Onespa nubis Steinhauser, 1974

Austin, George T. & Warren, Andrew D., 2009, New looks at and for Onespa, Buzyges, and Librita (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae), with new combinations and descriptions of a new genus and six new species, Insecta Mundi 2009 (89), pp. 1-55 : 3-6

Onespa nubis Steinhauser, 1974

( Fig. 1-6 , 63 , 75 , 87 )

Onespa nubis Steinhauser, 1974 . Type locality: EL SALVADOR: Hacienda Montecristo , Cerro Miramundo cloud forest, 2300 m (based upon holotype); holotype male ( Fig. 1-2 ) in collection of Allyn Museum of Entomology , now housed at MGCL .

Description. Male ( Fig. 1-4 ) - mean forewing length = 16.8 mm (15.4-17.7 mm, n=5; from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico); forewing with pointed apex, termen convex, no stigma or brand; hindwing convex, lobate at tornus; dorsal forewing dark brown; proximal 1/2 costa orange; sparse orange overscaling in base of discal cell and CuA 2 -2A; orange overscaling of flat and setiform scales in proximal 1/2 or more of anal cell; opaque yellow-orange macules as follows: subapical in mid-R 3 -R 4 (may be indistinct and reduced to a few orange scales) and near bases of R 4 -R 5 and R 5 -M 1, more or less quadrate, increasing in size caudad, all more or less aligned and perpendicular to costa; postmedial in M 3 -CuA 1, 1/4 distance from base, more or less quadrate; in CuA 1 -CuA 2, largest, also more or less quadrate, distad of origin of CuA 1, distal edge roughly aligned with proximal edge of macule in M 3 -CuA 1; in posterior CuA 2 -2A, more or less triangular; anterior part of CuA 2 -2A may have minute orange macule; macule in discal cell somewhat hourglassshaped, about 1/4 distance from distal end; fringe brown proximad, narrowly gray distad.

Dorsal hindwing dark brown; proximal 2/3 overscaled with long ochreous and brown setiform scales caudad of vein Sc+R

1

, extending nearly to termen along vein 2A; prominent opaque yellow-orange postme- dial macules in M 1 -M 3, M 3 -CuA 1, and CuA 1 -CuA 2, these more or less quadrate, separated by brown veins, that in M 1 -M 3 divided by thin line of brown, minute orange macule (may be only a few orange scales) in Rs-M 1, offset proximad from macule in M 1 -M 3; fringe brown proximad, gray distad.

Ventral forewing dark brown (nearly black), gray-brown in anal cell; costa, apex, and outer margin cephalad of vein CuA 1 overscaled with bright red-brown, entirely filling costal, subcostal, radial, and medial cells, distad of macule in M 3 -CuA 1, extending narrowly in marginal area to vein CuA 2; discal cell overscaled with bright red-brown distad; macules as on dorsum except macule in CuA 2 -2A well-developed, yellow, extending broadly across entire cell.

Ventral hindwing entirely overscaled with bright red-brown except sparser on both sides of vein 2A, and as vaguely paler postmedial macules and a small macule at distal end of discal cell.

Dorsal head black with red-brown setiform scales, ochreous behind and beneath eye; dorsal and lateral palpi quadrate, mixture of black and ochreous-orange setiform scales, pale ochreous on venter, black on inner surface, 3rd segment black with a few ochreous scales, barely extending beyond scales of 2nd segment; antennae 53% of costal length, shaft black on dorsum, checkered with ochreous on venter, this becoming broader distad, club 32% of length of shaft, dorsal club black, ventral club ochreous proximad, black distad, nudum red-brown becoming darker at tip, 11 (n=1), 12 (n=1), or 13 (n=2) segments; dorsal thorax ochreous with green iridescence caudad; ventral thorax red-brown with green iridescence, pectus ochreous; legs brown proximad, red-brown distad with long red-brown setiform scales especially proximad, protibia not spined, red-brown epiphysis extending distad to slightly overlap proximal portion of tarsus, mesotibia not spined, pair of spurs distad, outer about 1/2 length of inner, metatibia not spined, two pairs of spurs, outer about 1/2 length of inner; dorsal abdomen black, long olive setiform scales cephalad, scattered ochreous scales caudad; ventral abdomen ochreous.

