Mirocastnia pyrrhopygoides, (Houlbert, 1917)

González, Jorge M., Thöny, Hubert & Worthy, Robert, 2024, A review of the genus Mirocastnia J. Y. Miller, 1980 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with records of recently collected specimens, Zootaxa 5418 (3), pp. 240-254 : 249

pyrrhopygoides ( Houlbert, 1917)

“ Castnia Pyrrhopygoides ♁, sp. nov. ” Houlbert, 1917: Études de Lépidoptérologie comparée 13: 72. ( Fig. 2 ).

Type material: Described from three male syntypes collected by Marc Hüe de Mathan (1843–1917) in 1891. At the time of description, the specimens were in the collection of Charles Oberthür (1845–1924), they are now in NHMUK. Miller (1980) designated one of these syntypes as lectotype ( Fig. 2E ), the other two become paralectotypes.

Type locality: Zaruma, Ecuador. Zaruma is a town in El Oro province, the co-ordinates are 03°41′S, 79°36′W, elevation 1,200m .

Taxonomic status: A valid species. Originally described in the genus Castnia Fabricius, 1807 , as were nearly all Castniinae at the time, Houlbert (1918) then listed it in Athis Hübner, [1819] . Miller (1980) transferred it to her new genus Mirocastnia , a combination subsequently followed by Miller (1995) and Lamas (1995).

Male genitalia: (Fig, 7D, E) The male genitalia are very similar to the other subspecies, and like them look miniaturised when compared with most Castniidae . Saccus is reduced. Valvae elongate along costa with a noticeable cleft along sacculus. Juxta is sclerotised. Aedeagus moderately curved, slightly recurved and sclerotised.

Distribution: This subspecies is known from central Colombia to southern Ecuador and northern Peru. We know of records from Risaralda and Valle del Cauca departments in Colombia, and Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, El Oro, Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe in Ecuador, and Amazonas province in Peru ( Fig. 5 ).

Discussion: This appears to be a rare subspecies, known only from a handful of specimens. When Miller (1980) described the genus only the types were known to her, since then only a few more specimens have been found. In recent years a reasonable number of dealers’ specimens marketed as M. pyrrhopygoides have been available from Huánuco in Peru, but these are referable to ssp. canis .

One noticeable feature of many males of this subspecies is that there is an overscaling of dark scales on the forewing which makes the transverse semi-hyaline band seem less evident.

The species was so named because of its resemblance to species in the Hesperiidae subfamily Pyrrhopyginae .

Material examined: 20 males and 4 females were examined for this study: COLOMBIA: 1♀ Risaralda, Santa Cecilia-Tapartó, 1000 m, XI-1982, J. Salazar leg. ( JS); 1♁, 1♀ Cerro San Antonio, Valle [del Cauca], Colombia, Coll. L. Constantino ( LC); ECUADOR: ♁ LT Zaruma, Equateur, M de Mathan, 1891, No. 45, LECTOTYPE Castnia pyrrhopygoides designated by Jacqueline Y. Miller. 1977, NHMUK 010605304, vial NHMUK 010402735; ♁ PLT pyrrhopygoides Houlb [ert]., Zaruma, Equateur, M de Mathan, 1891, 63.26, Joicey Bequest. Brit. Mus., PARALECTOTYPE Castnia pyrrhopygoides designated by Jacqueline Y. Miller. 1977, NHMUK 010605302; ♁ PLT Zaruma, Equateur, M de Mathan, 1891, PARALECTOTYPE Castnia pyrrhopygoides designated by Jacqueline Y. Miller. 1977, NHMUK 010605303; ♀ HT of subcoerulea , subcoerulea 1919 R[othschild], Ecuad[or], 339., Joicey Bequest. Brit. Mus., NHMUK 010305386, vial NHMUK 010402734; ♁ Imbabura, Lita, X.2003, 600–1000, Vinciguerra coll. BMNH(E) 2023-38 NHMUK 015547969 ( NHMUK); 1♁ ESM [Esmeraldas], Lita, 800m., II-08; 1♁ Macas, 09-2015, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138273 ( MGCL); 1♀ Ecuador, Prov. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Otongachi, Unión del Toachi, 00°18´S – 78°57´W, 01.–30.VI.2017, leg. I. Tapia, Col. Thöny H. ( HT); 2♁♁ Río Chuchuví, Lita, Esmeraldas, 650m., 7-IV-2004, leg. I Aldas; 1♁ Río Chuchuví, Lita via San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas, 750m., July2004 ( HG); 1♁ Chuchuví, 800m. Lita— Esmeraldas, VI.2003; 1♁ Chuchuví, 200m. Lita— Esmeraldas, VI.2003; 1♁ Chuchuví, Esmeraldas, 800m., VI.2003; 1♁ Ecuador occidente, Lita— Esmeraldas, 1000m. II.2004; 1♁ Lita, 1000m. IV.2004 ( RW); 4♁♁ Guaguayme Alto, Lita, Zamora Chinchipe, 1500m., September 2020, leg. I Aldas (Anon); PERU: 1♁ Falso Paquisha, PV (Puesto de Vigilancia) 22, alto Río Comaina, Cordillera del Cóndor, Amazonas, 800m, 31.x.1987, 03º58’S, 78º25’W, leg. G. Lamas ( MUSM).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal and ventral view of selected Mirocastnia pyrrhopygoides pyrrhopygoides specimens. A, B: ♁ Valle del Cauca, Colombia (LC) (not to scale); C, D: ♀ Risaralda, Colombia (JS); E: ♁ Lectotype, Zaruma, Ecuador (NHMUK); F: ♁ Paralectotype, Zaruma, Ecuador (NHMUK); G, H: ♀ Holotype Castnia (Schaefferia) subcoerulea, Ecuador (NHMUK); I, J: ♁ Esmeraldas, Ecuador (RW); K, L: ♀ Otongachi, Ecuador (HT). Scale: 10 mm.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the different taxa in the genus Mirocastnia in Central and South America.