Abstract
A single specimen of the butterfly, Doleshallia tonganaHopkins 1927, was collected on Guam Island on October 23, 2017 (13.430478°N, 144.800419°E). This is a new species record for Guam and Micronesia, indicating a geographical range expansion for D. tongana.
Highlights
On October 23, 2017, a butterfly was taken from the underside of a leaf of soursop, Annona muricata, by a student (JM) assembling an insect collection as a requirement for the General Entomology course at the University of Guam
On 7 November 2017, DB tentatively identified the specimen as a species in the genus Doleschallia, and indicated it possibly belonging to the bisaltide complex
On 24 February, 2018 JT determined the butterfly as Doleschallia tongana Hopkins, 1927, based on images and comparison with the extensive collections of the Natural History Museum, London
Summary
On October 23, 2017, a butterfly was taken from the underside of a leaf of soursop, Annona muricata, by a student (JM) assembling an insect collection as a requirement for the General Entomology course at the University of Guam. On 24 February, 2018 JT determined the butterfly as Doleschallia tongana Hopkins, 1927, based on images and comparison with the extensive collections of the Natural History Museum, London. In common with other species in the “bisaltide species-group, D. tongana is individually variable This specimen does not match any of the descriptions in Butterflies of Micronesia[2], the standard reference for Guam’s butterflies. Occurrence of D. tongana in Samoa is a relatively recently recorded range expansion. It was first detected on Tutuila Island in American Samoa in 19976. The most prominent features of the caterpillar are the black ground color with metallic blue spots, and the pair of light parallel stripes running longitudinally on each side.“.
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