Daedalma inconspicua petitia Pyrcz, 2011

Pyrcz, Tomasz W., Greeney, Harold F., Willmott, Keith R. & Wojtusiak, Janusz, 2011, 2898, Zootaxa 2898, pp. 1-68 : 38-39

Daedalma inconspicua petitia Pyrcz , n. ssp.

( Figs. 6H, 12E)

Material examined: ECUADOR: HOLOTYPE male: Loja, Cord. de Lagunillas , 3000 m, XI.2000, I. Aldaz leg., red, rectangular label saying : Holotype, MZUJ; PARATYPES (3 males) : 1 male: Loja, Cord. de Lagunillas , 3000 m, XI.2000, I. Aldaz leg., MBLI ; PERU: 1 male: Cajamarca, Santuario Natural Tabaconas-Namballe, Lagunas Arrebiatadas , S 05º14´05" W 79º17´18", 3122 m, 03.X.2009 E. Huamani leg., MHN-SA; 1 male: Cajamarca, Sanctuario Nacional Tabaconas-Namballe, Sector Miraflores, S 05º10´02" W 79º12´06", 2983 m, 19.X.2009 E. Huamani leg., MHN-SA .

Description: MALE ( Figs. 6H): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from nominate subspecies. Wings: FW length: 25–26 mm, n=4, mean: 25.8 mm, n=2. FWD postdiscal band dark orange with a brown suffusion along a diffused distal edge, compared to milky white in palacio with a sharp distal edge. HWD with a faint, irregular postdiscal dark orange line, milky white in nominate. FWV postdiscal band light orange, milky white in nominate, otherwise similar. HWV not differing noticeably from other subspecies. Genitalia (Fig: 12E): Uncus slightly longer than in tapichalaca, similar in length and shape to palacio ; gnathos approximately half length of uncus, thinner than in palacio but longer than in tapichalaca; saccus slightly longer than in other subspecies (however, length of saccus is generally subject to noticeable individual variation); valvae elongated, narrowing gradually towards apex, most similar to onorei, apical hook prominent; aedeagus not differing from other subspecies.

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: This subspecies is dedicated to Jean-Claude Petit, a French lepidopterist, in recognition of his efforts in studying the butterflies of Sangay National Park in Ecuador.

Remarks: Daedalma inconspicua petitia is so far known exclusively from the type locality, the Lagunillas massif, on the Ecuador-Peru border. It is replaced in the Nudo de Sabanillas portion of Podocarpus National Park by ssp. tapichalaca . Two individuals were collected while hilltopping on higher bushes at the edge of páramo (I. Aldaz, pers. comm.). Among other species of Pronophilina occurring in the same habitat are Pedaliodes arturi Pyrcz & Viloria , Lasiophila palades limes Pyrcz , Lymanopoda hazelana summa Pyrcz, Willmott & Hall , and Steremnia umbracina misella Thieme.