Neposa armandoi Austin and A. Warren, 2009

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 : 44-46

Neposa armandoi Austin and A. Warren , new species

( Fig. 57-60 , 72 , 85 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 57-60 ) - forewing length = 14.1, 14.8 mm (n=2); forewing weakly produced with pointed apex, termen slightly convex, conspicuous, broad, and dark brown bipartite stigma, oval in CuA 1 - CuA 2 along posterior edge of discal cell from proximad of origin of CuA 1, not reaching base of cell, but curving to vein CuA 2, divided by that vein from more or less triangular element in CuA 2 -2A, narrowing caudad and reaching 2A, anterior element margined cephalad and proximad and posterior element margined cephalad by shining modified black scales, lower brush patch black extending caudad onto vein 2A and into anterior portion of anal cell; hindwing convex, weakly lobate at tornus; dorsal forewing black marked with yellow-orange; moderately broad black outer margin, broadest at tornus where occupying distal 1/3 of anal cell; orange macules as follows: quadrate subapical in R 3 -R 4, R 4 -R 5, and R 5 -M 1, increasing in size caudad; small submarginal macules in M 1 -M 2 and M 2 -M 3; postmedial in M 3 -CuA 1, CuA 1 - CuA 2, CuA 2 -2A, and anal cell, latter continued proximad on anal margin by orange setiform scales; orange in costal cell and most of Sc-R 1, proximal 1/2 of discal cell, and (as overscaling) proximad of stigma in CuA 2 - 2A; fringe pale gray-brown cephalad, yellow-orange from mid-CuA

2

-2A to tornus.

Dorsal hindwing also black marked with yellow-orange; outer margin black, narrow cephalad and increasing in width caudad; costal and anal margins black; yellow-orange submarginal macules in Rs- M 1, M 1 -M 3, M 3 -CuA 1, CuA 1 -CuA 2, and anterior portion of CuA 2 -2A, that in M 1 -M 3 partially divided by single line of brown scales; oval yellow-orange macule in discal cell; base of wing overscaled with yellow-orange setiform scales in discal cell, CuA 1 - CuA 2 and CuA 2 -2A; dense orange setiform scales along vein 2A nearly to termen; fringe yellow-orange, slightly yellower at tornus.

Ventral forewing largely orange, yellow-orange as subapical macules (as on dorsum), apical area, and more or less quadrate postmedial macules in M 3 -CuA 1, CuA 1 -CuA 2, and CuA 2 -2A, the latter becoming yellow towards 2A; black in base of discal cell, very base of M 3 -CuA 1, on either side of postmedial macules in CuA 1 -CuA 2 and CuA 2 -2A, and entire anal cell; fringe orange-brown cephalad, yellow caudad of mid- CuA

2

-2A.

Ventral hindwing largely yellow-orange, appears mottled by vaguely paler yellow-orange patches (beneath submarginal macules of dorsum and elsewhere), submarginal markings accentuated distad and proximad by small darker red-brown macules, this color also in base of discal cell; mixed black and yellow-orange in posterior CuA 2 -2A and all of 2A-3A, anal cell mixed yellow-orange and red-brown; long orange setiform scales along proximal 2/3 of vein 3A; fringe dull orange-brown cephalad, yellow-orange caudad of CuA

2

.

Dorsal head olive, red-brown above, cream color behind and pale red-brown beneath eye; palpi quadrate, red-brown with a few black setiform scales on dorsum becoming pale yellow-orange mixed with a few black scales on sides and venter, 3rd segment black, stout, not exceeding scales of 2nd segment; antennae long (55% of costal length), black checked with yellow-orange, yellow broader on venter and distad, club relatively long (32% of length of shaft), orange and black, nudum pale red-brown, distal segment brown, 11 (n=2) segments; dorsal thorax black entirely covered with red-brown setiform scales, ventral thorax black overscaled with olive-orange setiform scales; pectus pale yellow-orange; legs brown proximad, orange distad, yellow-orange setiform scales on tibia and femur, protibia smooth, red-brown epiphysis small, reaching junction with tarsus, mesotibia spined, single pair of spurs, outer about 1/2 length of inner; metatibia spined, two pairs of spurs, outer about 1/2 length of inner, dorsal abdomen black, entirely overscaled with olive-orange setiform scales, caudal end olive-orange; ventral abdomen cream color.

