Hesperiidae of Rondonia, Brazil: A new genus and species of Pyrginae

2008·2.3 MB·English

by  George T Austin

:
36 Journalofthe Lepidopterists’ Society
JournaloftheLepidopterists’Society
62(1),2008.36-39
HESPERIIDAE OF RONDONIA, BRAZIL: A NEWGENUS AND SPECIES OF PYRGINAE
George T. Austin
McGuireCenterforLepidopteraand Biodiversity,FloridaMuseumofNatural History,
UniversityofFlorida, P.O. Box112710,Gainesville,Florida32611
ABSTRACT.Apyrgineskipperfrom Rondonia, Brazil,isdescribedfromtwomales. Thisspecies,withsecondarysexcharacters
includingashinyareaontheventralforewingoverlayingapronouncedhumponthehindwingcosta,isnamedSpeculumspeculum
gen. nov. andsp. nov. Its affinities, althoughnotyetcertain, maybewiththetribeErynnini.
Additional keywords: Ectomis,genitalia, Telemiades, Tosta tropicalrainforest.
,
Investigations ofbutterflies in Rondonia, Brazil, have broad,shininggrayspeculum coveringaboutbasal2/5fromanterior
indicatedthat the region has a megarich fauna ofthese edge ofdiscal cell to anal margin where extended distad about 1/2
insects (Brown 1984, 1996; Emmel & Austin 1990; wdiidsttha,ncseittuoatteodrnaubso;voevatolsbhrgohwtlnybbrealnodwlinowsepredciuslcaulmcealnldveaibn,oucten1t/e2rietds
Austin et a!., in press). The site, with typical lowland slightly distad ofmidpoint ofwingbase and origin ofCuA2; tuft of
tropicalrainforest (Emmel&Austin 1990, Emmeletal., darHkibnrdiswtilen-glik(eFisgcsa.le1s-2o)r:igCionasttianghifgrholmypmoosdtiefriioerdbbaasseado,fpbrraonddu.ced as
in press), has a distinctly seasonal climate with a hump far cephalad to cover forewing speculum, upper surface of
pronounced diy season from May through September. produced portion also shining gray; distal costa shghtly convex to
Within the faunaofthe region, there appear numerous sharply produced apex exceeding length of forewing anal margin;
termen slightly convex cephalad, slightly concave caudad to
newtaxa, especiallyamongthefamilyHesperiidae (e.g., inconspicuous, slightly produced, but broad tornal lobe; dorsum of
Austin 1993, 1995, 1996; Austin & Steinhauser 1996; cell2A-3Awith thickandmoderatelylonghair-likescales, this area
Austin & Mielke 1997, 2000; Austinetal. 1997). A new broadening with cell width distad, nearly reaching tornus; ventral
surfaceofthiscellasfunnel-liketrough.
genus and species of hesperiid in subfamily Pyrginae Palpi: Short, porrect, triangularin dorsalviewwithparallel third
was identifiedandis here described from thevicinityof segmentsprotrudingabouthalflengthofsecondsegments.Antennae
Cacaulandia. Forewinglengthwas measured from base Short,shghtlylessthan 1/2costallength,clubarcuatebeyondthickest
pointtoapiculus,apiculusrelativelylong,nudumlonganddifficultto
to apex. Terminology for structures of the genitalia countbutabout33-34segments.Legs: Short, mid-tibiasmoothwith
follows that used byAustin & Mielke (1997). singleouterspur,hindtibiawithshort,densehairtuftandtwopairsof
spurs,outeronesshorterthaninner.