Genitalia ( Fig. 63 , 75 ) - uncus short, hooked caudad in lateral view, entire and narrowing to weakly lobed caudal end in dorsal view; gnathos robust, well-separated from and slightly shorter than uncus in lateral view, divided with arms slender, widely apart cephalad and approaching caudad in ventral view, broader than uncus; tegumen thin in lateral view, moderately broad in dorsal view and flaring cephalad, ventral arm combining with dorsal arm of saccus, this combined structure broadest and bent ventrad of its middle; anterior arm of saccus long and thin, straight, nearly 1.5 times length of uncus and dorsal portion of tegumen, narrow in ventral view and tapering gradually to blunt cephalic end; valva simple, no differentiation between costa and ampulla, latter produced dorsally to small pointed triangular process near juncture with harpe, harpe tapering to bluntly pointed caudal end, sacculus narrow, ventral edge of valva prominently concave in middle; aedeagus straight, tubular, long, about 1.5 times length of valva, caudal end slightly expanded, blunt, no titillator; vesica with cornuti including an elongate flexible spinulose pad and two, large, heavily sclerotized, and sharply pointed spikes.

Female ( Fig. 5-6 ) - mean forewing length = 17.2 mm (16.2-18.6 mm, n=4, from Mexico and El Salvador); forewing with pointed apex, termen convex (more so than on male); hindwing convex (more so than on male), lobate at tornus; dorsal forewing dark brown; proximal 1/2 costa red-brown; sparse redbrown overscaling in base of discal cell and CuA 2 -2A; red-brown overscaling of flat and setiform scales in proximal 2/3 of anal cell; translucent white macules as follows: subapical in mid-R 3 -R 4 and near bases of R 4 -R 5 and R 5 -M 1, more or less quadrate, that in R 5 -M 1 largest, more or less aligned and perpendicular to costa; postmedial in M 3 -CuA, 1/3 distance from base, subquadrate; in CuA 1 -CuA 2, variable, more or less quadrate, largest, distad of origin of CuA 1, distal edge approximately aligned with center of macule in M 3 - CuA 1; macule in discal cell irregular in shape, about 1/4 distance from distal end; may be white submarginal dots in M 1 -M 2 and M 2 -M 3; opaque yellow postmedial macule in CuA 2 -2A, more or less overlapped by macule in CuA 1 -CuA 2, poorly developed cephalad (usually a dot), more or less triangular caudad; fringe brown proximad, narrowly gray distad.

Dorsal hindwing dark brown; proximal 2/3 overscaled with long ochreous and brown setiform scales caudad of vein Sc+R 1, extending nearly to termen along vein 2A, prominent opaque yellow-orange postmedial macules in Rs-M 1, M 1 -M 3, M 3 -CuA 1, and CuA 1 -CuA 2, these more or less quadrate, separated by brown veins, that in M 1 -M 3 divided by thin line of brown, that in Rs-M 1 offset proximad and variably developed; yellow-orange macule may be at end of discal cell; fringe brown.

Ventral forewing dull dark brown, paler gray-brown in anal cell; costa, apex, and outer margin cephalad of vein CuA 1 overscaled with bright red-brown, entirely filling costal, subcostal, radial, and medial cells, distad of macule in M

3

-CuA

1

and extending narrowly in marginal area to vein CuA

2

; discal cell overscaled with bright red-brown distad; macules as on dorsum except macule in CuA 2 -2A broad, completely across cell, yellow.

Ventral hindwing entirely overscaled with bright red-brown except sparser on both sides of vein 2A, and as pale yellow-orange postmedial macules extending cephalad to Sc+R 1 -Rs and a small, vague macule at distal end of discal cell.

