Haemonides cronis subsp. vinciguerrai, 2017

Lamas, Gerardo, 2017, A review of the genus Haemonides Hübner, [1819] (Lepidoptera: Castniidae), Zootaxa 4320 (2), pp. 245-271 : 266-268

vinciguerrai Worthy, González & Lamas , ssp. nov .

(figs. 6, 33–34)

Type material. Holotype ♂; Boquerón del Padre Abad , Ucayali, Peru, 500–800m, September 2011 . Paratypes: 3♂♂, 8♀♀, same data as holotype except 2♂♂, 2♀♀ August 2011 ; 6♂♂, 2♀♀, Previsto, Aguaytía, Ucayali, Peru, 300–1000m, July 2012, except 2♂♂, 1♀ August 2012 and 2♂♂ September 2012, all in RW . 1♂, 1♀, same data as holotype except August 2011 ; 2♂♂, 3♀♀, Previsto, Aguaytía, Ucayali, Peru, 400–1000m, August 2012, except 1♂, 1♀ September 2010 and 1♀ August 2008, 1 ♂ , Cordillera del Divisor, Contamana , Ucayali, Peru, 200–500m, July 2006, all in MB . 1♂, same data as holotype except August 2010 in DC. The holotype, a male paratype and two female paratypes will be transferred from RW to BMNH.

Type locality. Boquerón del Padre Abad (09°12’S, 75°50’W, 500–1200m), Ucayali, Peru

Taxonomic status. A valid subspecies of H. cronis ( Cramer, 1775) .

Description. Forewing length: HT: 34mm; PT ♂♂: 31.5–35.5mm, ♀♀: 34.5– 43mm. As in nominotypical specimens (figs. 14–32), the forewing colour of vinciguerrai (figs. 33–34, 59–65) is a silvery-white, surrounded by black along the wing margins. The triangular white patch near the subapical region of the wing, on the costal margin, even though it is variable among all the specimens depending on the region where they are found, is smaller in vinciguerrai and just reaches vein M 1 in the female but not in males, whose spot is definitely small. Three to four “washed-out” white spots can be seen near the apex, as well as a submarginal spot band similarly coloured. These spots are darker in males. Both bands converge at M3 to continue as a submarginal band that ends at the tornus. These spots are creamy-white and larger in females. A larger, triangular silvery-white area is found in the basal-discal region along the inner margin.

In nominotypical specimens, the dorsal ground colour of the hindwing is a creamy yellowish white colour with the lateral margin outlined in black, or having black scales on the veins distad (figs 15–31). In certain specimens, most notably in females, a faint indication of an extradiscal spotband can be seen (figs. 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26–28, 30, 32). In vinciguerrai , there are clearly defined postmedial and lateral black bands that surround an extradiscal spot band with creamy yellowish white spots (figs. 33–34, 59–65). The hindwing colour pattern in vinciguerrai is similar to that of H. cronida pebana (fig. 35–37, 66–67), with which it can be confused. Study of the genitalia clearly shows that it is a subspecies of cronis and not of cronida (see below).

Male genitalia. Uncus fused into a single, blunt projection. In the studied specimen the uncus is also bent downwards. Gnathos sclerotised, excavate posteriad and with shortened ventral arm. Valva lobate, setose (setae not shown in drawing), slightly excavate ventrad near sacculus. Saccus acute, long. Penis sclerotised, recurved, tapered towards aedeagus. Aedeagus contorted, with subterminal portion enlarged. Aedeagus simple, and slightly smaller than those of males from Huánuco, Loreto and Ucayali. The aedeagus of each male studied from those three locations is bent in the subterminal region while that of the Boquerón male is straight. Vesica everted in dextral view (figs. 44, 63, 70).

Distribution. Currently known from Boquerón del Padre Abad and Previsto (09°03’S, 75°38’ W, 420–500m), Ucayali, Peru, (figs. 42, 69, 70). The type series also contains a male, clearly of this subspecies, from the Cordillera del Divisor, Contamana, 200–500m, also in Ucayali but further east; this could have been collected in the upper Río Contaya, at about 07°14'S, 74°40'W.

Discussion. Boquerón del Padre Abad (Boquerón) and Previsto are very close to each other (about 13km between them) and are located on the east-facing slopes of the Cordillera Azul, which separates Tingo María from Pucallpa. The road from Tingo María (670m) to Pucallpa (180m) crosses the Cordillera Azul at a pass called La Divisoria (09°13’S, 75°50’W, 1600m). The geographic area between La Divisoria (actually the divortium aquarum between the Huallaga and Ucayali river basins) and Boquerón is a sub-basin created by the Yuracyacu River, a tributary of the Aguaytía River which flows towards the Ucayali River. Boquerón abruptly cuts the east slopes (1200–1400m) of the Cordillera Azul which act as a barrier between the Amazon plains and the Yuracyacu river sub-basin (Reátegui, pers. comm.). This region is a hybridisation zone between populations from the upper Huallaga and upper Ucayali basins, but it seems to have a high level of endemism and there are several unique species and subspecies found here, especially among the Heliconiini and Morphini (Nymphalidae) (Büche, pers. comm; Lamas, pers. obs.).

Even though Castniidae are strong and fast flyers, they tend to be highly territorial and take mostly short flights ( Miller 1986; Vinciguerra et al. 2011; Bénéluz & Gallard 2012). Therefore, it is doubtful that specimens within the Boquerón population of H. cronis would cross La Divisoria which is located at more than 1600m and is surrounded by farms, as well as poor secondary forests, with probably no, or very few, potential host plants for the species. However, it is possible that they could cross north or south of La Divisoria pass, where there is less-disturbed, even pristine, forest cover; they probably also engage in hilltopping behavior (see urichi above).

The phenotype of H. cronis is remarkably consistent across its large range covering a good part of South America ( see cronis ; fig. 42), except for this Boquerón –Previsto population and to a lesser extent the Loreto, Peru, population ( see cronis above). All studied specimens from Boquerón and Previsto are clearly distinguishable from typical H. cronis (fig. 3–6, 16–32), although Previsto specimens don’t seem to be quite as dark as Boquerón ones. Haemonides cronis from Boquerón –Previsto (figs. 6, 33–34, 59–60, 61–65) looks much more similar to H. cronida pebana (figs. 7, 35–37) than it does to H. cronis from Huánuco (figs. 29–30), which is geographically close, on both fore- and hindwing in both male and female; the only clear phenotypic difference from H. c. pebana is that the hindwing submarginal bands are slightly narrower. However, dissection of the male genitalia (figs. 44, 63, 70) shows that it is close to cronis but not to cronida . Based on all the above information we treat the cronis population from Boquerón del Padre Abad and Previsto as a new subspecies.

Etymology. We dedicate this subspecies to our friend the late Roberto Vinciguerra (1967–2013), in recognition of his contributions to the study of Lepidoptera and most especially of Castniidae . The name is a masculine noun in the genitive case.