Daedalma inconspicua palacio Dognin, 2011

Pyrcz, Tomasz W., Greeney, Harold F., Willmott, Keith R. & Wojtusiak, Janusz, 2011, 2898, Zootaxa 2898, pp. 1-68 : 36-37

Daedalma inconspicua palacio Dognin , n. stat.

( Figs. 6A, 6B, 6D, 12D, 17B)

Daedalma palacio Dognin, 1891: 125 .

Daedalma palacio Dognin ; Thieme, 1906: 137; Weymer, 1912: 266; d’Abrera, 1988: 844, 845 (male, dorsal, ventral); Racheli & Racheli, 2001: 331.

Material examined: ECUADOR: 2 males: Loja, Saraguro, vía Las Antenas , 3100–3200 m, 15.IX.2004, T. Pyrcz leg. ; 2 males: same locality, 2900–2950 m, 02.II.2004, T. Pyrcz leg. TWP ; 2 males: same locality, 1997, I. Aldaz leg., TWP ; 1 male: Loja (dept.), XII.1997, I. Aldaz leg., TWP ; 3 males: Loja, Loja-Cuenca Km 27, 2800 m, 26.XI.1998, P. Boyer leg., TWP ; 1 male: Loja, Zenén , 2800–2850 m, IV.2002, I. Aldaz leg., TWP ; 1 male: Loja, Zenén , 2900 m, XI.2000, I. Aldaz leg., MBLI ; 4 males: Loja, km 27 Loja-Cuenca rd., Cerro Palma [=Cerro Viña Mano], 2800–2950 m, 7.IV.1995, K. Willmott leg., KWJH ; 1 female: Loja, Loja-Cuenca Km 27, 3000 m, 3.XII.2002, P. Boyer leg., PBF ; 1 female: Loja, Les Antennes , 3 km sud de Saraguro, 3000–3200 m, 10.II.2004, P. Boyer leg., PBF ; 1 male: Ecuador, Loja, Lagunillas , 3200 m, V.1998, A. Jasi ṅski leg., TWP ; 3 males: Loja, old road Loja-Zamora , 2500 m, XI.2000, I. Aldaz leg., ex MBLI, TWP ; 1 male: Loja, Loja, road Loja-Zamora , 2500– 2700 m, II.1999, I. Aldaz leg., ex MBLI, TWP ; 2 males: Loja, old road Loja-Zamora , 2600 m, XI.1999, I. Aldaz leg., ex MBLI, TWP ; 1 male: environs de Loja, 1890, collection W. Schaus, USNM ; 1 male: Loja, El Monje près Loja, 1893, 32.21, ex coll. Dognin, 1921, BMNH ; 1 male: Loja, Jimbura-vía Laguna Negra , 3000–3200 m, 15.V.1998, A. Jasi ṅski leg., TWP .

Redescription: MALE ( Figs. 6A, 6B): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from nominate subspecies. FW length: 23–26 mm, mean: 24.3 mm, n=12; FWD dark greyish brown with a milky white oblique postmedian band extending from costa to tornus, considerably variable in size and shape, in some individuals approximately 2– 3 mm wide, in other nearly twice as wide; faint milky white subapical patches, in some individuals barely noticeable. HWD brown, a shade darker than on FW; some individuals with two faint, dirty yellow postdiscal streaks, suffused with brown, accompanied by a third in cell M2-M3. FWV ground colour lighter than on upperside; milky white band extending slightly further distally between veins Cu1 and 1A, enclosing a brown submarginal dot in Cu1-Cu2; subapical and apical area mottled with chocolate brown, whitish and chestnut; a zigzagging black subapical line; two blackish brown subapical ocelli in R5-M1 and M1-M2. HWV predominantly chocolate brown with a nondescript pattern of blackish brown, chestnut, magenta and silver, similar to other subspecies. Genitalia ( Fig. 12D): Uncus stout, hooked downwards; gnathos less than half length of uncus, basally stout, and with distal half thin; saccus deep and wide, longer than uncus; valvae elongate, gradually thinner towards apical part, ampulla very slightly undulated, apical hook prominent; aedeagus marginally longer than valvae, slightly arched in middle.

FEMALE ( Fig. 6D): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from other subspecies. FW length: 28 mm; FWD dark brown, a shade darker than in male; a wide oblique yolk-yellow postmedian band reaching from costa to tornus and anal margin, extending further distally than in male between veins Cu1 and 1A; two yolk-yellow small, elongated postdiscal patches. HWD dark brown, lighter brown towards distal and anal margin; a yolk-yellow band in postmedian to submarginal area gradually overcast with brown from apex, fading away before reaching vein Cu2, enclosing a series of dark brown oval or rounded dots well marked between apex and vein M2, others faint and merging with background colour; fringes yellow and dark brown along vein ends. FWV patterned as on the upperside, except that subapical and apical area olive green with two, milky white patches and two small blackish ocelli with white pupils in R5-M1 and M1-M2. HWV patterned as in male but all white or silver elements replaced with sandy yellow, whereas brown elements with olive green. Genitalia ( Fig. 17B): Sinus vaginalis small and rounded; ductus bursae straight pointing dorso-ventrally; antrum short, its wall at bottom wrinkled; coliculum well pronounced, concave at area where ductus seminalis leaves ductus bursae; lateral parts of eighth segment large and wide; lamella postvaginalis wide, grooved at centre; left and right arms of V-shaped batten on lamella postvaginalis twisted and rounded in central part; papillae anales with bumps on their outer surface opposite to base of rudimentary apophyses posteriores; strongly developed setae on edges of anterior part of papillae analis pointing toward themselves; ductus bursae smaller than length of bursa; bursa copulatrix with two ribbon-like, parallel signa consisting of minute teeth. Female genitalia differs from those of D. inconspicua variegata primarily by bent ductus bursae so that bursa copulatrix points ventrally.

Remarks: This taxon was originally described as a separate species and, indeed, the FWD pattern characterised by the wide median pale band is markedly different from nominate D. inconspicua . However, similiarities in the HWV colour pattern, wing shape, and male genitalia, coupled with ecological similarities and allopatric distribution, strongly favour considering palacio as yet another subspecies of the highly polytypic D. inconspicua . The subspecies palacio occurs in uppermost cloud forest, locally quite common at 2800–3200 m. Males can be observed in the late morning perching on higher trees, and occasionally keeping territories where they may fight with conspecifics. Females are only rarely seen in the field.

Daedalma i. palacio is the western subspecies of D. inconspicua in south-western Ecuador, and typical individuals occur from Saraguro to Jimbura. In at least two areas palacio possibly locally hybridizes with the eastern subspecies, as individuals presenting intermediate phenotypes were found. It is relatively easy to detect a possible hybrid between palacio and tapichalaca n. ssp. or petitia n. ssp. because of their sharply different FWD colour patterns, marked by the presence of a wide whitish band in palacio . An individual collected in El Monje (south of Loja) ( Fig. 6C) does not have a complete FW band but a series of disconnected pale yellow patches heavily suffused with brown. It is phenotypically intermediate between tapichalaca n. ssp. and palacio , and until additional specimens are available for study it is considered as a subspecific hybrid. Further south, one specimen collected in the Cordillera de Lagunillas (above Jimbura) ( Fig. 6G) has a faint, dirty orange FW band and is phenotypically intermediate between palacio and petitia.