Taxonomic Information
Pyralis Linnaeus, 1758 species known from India and Sri Lanka:
Pyralis elongalis (Kollar & Redtenbacher, 1844). India: Himalaya, Uttarakhand (Mussoorie), Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala), Central India.
Pyralis fumipennis Butler, 1889. India: Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala), Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand.
Pyralis funebralis Warren, 1895. India: Meghalaya (Khasi Hills).
Pyralis janiusalis Walker, 1859. Sri Lanka.
Pyralis manihotalis Guenée, 1854 – Tropical Tabby; Tropical Meal Moth.India: Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh; Sri Lanka.
Pyralis monostoechalis Warren, 1891. India: Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala).
Pyralis oenalis Hampson, 1906. Sri Lanka.
Pyralis palesalis Walker, 1859. Sri Lanka.
Pyralis phycidalis Guenée, 1854. India: Central India.
Pyralis pictalis (Curtis, 1834). India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Nagas, West Bengal, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Chandigarh; Sri Lanka.
Pyralis platymitris Butler, 1883. India: Himachal Pradesh (Solan).
Pyralis prepialis Hampson, 1903. India: Sikkim.
Pyralis princeps Butler, 1889. India: Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala), Arunachal Pradesh.
Pyralis proximalis Walker, 1862. India.
Pyralis ravolalis Walker, 1859. Sri Lanka.
Pyralis rectisectalis Warren, 1896. India: Kerala (Peermade).
Pyralis regalis [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775. India: NW Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala); Nepal; Myanmar.
Pyralis subregalis (Snellen, 1895). India: NW Himalaya.
Pyralis subresectalis (Snellen, 1890). India: Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh.
Pyralis trifascialis Moore, 1877. India: Port Blair, S. Andamans.
Photo Gallery and Species Biology
Similar species:
Singh et al 2022, A catalogue of Indian Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) lists Pyralis regalis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 and Pyralis princeps Butler, 1889 as valid taxon, both found in NW Himalayas.
Pyralis cardinalis Kaila, Huemer, Mutanen, Tyllinen & Wikström, 2020 is a similar extralimital species of the Pyralis regalis complex.
Separating regalis and princeps.
Apex of forewing not elongate; area near apex of forewing dark purplish grey, not otherwise different from ground colour (Figs 3, 8–11): P. regalis. Fig. 8-11.
Apex of forewing elongate; area near apex of forewing orange-brown: P. princeps. Fig. 18.
Pyralis regalis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=286214
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/479797-Pyralis-regalis
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| Total | 1 | 1 |
- Pyralis princeps Butler, 1889, lllust. typical Specimens Lepid. Heterocera Colin Br. Mus. 7: 91, pl. 134, fig. 12. Text at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46936508#page/101/mode/1up. Plate at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46936568#page/161/mode/1up
- Pyralis regalis princeps Butler, 1889. MON Part 5, pg. 110, Pl. 143/3 as a subspecies of regalis.
- Wikstrom, B., Huemer, P., Mutanen, M., Tyllinen, J. and Kaila, L., 2020. Pyralis cardinalis, a charismatic new species related to P. regalis [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775, first recognized in Finland (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae). Nota lepidopterologica.
Page citation
Anonymous 2026. Pyralis princeps Butler, 1889 – . In Sondhi, S., R.P. Singh, G. Iyer, J. D'silva and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.1. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/pyralis-princeps, accessed 2026/01/09.