Daedalma inconspicua cuencana Pyrcz, 2011

Pyrcz, Tomasz W., Greeney, Harold F., Willmott, Keith R. & Wojtusiak, Janusz, 2011, 2898, Zootaxa 2898, pp. 1-68 : 35-36

Daedalma inconspicua cuencana Pyrcz , n. ssp.

( Figs. 2H, 12B)

Material examined: ECUADOR: HOLOTYPE male: Azuay, Barabón , 24.V.1994, F. Piñas leg., red, rectangular label saying : Holotype, MZUJ; PARATYPES (5 males) : 1 male: Azuay, Gualaceo, vía Plan de Milagro Km 16, 3300–3400 m, 22.XI.1998, P. Boyer leg., TWP (1 male to be deposited in MECN) 2 males: Ecuador, Azuay, Cabogana , 3000 m, 09.II.2004, P. Boyer leg., PBF ; 1 male: Azuay, Girón , 02.X.1994, F. Piñas leg., FPQ ; 1 male: Azuay, Girón , 79 o 08’42’’W, 03 o 09’24’’S, 2090 m, 02.X.1994, F. Piñas leg., FPQ . Additional material: 1 male: Azuay, Tarqui , 3000 m, 26.V.2007, S. Padrón leg., SPC .

Description: MALE ( Fig. 2H): Head, thorax and abdomen: not differing from nominate subspecies. Wings: FW length: 22–24 mm, mean: 22.75 mm, n=6. The subspecies differs from nominate and other races in its considerably smaller size; dorsal surface of wings grey-brown as in nominate, considerably lighter than in orientalis; FWV has no reddish median suffusion apparent in nominate; lighter, pale yellow patch in distal border of discal cell is disconnected from wide lighter chestnut postdiscal area in cells M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu2, contrary to nominate, variegata and orientalis; HWV ground colour is considerably lighter than in orientalis, which has a noticeable chocolate brown pattern, and similar to nominate. Genitalia ( Fig. 12B): Uncus length of tegumen dorsum, stout, slightly arched; gnathos half length of uncus, stout basally, gradually narrowing to a sharp tip, similar to onorei and orientalis; saccus about same depth as palacio and tapichalaca; valvae about length of tegumen + uncus, slender, gradually narrowing from middle to apex, similar to onorei; aedeagus not differing from other subspecies.

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: This subspecies is named after the Cuenca valley, where it occurs.

Remarks: This subspecies, recognised immediately from other races of D. inconspicua by its smaller size, is apparently endemic to the environs of Cuenca, where it has been recorded on both east and west Andean slopes. It occurs in the uppermost forest, where it is most frequently observed while hilltopping in the company of Junea doraete and Steremnia species. A single male specimen collected by Sebastián Padrón in the hills southeast of Río Tarqui, just south of Cuenca, is tentatively associated with this taxon. This specimen differs from typical cuencana in having the pale markings of the FWV a pale orange colour, rather than pale grey. In addition, the pale dusting of scales at the distal end of the discal cell and subapex of the FWD seen in the figured cuencana appears in this specimen orange, rather than white.