Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Galagete gnathodoxa
(Landry, 2002).
Biology. Moths were collected at light between sea level and 1300 m in January, March, April, May, June, July, and October. One specimen in the CDRS has a label mentioning “Pinzon, from tortoise scats, 10 .v.[19]81, G. Walker.” The tortoise in question can only be Geochelone nigra (Quoy and Gaimard) (= G. elephantopus (Harlan)) (Testudinidae)(Landry, 2002).
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Superfamily
Gelechioidea
Family
Autostichidae
Genus
Galagete
Species
gnathodoxa
Taxon category: Accepted
Holotype 2, Ecuador: “James [Santiago] Island, Galapagos, at light, sea level, 26.7.[19]24, St. George Exped[itio]n, C.L. Collenette.” (BMNH). The species was described from a single female specimen which was dissected (BMNH Slide No. 9074) but because the abdomen had been badly eaten by museum pests, there are few parts of the genitalia left (Landry, 2002).
Origin: Endemic
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Fernandina, Floreana, Isabela, Pinzón y Santiago (Meyrick, 1926; Landry, 2002).
- Landry, B. (2002) Galagete, a new genus of Autostichidae representing the first case of an extensive radiation of endemic Lepidoptera in the Galápagos Islands. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 109(4): 813-868.
- Meyrick, E. (1926) On Micro-Lepidoptera from the Galapagos Islands and Rapa. Transactions Royal Entomological Society of London 2: 269-278.
- Roque-Albelo, L. (2006) Diversity and ecology of the Lepidoptera in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador Cardiff University (United Kingdom)
- Roque-Albelo, L. Landry, B. (2016) CDF Checklist of Galapagos Butterflies and Moths Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador, 32 pp.
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This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Galagete gnathodoxa", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7192. Accessed 31 October 2026.