Speculum Austin, new genus Genitalia (Fig. 3): LIncus relativelylong, narrow, curvedventrad,
narrowly divided; gnathos blunt ended, lightly sclerotized except
(Figs. 1-3) proximalend,entire;valvablade-like, harpelongwithfinelydentate
Type species: Speculum speculum Austin, 2008 dorsaledgeandseveraldentateridgescurvingoverontoinnersurface
Description. MALE. Forewing(Figs. 1-2): Narrowcostalfold from outersurfacecaudad. Aedeagus aboutlength ofvalva, shghtly
about 1/2lengdr ofcosta, interiorscales whitish; costaslightlybent dowmcurvedin middle, distalendwithventral keel, baseofaedeagus
caudadatdistalendoffoldandthenslightlyconvextopointedapex; shorFt,EMnoALcoEm.utUunsk.nown.
termen slightly convex; anal margin nearly straight distad, slightly
convex on basal half; discal cell about 2/3 costal length, produced Distribution. Speculum is known at present only
anteriorly;veinCuA0originatingmuchnearerCuA, thanwingbase, from the vicinity of Cacaulandia in central Rondonia,
vein Scendingon costafarshortofdistalendofdiscalcell,vein R
ending at costa opposite end of discal cell; ventral forewing with( Brazil.
Fig. I. Specidumspeculum holotype (dataintext): A. dorsalsurface, B.ventralsurface.
:
Volume 62, Number 1 37
Etymology. The genus is named after the shining genitaliaareveiydifferent from those of Speculum (see
grayareas on theventral forewing andbasalportions of figurein Evans 1953). The genitaliaofSpeculum while
,
the costa of the dorsal hindwing. Speculum is a neuter possessing elongate valvae as do many Erynnini, are
noun meaning "mirror" in Latin. symmetricalunlike mostotherswithinthetribe (Warren
Diagnosis and discussion. The affinities of this 2006).
new and apparently monotypic genus are equivocal. Other taxa with prominent specula include Ectomis
The bend inthe costaofthe forewing suggests that it is Mabille, 1878 (Eudaminae) represented by a single
of the tribe Erynnini Braes & Carpenter, 1932 as species Plesioneura ci/thna Hewitson, 1878. On this,
defined by Warren (2006). Within this tribe, Tosta the forewing has no costal fold, vein CuA, originates at
Evans, 1953, includes a species Tosta tosta Evans, the base ofthe forewing, vein Sc ends over the end of
(
1953) with an expanded costa on the hindwing and a the discal cell, there is a double hair tuft in front of the
speculum on the ventral forewing. Tosta a genus that speculum and no brand, and the antenna has a nudum
,
was suggested as paraphyletic (Warren 2006), differs in of 25 segments (Evans 1953). The male genitalia of
several respects from Speculum. The seven speciesnow Ectomis have a relatively broad uncus with lateral
included in Tosta (Mielke 2005) have averyshort diseal processes, the end of the gnathos is pointed, and the
cell on the forewing (as nearly universal among dorsal ridge ofthe harpe is not dentate.
Erynnini, Warren 2006), a shorter nudum (21-24 Papilio corbulo Stoll 1783, another eudamine and
segments), a broad and often divided uncus, and veiy once included in a monotypic genus Pardalus Mabille,
differentvalvae. Tostatosta itself(afterEvans 1953) has 1903, has now been subsumed within Telemiades
nocostal fold, has abrandatthe base ofthe costaofthe Hiibner, 1819 (Burns & Janzen 2005). That species has
dorsalhindwing, has nobrandwithinthe speculum, and a costal fold similar to Speculum vein CuA„ arising
,
has a hind tibial tuft entering a thoracic pouch. Its about 1/2 the distance from the wing base and CuA
and a speculum with a brand on the ventral forewing.
The speculum on Telemiades corbulo however, is
,
broader, extending2/3 the distance to the termen, does
not extend into the discal cell or above vein CuA„, and
the pale yellowish brand lies above vein 2A. The costa
of the hindwing is somewhat produced, but not nearly
as grotesquelyas on Speculum. Additionally, the dorsal
hindwing has a large thick hair tuft arising from above
the base ofthe discal cell. The nudum ofthe antenna
has 24-27 segments. The male genitalia are veiy
different from those of Speculum with a broad and
undivideduncus, twopairs oflateral processes from the
tegumen, and a very different harpe. Further, T.
corbulo like other Telemiades have eornuti (e.g., Burns
, ,
& fanzen 2005) that Speculum lacks.
