Pteronymia simplex (Salvin, 1869)

Carvalho, Ana Paula S., Mota, Luísa L. & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2019, Intersexual ‘ Arms Race’ and the Evolution of the Sphragis in Pteronymia Butterflies, Insect Systematics and Diversity 3 (2019), No. 3, pp. 1-13 : 7

Pteronymia simplex (Salvin, 1869)

Figure 9

Females examined: 94. 39 with complete sphragides; 41 bearing incomplete or amorphous sphragides.

Description: Coloration—white to golden yellowish brown. Shape—bowl-like. Margin of the sphragis curled. Structure—mostly hollow. Scales—few, not ordered.

Comments: We found five females bearing two sphragides each (e.g., Fig. 16), but we could not locate the spermatophore of the second male outside of the body of any of these females, and they were likely broken.

Similar to P. alissa and P. picta , the level of sphragis completeness of P. simplex was highly variable. The shape of these incomplete sphragides was comparable to those that had complete sphragides, differing only in its smaller size or placement, which was entirely within the bowl-like sterigma. We also observed some structures that resembled a complete sphragis, but which were barely externalized beyond the margins of the bowl-like sterigma. It was occasionally difficult to determine whether the sphragis was complete, and this is due to the fact that the amount of sphragidal material produced by males in SB Pteronymia is extremely inconsistent.

Figures

Fig. 6–9. The sterigma and sphragis of P. ozia (6), P. picta (7), P. sao (8), and P. simplex (9). A: ventral, sphragis absent; B: ventral, sphragis present; C: lateral, sphragis present.