Chamundinae Grishin

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Brockmann, Ernst & Grishin, Nick V., 2019, Three new subfamilies of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae), ZooKeys 861, pp. 91-105 : 97-98

Chamundinae Grishin subfam. n.

Type genus.

Chamunda Evans, 1949.

Diagnosis.

Keys to C.10 in Evans (1949: 14). In appearance similar to Pyrginae , such as Celaenorrhinus Hübner, [1819] and its relatives, from which it is distinguished by the second segment of palpi protruding forward (in line with the body, =porrect) and not pointing dorsad (perpendicular to the body line, =erect); and Eudaminae , such as Lobocla Moore, 1884, from which it differs by narrower hindwing without tornal lobe (concave outer margin near tornus) and the lack of costal fold in males. Morphologically, distinguished from all Hesperiidae by a combination of the following characters. Body robust, abdomen stout, shorter than the inner margin of hindwing. Palpi porrect, 3rd segment stout, pointing forward, set at the outer edge of the second segment (not in the middle). Antennae longer than half of costa, with thin arcuate (not hooked) club and apiculus tapered to a sharp point, nudum of about 20 segments. Males with hair pencil on hind tibiae, without stigmas or brands on wings. Females with anal tuft of scales. Forewing discal cell long, about 2/3 of the wing; vein M2 origin slightly closer to M1 than to M3. Five subapical spots in a S-shaped curve on right forewing. Hindwing inner margin shorter than costal margin; vein M2 straight and oblique: closer to M3 at the outer margin, but closer to M1 at its origin from the discal cell (not curved toward M3); the angle formed by the median and discocellular veins acute, discocellular vein directed at tornus and outer margin, and not at the inner margin. In male genitalia, uncus elongated, undivided, uniquely shaped like a narrow mushroom at the tip; valva simple, without processes, spines or elaborations, lanceolate, with a small harpe only narrowly separated from the ampulla. In DNA, a combination of the following base pairs in the nuclear genome is diagnostic: aly528.10.2:A631C, aly3277.11.2:A1726G, aly4523.3.2:T143C, aly499.37.1:G77G (not A), aly363.14.5:A76A (not C), aly2700.1.4:T70T (not G), and in COI barcode region: G38A, A81C, A307G, C347T, T349A, A430T, A604C.

Genera included.

Only Chamunda , a monotypic genus for Plesioneura chamunda Moore, 1866 ( Fig. 1f ).

Comments.

The subfamily-worthy uniqueness of this butterfly from southwestern Asia, dubbed “Olive” or "Crescent Spotted Flat", is perhaps the largest surprise of our study. Chamunda is not clearly distinct in appearance, it is similar to Lobocla ( Eudaminae ) and Celaenorrhinus ( Tagiadinae ) in the spotting of the forewing. Uniqueness of Chamunda was not noticed before Evans, who established a new monotypic genus for this skipper ( Evans 1949). Nevertheless, Evans placed it with Pyrginae according to its appearance, among genera currently in the tribe Tagiadini Mabille, 1878. We take the next step and establish a subfamily for it. It is unlikely that its subfamily status would have become apparent without genomic sequences placing this skipper far from all others with strong statistical support.

Figures

Figure 1. Sequenced specimens from the new Hesperiidae subfamilies. DNA sample numbers are given for each specimen, additional data are in the Suppl. material 1: Table S 1 a Ortholexis holocausta syntype, NVG- 18053 C 02 b Ortholexis hollandi, NVG- 18082 A 08 c Ortholexis melichroptera, holotype of Acallopistes dimidia Holland, 1896; NVG- 18053 C 05 d Ortholexis melichroptera, holotype, NVG- 18053 A 06 e Katreus johnstonii, NVG- 18053 B 05 f Chamunda chamunda, NVG- 18086 E 02 g Barca bicolor, NVG- 17069 C 10 h Apostictopterus fuliginosus, NVG- 17069 C 12.