Dorsal head black with mixture of black, white, and ochreous setiform scales, some with greenish iridescence, white spots just behind antennae, white behind eye becoming ochreous ventrad; palpi quadrate, dorsum with mixture of black and ochreous setiform scales, pale ochreous on sides and venter, black on inner surface, 3rd segment black, barely extending beyond scales of 2nd segment; antennae 51% of costal length, shaft black on dorsum, checkered broadly with whitish on venter, club 32% of length of shaft, dorsal club black, ventral club white and pale ochreous, nudum red-brown becoming darker at tip, 12 (n=2) or 13 (n=1) segments; dorsal thorax ochreous with green iridescence especially centrally; ventral thorax ochreous and pale blue; legs brown proximad, ochreous-brown distad with long ochreous and pale blue setiform scales especially proximad, protibia not spined, red-brown epiphysis, extending distad to overlap proximal portion of tarsus, mesotibia not spined, pair of spurs distad, outer about 1/2 length of inner, metatibia not spined, two pairs of spurs, outer about 1/2 length of inner; dorsal abdomen black, gray at segments, long olive setiform scales cephalad; ventral abdomen pale blue centrally becoming pale yellow caudad, whitish laterally.

Genitalia ( Fig. 87 ) - lamellae broad, caudal edge of lamella postvaginalis excavate centrally into relatively broad and shallow V-shape, lamella antevaginalis narrower than lamella postvaginalis, deeply excavate in V-shape centrally, ostium bursae about twice as broad as deep; ductus bursae long (2.7 mm including antrum), relatively straight (ventral and lateral views) antrum that is complexly sclerotized as a number of apparent longitudinal plates, ductus bursae cephalad expanded asymmetrically to the left, transversely wrinkled, largely membranous, but with some sclerotization especially as conspicuous left lateral pouch-like structure; corpus bursae elongate, nearly 2 times as long as broad, indistinctly wrinkled longitudinally.

Specimens examined. EL SALVADOR: Hda. Montecristo, Cerro Miramundo Cloud Forest , 2300m, 25 March 1972, leg. S. & L. Steinhauser (holotype male; MGCL) ; Hda. Montecristo, Co. Miramundo, Metapán , 2300m, cloud forest, 26 March 1972, leg. S. & L. Steinhauser (1 paratype male, X #3087; MGCL) ; samew locality and collector, 13 March 1971 (1 paratype female, M #2375; MGCL) ; Hda. Montecristo, Co. Miramundo, Metapán, 2400m, Trifino , cloud forest, oviposit on bamboo, 28 December 1971, leg. S. & L. Steinhauser (1 paratype female; MGCL) ; GUATEMALA: Purulha, July, Schaus and Barnes coll. (1 male, SRS #4803; MGCL) ; MEXICO: Chiapas; Volcan Huitepec, NE, B. Mesofilo, 2700m, 2 August 1987, leg. R. de la Maza E. (1 male; MAZA) ; Mpio. Angel Albino Corzo , El Triunfo, vic. campamento, 1900m, 22 March 2007, leg. A. D. Warren (1 male; ADWC) ; MEXICO: Oaxaca; Mo Coúo (Cerro Pelón), Mpio. Yolox , 2150m, 12 September 1961, leg. E. C. Welling (1 male, LDM #3650 ; MGCL), same locality and collector, 13 September 1961, (1 female, GTA #14056 ; MGCL) ; Mpio. Santiago Comaltepec , La Esperanza, 1750m, 17 September 1987, leg.? (1 female, ADW #97-115; ADWC) ; Sierra Juarez , 28 February 1992, leg.? (1 male; ADWC) .

Distribution and phenology. Onespa nubis is known from El Salvador and Guatemala to Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico ( Steinhauser 1974, this study) in montane cloud forest, at least from 1750 to 2700 m in elevation. Available records for February, March, July-September, and December suggest a flight period during the local dry season (roughly December through April), with a second flight during the humid months of August and September.

