colorado. Again the reported Texas specimen must have been M. texanus, the Colorado specimen a subspecies of M. streckeri or an undescribed species, for we have never found typical M. streckeri in Colorado. The Colorado specimen could be a M. texanus, as it occurs in the eastern part of the state. Regardless of what appears to be some variance in the description of M. streckeri and the location where collected, it is evident that the type specimen does represent a good species and we accept it as such. We collected a series of specimens on 25 May 1949 in the Petrified Forest National Monument in Arizona which we consider to be M. streckeri, as the males appeared to be identical to the type, both as to size and maculation. The type measures 66 mm. from wing tip to wing tip. Our males were only slightly worn and the females very fresh. In view of the foregoing we designate Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona, as the type locality of M. streckeri. Females were observed
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46 Stallings et al.: More on megs Vol.18: no.l
depositing their big green eggs on medium-sized plants of Yucca angustissima Engelmann.
Agathymus evansi (Freeman): During the last part of August in 1956 we collected a series of the pupae of this species in Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains of Arizona. The pupae were all in Agave parryi var. huachucensis Baker. This plant is huge, compared to plants of typical Agave parryi. In the same area Agave palmeri Engelm. occurs. In this second plant we found larvae of Agathymus aryxna (Dyar). There was a third kind of Agave in the area that may have been another species, or a hybrid of the first two. In it were found some A. aryxna, but never A. evansi. The trap-door of A. aryxna is a dark brown to dull black, while the trap door of A. evansi is a bright shiny jet-black. Thus, while these two species resemble each other somewhat, they can easily be separated when collected as pupae and larvae by the food plant and the color of the trap-door.
Agathymus alliae (Stallings & Turner): In late August of 1961 we returned to the type locality to collect further specimens of this species. At the time we were there the larvae were just beginning to pupate. We discovered that we had been wrong in assuming that like A. aryxna and A. neumoegeni the larvae had a dormant period of from 30 to 60 days prior to pupating. Instead we found that the larvae continued to feed right up to the time of pupating, similar to A. mariae and its allied species.
Agathymus baueri (Stallings & Turner): The type series of this species was collected in 1950, 1952, and 1953. Most specimens were collected as larvae or pupae. In the original description we noted that the trap-doors of A. baueri were located so low on the leaf that the trap-door could not be seen due to the next leaf over-lapping the area. At the time the type series were collected all larvae and pupae were found in large plants. In August of 1961 we returned to the type locality to collect further specimens. We were amazed to discover that no larvae or pupae were to be found in the large plants. All specimens found were in medium-sized plants, and we were always able to see the trap-doors, though the trap-doors were still much lower on the leaf than are those of A. aryxna. Previously we had assumed that the females deposited their eggs only on the large plants. It now appears that they deposit them on all sizes of plants. Perhaps the difference in seasons or rainfall determines in what plants the larvae can survive. We have noted in the past that if the host plant has too much juice (probably controlled by rainfall), the new larvae will literally be washed out of their cavity by the flow of plant fluid. In the Chiricahua Mts. of Arizona in 1961 we noted the same change with A. aryxna. In 1950, 1952, and 1953 they
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