Genitalia ( Fig. 72 , 85 ) - uncus short, not hooked caudad in lateral view, entire and narrowing to blunt and slightly lobate caudal end in dorsal view; gnathos shallowly separated from and about the length of uncus in lateral view, divided with arms slender, widely apart cephalad and approaching caudad in ventral view, broader than uncus caudad; tegumen narrow in lateral view, centrally expanded in dorsal view and flaring cephalad, ventral arm combining with dorsal arm of saccus, this combined structure bent well ventrad of its middle; anterior arm of saccus of long and thin, slightly curved dorsad, longer than length of uncus and dorsal portion of tegumen, moderately broad caudad in ventral view, narrowing gradually to blunt point cephalad; valva simple, no differentiation between costa and ampulla, latter produced dorso-caudad to small pointed triangular and slightly incurved process near juncture with harpe, harpe broadly curved caudad, caudal edge finely serrate before another small, pointed, and slightly curved inward triangular processs that is oriented nearly caudad, sacculus narrow, ventral edge of valva concave cephalad of middle; aedeagus straight, stout, about 1.1 times length of valva, caudal end slightly expanded and asymmetrically pointed, no titillator; vesica with cornuti including two heavily sclerotized structures, these broad cephalad (when extruded) and narrow abruptly to long, sharply pointed, and spike-like caudal ends.

Female – unknown.

Types. Holotype male with the following labels: white, printed - / MEXICO: OAXACA: / Mpio. San Mateo Río Hondo: / San Jose del Pacifico , / Hotel Puerta del Sol , ca. / 2400m, 23-IX-2007 / Omar Ávalos Hernández /; white, printed and handprinted - / Genetalic Vial / GTA – 14143 /; red, printed - / HOLOTYPE / Neposa armandoi / Austin & A. Warren /, deposited at MZFC . Paratype – MEXICO: Oaxaca ; Mpio. San Mateo Río Hondo, 1 km S San Jose del Pacifico, 2280-2400m, 25 October 2008, leg. A. D. Warren (1 male; ADWC) .

Type locality. MEXICO: Oaxaca ; Mpio. San Mateo Río Hondo, San Jose del Pacifico , Hotel Puerta del Sol , ca. 2400 m. This site is situated in montane coniferous forest along Hwy. 175. The small cabins at the hotel are popular with foreign tourists to the area .

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Armando Luis-Martínez of Mexico City, Mexico. Armando has been a leading researcher in efforts to document Mexico’s butterfly diversity for over two decades, and has been a friend and close colleague of the junior author for 15 years.

Distribution and phenology. To date, N. armandoi is known only from the vicinity of San Jose del Pacifico, in the Municipality of San Mateo Río Hondo, in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, along Hwy. 175, between 2280 and 2400 m. Both known specimens were collected during the local rainy season of September, 2007 and October, 2008.

Biological notes. The male N. armandoi taken by the junior author was perching in a small sunny opening, at the junction of two trails along a creek in montane coniferous forest, about one meter above ground level, at about 10:00 h. Various grasses are common in this habitat, although no Chusquea was observed.

Diagnosis and discussion. Neposa armandoi is nearly the size of N. heras , but appears more orange since the entire postmedial series of macules on the forewing is well-developed. Similarly, the ventral forewing has broader expanses of orange at the expense of black compared to that wing of N. heras . Male genitalia of the two species, although having a similar gestalt, exhibit several differences. On N. armandoi , the gnathos is nearly the length of the uncus whereas it is longer than the uncus on N. heras . The valva of N. armandoi is conspicuously longer and broader than on N. heras , and is curved (vs. angled).

Figures

Figure 37-60. Librita and Neposa (full data in text; ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface; scale bar = 10mm). 37) L. librita, male (holotype of Augiades hecale), Guerrero, Mexico, ds; 38) same, vs; 39) L. librita, male, Michoacán, Mexico, 27 July 1996, ds; 40) same, vs; 41) L. librita, female, Chiapas, Mexico, 19-23 October 1971, ds; 42) same, vs; 43) L. librita, female, Michoacán, Mexico, 23 July 1997, ds; 44) same, vs; 45) N. heras, holotype male, Guerrero, Mexico, ds; 46) same, vs; 47) N. heras, male, Oaxaca, Mexico, 19 October 2008, ds; 48) same, vs; 49) N. heras, female, Guerrero, Mexico, ds; 50) same, vs; 51) N. hestia, holotype female, Veracruz, Mexico, 8 April 1990, ds; 52) same, vs; 53) N. isabelae, holotype male, Guatemala, 22 October 1965, ds; 54) same, vs; 55) N. isabelae, paratype male, Guatemala, 4 December 1965, ds; 56) same, vs; 57) N. armandoi, holotype male, Oaxaca, Mexico, 23 September 2007, ds; 58) same, vs; 59) N. armandoi, paratype male, Oaxaca, Mexico, 25 October 2008, ds; 60) same, vs.

Figure 71-74. Male genitalia of Librita and Neposa (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). 71) L. librita, Chiapas, Mexico (SRS #3425); 72) N. armandoi, Oaxaca, Mexico, holotype (GTA #14143); 73) N. heras, Guerrero, Mexico (ADW #97-112); 74) N. isabelae, Guatemala, paratype (ADW #98-15).

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).