Daedalma inconspicua tapichalaca Pyrcz & Willmott, 2011

Pyrcz, Tomasz W., Greeney, Harold F., Willmott, Keith R. & Wojtusiak, Janusz, 2011, 2898, Zootaxa 2898, pp. 1-68 : 37-38

Daedalma inconspicua tapichalaca Pyrcz & Willmott , n. ssp.

( Figs. 6E, 6F, 12C)

Material examined: HOLOTYPE male: Ecuador, Zamora-Chinchipe, Yangana-Valladolid rd., Reserva Tapichalaca, Loma Cruz Grande , 2650m, 4°29.22'S, 79°7.49'W, 14.IX.2007, J. Radford leg., FLMNH / MGCL# 143210 , red, rectangular label saying : Holotype, FLMNH (to be deposited in MECN) . PARATYPES (5 males, 1 female): 2 males: same data as HT except 01.XII.2005, K. Willmott leg., FLMNH / MGCL# 111174 , 111175 , FLMNH ; 1 male, same data as HT except 13.IX.2007, JR (to be deposited in MZUJ) ; 1 male, 1 female: Ecuador, Zamora-Chinchipe, Yangana-Valladolid rd., Reserva Tapichalaca, trail to páramo (sector Ventanillas ), 2770 m, 4°29.16'S, 79°8.96'W, 18.IX.2007, J. Radford leg., FLMNH / MGCL# 143213 , 143214 , FLMNH ; 1 male, same data as previous except 19.IX.2007, JR . Additional material (8 males and 1 female): 1 male: Ecuador, Zamora-Chinchipe, Loja-Zamora Old Road , 2500 m, 31.V.2000, S. Attal leg., MZUJ ; 5 males: Old road Loja-Zamora , 2500 m, XI.2000, I. Aldas leg., 3 TWP , 2 MBLI; 1 male: same data but XI–XII.1999, MBLI ; 1 male: same data but 2600 m, XI.1999, MBLI ; 1 female: Zamora-Chinchipe, old Loja-Zamora rd. , 2640 m, 23.IX.2007, K. Willmott leg., FLMNH .

Description: MALE ( Fig. 6E): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from nominate subspecies. Wings: FW length: 24–27 mm, mean: 25.7, n=4. FW and HWD ground colour dark grey-brown, similar to orientalis or onorei; FWV with a light, milky white submarginal oblique, elongated patch, and a smaller patch of same colour in discal cell, thus differing from orientalis and other subspecies in which these patches are pale greyish, discal cell patch narrowly connected to pale grey postmedian area in cells M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu2; HWV variable in overall appearance, ranging from olive brown (as in palacio ), to rufous orange (as in the holotype), to variegated dark brown, black and rufous, as in orientalis. Genitalia ( Fig. 12C): Uncus slightly curved downwards; gnathos roughly 2/3 length of uncus, markedly stouter than in other subspecies; saccus long, similar to palacio ; valvae length of tegumen + uncus, narrowing gradually from middle to apex, similar to cuencana or orientalis; aedeagus not differing from other subspecies.

FEMALE ( Fig. 6F): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from other subspecies. Wings: FW length: 29 mm. Dorsal ground colour dark brown with tinge of rufous scales, similar to orientalis; FW with dark reddish orange irregular discal band from costal edge discal cell to near tornus, considerably broader in cells Cu2-Cu1 and Cu1-M3, tapering in discal cell and in cell 2A-Cu2, similar in shape to palacio , paler at costa, black dot in middle of band in cell Cu2-Cu1; FW with dark reddish orange subapical band from costa to vein M3 c. 2mm in width, paler at costa; HW with dark reddish orange irregular postdiscal band enclosing single black spot in each cell from costa to vein Cu2, similar in shape to palacio but more strongly marked in cells Cu2-M3; HW "tails" medium brown; ventral surface similar to palacio , except for colour of FW discal band, rufous in cells 2A-M3 and posterior half discal cell, cream in anterior half discal cell, pale subapical band much broader than in palacio and cream, not orange.

Etymology: This subspecies is named for the type locality, the Reserva Tapichalaca, established by the Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco (www.fjocotoco.org) to protect the faunistically unique forests of the Valladolid region.

Remarks: A series of specimens from the upper Zamora valley, collected along the old Loja-Zamora road, is currently associated with this subspecies but excluded from the type series. These specimens share with those from the type locality the broad and pale FWV subapical band and pale discal band in the discal cell, thus being distinct from orientalis to the north (uniform greyish discal and subapical bands) and palacio to the west. In addition, the only known female is similar to that from the type locality in having much more extensive pale dorsal markings than orientalis, but these markings are orange, similar to palacio . It shares the broad FWV subapical band with the female from the type locality, thus differing from both orientalis and palacio . The phenotypic characteristics of the female and the variation observed among males from the Zamora-Loja road, and the fact that this region is not isolated by any geographic barrier from sites where typical palacio occurs, suggest that some introgression might occur in this region between palacio and tapichalaca.