Daedalma inconspicua inconspicua Butler, 2011

Pyrcz, Tomasz W., Greeney, Harold F., Willmott, Keith R. & Wojtusiak, Janusz, 2011, 2898, Zootaxa 2898, pp. 1-68 : 31-32

Daedalma inconspicua inconspicua Butler , stat. rev.

( Figs. 5C, 5D, 11E, 16D)

Material examined: ECUADOR: 1 male: white, square label: Quito, coll. By M. Bourcier, 50-111, white square label: B.M. Type, No. Rh. 70-64, red and white rounded label: Daedalma inconspicua Butler , type, [LECTOTYPE of Daedalma inconspicua Butler , herein designated], BMNH; 1 male: Pichincha, Quito vers Chiriboga km 12–15, 3300–3400 m, 01.II.2004, P. Boyer leg., PBF; 1 male: Pichincha, Chillogallo vía a Chiriboga, 3000 m, 10.I.1998, I. Aldaz leg., PBF; 1 male: Pichincha, Volcán Pichincha, San Juan-La Victoria, 3300–3350 m, II.2002, I. Aldaz leg., MZUJ; 2 males: Pichincha, Quito-La Victoria rd., Loma La Palmira, 3300–3500 m, 25.VIII.1999, K. Willmott leg., KWJH; 1 male: Pichincha, Volcán Pichincha, Yanacocha, 3500 m, 18.IX.1997, K. Willmott leg., KWJH; 1 male: Pichincha, nr. Amaguaña, Volcán Pasochoa, 3500 m, 7.X.1997, K. Willmott leg., KWJH; 1 female: Ecuador, Pichincha, Chillogallo-San Juan, vía La Victoria, 3300–3350 m, 05.II.2002, T. Pyrcz leg., MZUJ; 1 male: Pichincha, Pasochoa, 3200 m, no, 9078, J-C. Petit leg, JCP.

Redescription: MALE ( Fig. 5C): Head: chocolate brown; labial palpi chestnut covered with dark brown hair; antennae dorsally dark brown, ventrally lighter, chestnut brown, club dark brown. Thorax: black; legs chestnut. Abdomen: dorsally and laterally black, ventrally chestnut. Wings: FW length: 24–27 mm, mean: 25.3 mm, n=4; FW and HWD medium greyish brown, same as in blancae n. ssp., slightly lighter than in orientalis n. ssp. and tapichalaca n. ssp.; FWV lighter area in cells M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu2, variably or without any reddish suffusion, similar to variegata n. ssp. and blancae but in contrast to onorei n. ssp.; FWV lighter area in cells M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu2 widely connected to similarly coloured bar in discal cell, similar to orientalis, in contrast to nominate, onorei and tapichalaca, in which discal cell pale marking is small and restricted to distal edge of discal cell. HWV ground colour varying between chocolate brown and chestnut. Genitalia ( Fig. 11E): Uncus slightly shorter than in nominate; gnathos similar to other subspecies; saccus similar in length and width to nominate; valvae slightly thinner than in blancae, with a slightly irregular dorsal surface; aedeagus not differing from other subspecies.

FEMALE ( Fig. 5D): FW length: 32 mm; with faint, light reddish orange markings on FWD, in contrast to orientalis, which is only patterned in lighter and darker shades of grey-brown, and to variegata, which has extensive and intense light orange patches in distal half (females of onorei and blancae unknown). Genitalia ( Fig. 16D): Lamella postvaginalis large, concave in middle. Bottom part of sinus vaginalis delicately ribbed. V-shaped batten on lamella postvaginalis sharply bent in middle. Additional, smaller group of setae at ventral side of papille anales complementing main group of setae. Sinus vaginalis shallow and wide. Antrum long, slightly shorter that ductus bursae. Combined length of antrum and ductus bursae same as length of bursa copulatrix. This subspecies differs from other subspecies by the lack of colliculum, very shallow sinus vaginalis and by having ductus bursae and antrum of same length. In all other subspecies antrum is much shorter than ductus bursae. Sclerotized lateral parts of eighth segment that connect tergum with sinus vaginalis narrow.

Remarks: The identity of the nominate population of D. inconspicua is crucial for the systematics of this highly polytypic species. The type locality specified in the original description is “Quito, Chimborasso”. “Quito” often referred, in the 19 th century, to any Ecuadorian locality (as did “Bogotá” for any Colombian locality), not necessarily the capital city situated in the inter-Andean valley in the north of the country. In our experience, however, most specimens labelled “Quito” come from the western slopes of the Andes in Pichincha, central Ecuador. The locality “Chimborasso”, however, suggests the slopes of Volcán Chimborazo, or, more broadly, the province of Bolívar, further south. An examination of the syntype specimen, simply labelled “Quito,” shows that it corresponds with individuals known from both these regions, such as specimens collected along the Guaranda-Balzapamba road, south-west of Chimborazo, or those from the south-western slopes of Volcán Pichincha in the Quito area. Unfortunately, these localities are apparently inhabited by two separate subspecies of D. inconspicua , differing slightly in colour patterns but distinguished mostly by biogeographical factors, namely the presence of a third subspecies in between their respective ranges, onorei n. ssp. Although it is impossible to unequivocally associate the syntype with either population, the original label stating “Quito”, and the fact that the syntype's collector, M. Bourcier, lived in Quito and would therefore have had greater access to its environs than to regions further south, suggest the name should be applied to the Pichincha population, which is considered herein as topotypical.