Speculum speculum Austin new species
(Figs. 1-3)
Description. MALE. Wings: Forewing length = 21.3 mm
mm
(holotype), 20.1 (paratype); wing shape and other structural
characters given above in description ofgenus; dorsal surface dark
brownish black; basal halfofforewing, basalthirdofhindwing, and
vague postmedial bands on both wings darker, nearly black;
M
postmedialofforewingoffsetdistadcephaladofvein rpalerareas
ofwingwithslightreddishsheeninsidelight;fringesofgroundcolor.
Venter similar to dorsum; forewing with postmedial band
indiscernable;anal margin graydistadofspeculum; grayoverscaling
anteriortothisandonhindwing.
Head,thoraxandabdomen Headandbodydarkbrown;headwith
vague olive-gray scales above palpi; palpi gray-brown on venter;
antennae dark brown on dorsum, venter (including nudum) paler
Fig. 2. Speculum speculum —wing venation and secondary gray-brown;legsbrown;ventralabdomenwhitish-brownwithpairof
sexualcharacters (ventral surface). faintbrownventro-laterallines.
Genitalia-. Describedaboveingenericdescription.
38 Journalofthe Lepidopterists’ Society
Fig. 3. Speculumspeculum —genitalia (lateralviewoftegumen, saccus, and associatedstructures; internallateralviewofvalva;
ventralviewofuncusandgnathos; lateralventral, anddorsalviewsofaedeagus)
Volume 62, Number 1 39
FEMALE. Unknown. speciesofNarcosiusSteinhauser. [. Lepid. Soc.50:53-59.
Holotype. Male with the following labels: white, printed - / J.P. Brock&O.H.H. Mielke. 1993. Ants, birds, andskip-
BRASIL: Rondonia/ca70km S/Ariquemes/B-80between/Iineas pers. Trop. Lepid.4(suppl.2):1—11.
C-10 & 15/ 1 December 1991 /leg. G. T. Austin / (paper lures) /; .,T.C. Emmel&O.H.H. Mielke. Inpress. Thetropicalrain-
white,printedandhandprinted-/GenitaliaVial/GTA- 1676/;white, forest butterfly fauna ofRondonia, Brazil, species composition
printed andhandprinted-/GenitaliaVial/SRS -4383/File No./; andrichness. Mem. McGuireCenterLepid. Biodiv. 1.
red,printedandhandprinted-/HOLOTYPE/Speculumspeculumt & O.II.H. Mielke. 1997. HesperiidaeofRondonia, Brazil:
Austin /. The holotype will be deposited at the Departamento de Aguna (Pyrginae),withapartialrevisionanddescriptionsofnew
Zoologia,UniversidadeFederaldoParana,Curitiba, Brazil. taxa from Mexico, Panama, and Brazil. Revta bras. Zool.
Paratype. BRAZIL:Rondonia;65kmSAriquemes,LinhaC-20,7 14:889-965.
kmEofB-65,FazendaRanchoGrande, 10Nov. 1994,atpaperlures, & O.H.H. Mielke. 2000. HesperiidaeofRondonia, Brazil:
.
1330-1400 [local time] (1 male, GTA-7522). The paratype is at the Cephise Evans(Pyrginae),withdescriptionsofnewspeciesfrom
McGuireCenterforLepidopteraand Biodiversity. MexicoandBrazil. Revtabras.Zool. 17:757-788.
Type locality. BRAZIL: Rondonia;about70kilometerssouth of &S.R. Steinhauser. 1996. HesperiidaeofcentralRondonia
.
Ariquemes, road B-80betweenlinhasC-10andC-15,ca. 200meters Brazil: Celaenorrhinus Hiibner (Pyrginae), with descriptions of
elevation. Thisisapproximately 15kmeastofCacaulandiaintypical three new species and taxonomic comments. Insecta Mundi
lowlandtropicalrainforest. 10:25^14.
Etymology. The species is named as was its genus ., O.H.H. Mielke&S.R. Steinhauser. 1997. Hesperiidaeof
central Rondonia Brazil: Entlieus Hiibner, with descriptions of
(see above). fournewspecies(Lepidoptera:Pyrginae). Trop. Lepid.8:5-18.
