First hostplant and last instar of Hydropionea fenestralis Barnes & McDunnough, 1914 in the Perote Valley, Mexico (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

We identified Hydropionea fenestralis Barnes & McDunnough, 1914 feeding on seeds of fruits of Agave salmiana var. ferox (K. Koch) Gentry and A. salmiana subsp. salmiana (Asparagaceae), based on DNA barcode and adult-stage morphology. This is the first host plant record, the first record last instar, and also constitutes the first Lepidoptera seed borer associated with Agave species in Mexico. The Agave variety and subspecies are used for the production of traditional fermented beverages called pulque, the economic and cultural base of the region. The mean percentage of fruit damage ranges from 13.9±19.9% to 33.2±2% in A. salmiana var. ferox and A. salmiana subsp. salmiana, respectably. Molecular evidence confirms the distribution of H. fenestralis in central Mexico in the states of Veracruz and Puebla, expanding the known geographic range of the species. This record seems to be an unusual host plant for the current phylogenetic position of H. fenestralis within the Glaphyriinae subfamily, whose larvae feed preferably Brassicales plants.