Theritas Hübner, 1818

Martins, Ananda Regina P., Duarte, Marcelo & Robbins, Robert K., 2019, Phylogenetic Classification of the Atlides Section of the Eumaeini (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), Zootaxa 4563 (1), pp. 119-134 : 124-125

Theritas Hübner, 1818

Type species: Theritas mavors Hübner

Theritas as reclassified here is a small, widespread Neotropical genus of five species. Theritas mavors and T. triquetra are common, primarily lowland forest species that replace each other geographically. Theritas paupera , T. harrietta , and T. drucei are South American montane forest species that also replace each other geographically.

Theritas is sister to Arcas and is characterized by five synapomorphies ( Table 1, Fig. 8). It is most readily recognized by the color of its wings, despite the substantial variability within species. Males are greenish-blue dorsally and have a distinctive muted green ground color ventrally ( Figs. 1 and 12 ). Denivia phegeus is the only other Atlides Section species with superficially similar male coloration. Females have brown scaling dorsally and ventrally (except for T. harrieta ). In flight, the brown females somewhat resemble satyrine butterflies ( Nymphalidae ). Denivia hemon is the only other Atlides Section species with similar female coloration.

Theritas mavors Hübner, 1818 , type locality: Surinam

kalikimaka (Clench, 1944) ( Thecla ), type locality: Mexico (VER)

lotis (Goodson, 1945) ( Thecla ), type locality: Venezuela

Distribution and Habitat. Mexico to central Brazil (Transandean and Amazonian Regions) in wet and dry lowland forest, occasionally in lower montane forest.

Theritas triquetra (Hewitson, 1865) (Thecla) , type locality: Brazil

Distribution and Habitat. The Atlantic Region in wet and dry lowland forest, occasionally in lower montane forest.

Theritas paupera (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865) (Pseudolycaena) , type locality: Colombia

ella ( Draudt, 1919) ( Thecla ), type locality: Colombia

chione (Goodson, 1945) ( Thecla ), type locality: Colombia; "Amazon", an incorrect type locality.

gozmanyi Bálint & Wojtusiak, 2007 , New Synonym, type locality: Ecuador

Distribution and Habitat. Venezuela to southern Peru (Cosñipata Valley) in montane forest.

Synonymy. Bálint and Wojtusiak (2007) proposed that T. paupera consists of two species distinguished by the presence/absence of a dorsal forewing scent pad and by color of the ventral wings. In the study series for this paper, the scent pad varies from absent to a few scales at the posterior disco-cellular vein (cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope) to enough scales to cover the lower disco-cellular vein to sufficient scales to cover both the lower and middle disco-cellular veins. Bálint and Wojtusiak did not address the hypothesis that scent pad size in T. paupera is variable, including absence. Further, Bálint and Wojtusiak suggested that presence of a scent pad was correlated with wing color, but we found no correlation in the study series. The description of T. gozmanyi was also problematic for another reason. The authors claimed without evidence that the male of T. paupera lacks a scent pad, but the holotype of T. paupera is a female. Even if there were two distinct biological species—and we know of no compelling evidence to support such a hypothesis—we do not know to which species the name T. paupera would apply.

Theritas harrietta (A.G. Weeks, 1901) (Thecla) , type locality: Bolivia

Distribution and Habitat. Southern Peru (Cosñipata Valley) to Bolivia in montane forest.

Theritas drucei (Lathy, 1926) (Thecla) , type locality: Brazil (SC)

Distribution and Habitat. Brazil in montane forest from RJ to SC. It occurs at lower elevations in the south of its range.

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Male wing pattern in the Atlides Section. Dorsal and ventral surfaces. 1. Theritas mavors. 2. Arcas imperialis. 3. Lucilda crines. 4. Pseudolycaena marsyas. 5. Brangas caranus. 6. Atlides halesus. 7. Denivia deniva.

FIGURES 9–15. Hindwing anal lobe cleft (black arrows). 9. Arcas imperialis, 10. Brangas getus, 11. Atlides cosa (with a forewing double scent pad in the discal cell—red arrow), 12. Theritas drucei, 13. Lucilda danaus, 14. Pseudolycaena damo, 15. Denivia silma.