Distribution and phenology. Speculum speculum Brown, K.S. [r. 1984. Species diversity and abundance in Jaru,
is known only from its types taken in November and Rondonia(Brazil). NewsLepid. Soc. i984(3):45-47.
1996. Diversity of Brazilian Lepidoptera: history ofstudy,
December. .
methodsformeasurement,anduseasindicatorforgenetic, spe-
Diagnosis and discussion. Both known specimens cificandsystem richness. Pp. 221-253. In C. E. M. Bicudoand
ofSpeculum were caught at paper lures indicating that N. A. Menezes (eds.). Biodiversity in Brazil: A First Approach.
ProceedingsWorkshop MethodsfortheAssessmentofBiodiver-
the species is part of the guild that feeds on bird sity in Plants and Animals. Sao Paulo: Instituto de
droppings and suggests it will be found associatedwith Botanica/CNPq.
army ants (Austin et al. 1993, Vieira 2004). As noted Burns, J.M. 1964. Evolution in skipper butterflies of the genus
Erynnis. Univ.Calif.Publ. Ent.37:1-214.
above. Speculum appears to be allied to species within & DTI. Janzen. 2005. What’sin aname?Lepidoptera: Hes-
.
the tribe Erynnini of Pyrginae. Besides this tentative periidae: Pyrginae: Telemiades Hiibner 1819 [Pyrdalus Mabille
placement, little further speculation is possible at this 1903]:newcombinations Telemiadescorbulo (Stoll)andTelemi-
time. The examination of a female could go far in a1d0e7s:77o0ic-l7u8s1.(Mabille) - and more. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash.
elaboratingits relationships. Females ofmost Erynnini de Jong, R. 1975. An abdominal scent organ in some female
haveaglandattheseventh tergum (e.g.. Burns 1964, de Pyrginae. Ent. Ber.35:166-169.
Emmel,T.C. &G.T. Austin. 1990. Thetropicalrainforestbutterfly
Jong 1975) that appears to be a synapomorphy (Warren
fauna of Rondonia, Brazil: species diversity and conservation.
2006). Trop. Lepid. 1:1-12.
.,G.T.Austin&II.H.Schmitz Inpress. Thetropicalrainfor-
Acknowledgements estbutterflyfaunaofRondonia, Brazil: currentstatusofinvesti-
gationsandconservation. Mem. McGuireCenterLepid. Biodiv.
O HI tHh.anMkieVl.kBeeacnkderS.fRo.rSmtaekiinhnagusseturd(ieSsRSi)nfBorrazsihlarpionsgsidbalteaaanndd Evans1.,W.H 1953. AcatalogueoftheAmerican Hesperiidae inthe
ckJi.noMou.wsllByeudrmgeseviwaeinwtdehdamnteh.aenmLoa.nnDyu.msoacurnsidprJt.eYva.inMediwlemlraerdareaenhtdehlAap.nfDku.eldWsufagorgrresesutngigogenrssa.-- 2BPr4yir6tgpiipsn.haeM.uSseectuimon(2N.atLuornadlonH:isBtroirtyi)s.hPMaursteIuIIm((NgartouurpaslEH,istFo,ryG)).
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tliongerdarpahweidngtsh.etTyhpee.fCo.llEolwiianzgarsuipspalcikendofwileleddagsesdisftoarncsec:anR.nianngdthA.e rHietsibpae:rSioicd.aeBr(aLse.pZiodoolp.terpap)..41V3o-l77u1m.e3, Pyrginae2: Pyrgini. Cu-
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tinuouslyprovidedencouragementandsupport sinceinception Ecitonburchelli (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Eeitoninae). Tese
ofinvestigations in Rondonia. The Schmitzfamilyat Fazenda (Doutorado), Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo,
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ing comfortable accommodations. The Conselho Nacional de Warren,A.D. 2006. Thehigherclassification ofHesperiidae(Lepi-
DesenvolvimentoCientificoeTecnologicoissuedtheauthoriza- doptera: Hesperioidea). PhD Dissertation, Oregon State Univ.,
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andtheUniversidade FederaldoParana.
Receivedfor publication 20June 2007 revised and accepted 4
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,
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