Biological notes. Steinhauser (1974) reported a species of Chusquea (Poaceae) as the larval foodplant for O. nubis in El Salvador. The species flies in association with that same genus in Chiapas, Mexico (ADW, pers. obs.). Males guard perches between one and three meters above the ground in small sunny clearings within otherwise dense forest, at least during midday.

Discussion. The foregoing description elaborates on that given in the original description ( Steinhauser 1974), where it was indicated that males of O. nubis , in dorsal view, initially resemble a large Paratrytone (now Poanes ) melane poa Evans, 1955. As was noted, however, genital (illustrated by Godman and Salvin 1879 -1901, Lindsey et al. 1931; reproduced by Burns 1992a) and other characters of that species are very different. Further consideration of O. nubis will be included in the discussion of the genus below.

Figures

Figure 1-18. Onespa (full data in text; ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface; scale bar = 10 mm). 1) O. nubis, holotype male, El Salvador, 25 March 1972, ds; 2) same, vs; 3) O. nubis, male, El Triunfo, Chiapas, Mexico, 22 March 2007, ds; 4) same, vs; 5) O. nubis, paratype female, El Salvador, 28 December 1971, ds; 6) same, vs; 7) O. gala, holotype male, Veracruz, Mexico, ds, reproduced from photograph at MGCL; 8) same, vs; 9) O. gala, male, Michoacán, Mexico, 22 July 1996, ds; 10) same, vs; 11) O. gala, female, Michoacán, Mexico, 27 July 1996, ds; 12) same, vs; 13) O. brockorum, holotype male, Sonora, Mexico, 24 July 1997, ds; 14) same, vs; 15) O. brockorum, paratype female, Sonora, Mexico, 22 July 1985, ds; 16) same, vs; 17) O. nakamura, holotype male, Costa Rica, 13 June 2005, ds; 18) same, vs.

Figure 63-66. Male genitalia of Onespa (full data in text; shown are lateral view of uncus, gnathos, tegumen, and saccus; dorsal view of uncus and tegumen; ventral view of gnathos uncus; internal view of right valva; ventral view of saccus; ventral, dorsal, right lateral and/or left lateral views of aedeagus; scale bar = 1 mm). 63) O. nubis, El Salvador (SRS #4803); 64) O. brockorum, Sonora, Mexico, paratype (SRS #1852); 65) O. gala, Michoacán, Mexico (GTA #14065); 66) O. nakamura, Costa Rica, holotype (GTA #14033).

Figure 75-86. Rigid cornuti of Onespa, Buzyges, Librita, and Neposa (full data in text; shown are lateral and dorsal views). 75) O. nubis, El Salvador (SRS #4803); 76) O. gala, Michoacán, Mexico (GTA #14065); 77) O. brockorum, Sonora, Mexico, paratype (SRS #1852); 78) O. nakamura, Costa Rica, holotype (GTA #14033); 79) B. idothea, Costa Rica (ADW #97-102); 80) B. rolla, Costa Rica (GTA #14055); 81) B. benito, Oaxaca, Mexico (SRS #4468); 82) B. mellanaformis, Costa Rica, paratype (GTA #14031); 83) L. librita, Veracruz, Mexico (GTA #14135); 84) N. heras, Guerrero, Mexico (ADW #97-112); 85) N. armandoi, Oaxaca, Mexico, holotype (GTA #14143); 86) N. isabelae, Guatemala, paratype (ADW #98-15).

Figure 87-89. Female genitalia of Onespa (shown are left lateral and ventral views; scale bar = 1 mm). 87) O. nubis, Oaxaca, Mexico (GTA #14056); 88) O. gala, Michoacán, Mexico (GTA #14067); 89) O. brockorum, Sinaloa, Mexico, paratype (SRS #4453).