Euptychia cesarense Pulido, Andrade, Peña & Lamas, 2011

Pulido-B, Hannier W., Andrade-C, Gonzalo, Peña, Carlos & Lamas, Gerardo, 2011, Two new taxa of Euptychia Hübner, 1818 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from the Andes of Colombia and Peru, Zootaxa 2906, pp. 43-51 : 44-49

Euptychia cesarense Pulido, Andrade, Peña & Lamas , new species

( Figs. 2–5 )

Euptychia [n. sp.]: Lamas, 2004

Description. MALE, FW length: 17.1 mm (n=4) ( Figs. 2 , 3 , 5 A)

Head: Labial palpi twice the eye diameter (1.5 mm), with long scales (3 mm), antennae yellowish, total length (9.03 mm) a little less than half of costal vein length.

Thorax: Dorsally blackish brown (R40, G42, B31), ventrally yellowish (R105, G92, B48), covered with dense light yellowish hair.

Abdomen. Dorsally blackish brown (R40, G42, B31), ventrally yellowish (R105, G92, B48).

Genitalia ( Fig. 3 ): Uncus has the same length (0.48 mm) of the tegumen; superuncus is long (0.28 mm) in comparison with other species of the genus ( Forster 1964); gnathos absent; fultura superior (ft) very elongated (0.36 mm); valva elongated (1.26 mm) with pointed end and plain internal margin; saccus (0.39 mm) rounded and short in ventral view; aedeagus (1.5 mm) tubular and curved upwards without cornuti.

Forewing (FW). Apex rounded; outer margin covered with long scales. Dorsal ground color dark brown (R130, G112, B62), darker (R71, G59, B35) and diffused discal, postdiscal marginal and submarginal lines are evident in DFW, the same as a submarginal dot in M1-M2, discal and postdiscal lines are much diffused and darker (R86, G62, B34) than the ground. VFW color light brown (R150, G129, B66); discal, postdiscal, submarginal and marginal lines reddish brown (R104, G67, B25), straight discal line extending from discal cell to 2A, the postdiscal line is branched at the top of the discal cell and it extends from R5 base to 2A, slightly undulated submarginal line from R3 to 2A, and a narrower marginal line from R4 to 2A. A single postdiscal black ocellus with a white pupil and encircled with a yellowish (R170, G140, B52) ring and an external reddish brown ring between R5 and M2, the center of the ocellus is in M2-M1, but its extent into neibouring cells may vary; two dark yellow patches between postdiscal and submarginal lines in M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu2.

Hindwing (HW). Anal apex rounded. Dorsal ground color the same as DFW, discal and postdiscal lines fade out from costa to anal margin, marginal and submarginal lines darker (R62, G56, B34) than in DFW, with a submarginal dark (R86, G62, B34) dot in M1-M2, a black ocellus with a white pupil and encircled by a yellowish (R167, R131, B43) ring in cell Cu1-Cu2. VHW ground color the same as VFW, discal, postdiscal submarginal and marginal lines the same brown color as VFW, straight discal line from costal margin to 2A-3A, postdiscal line undulated from costal margin to M2 and stays straight from M2 to 2A-3A, where it branches reaching submarginal ocellus in Cu2-2A, submarginal line with an irregular undulated pattern from costal margin to ocellus in Cu2-2A, slightly undulated marginal line, thinner than remaining lines, from Rs to 2A-3A, four black ocelli between postdiscal and submarginal lines, smallest in cell Rs-M1, largest in cells M1-M2 and Cu1-Cu2, and medium-sized in cell Cu2-2A, all of them with a white pupil and encircled by a yellowish (R170, G140, B52) ring and an external reddish brown ring.

FEMALE: FW length: 17.3 mm (n=4) ( Figs. 2 , 4 , 5 B): General color and pattern very similar to male, but in general paler and with more rounded wings.

Genitalia ( Fig. 4 ): Papillae anales long and hairy adorned with setae, ductus bursae (du.bu) not sclerotized and not spirally twisted, long and narrow distally, corpus bursae (crp.bu) rounded with two sclerotized lineal signa (sig) longer than broader.

Forewing (FW). Dorsal ground color paler (R147, G115, B66) than of male, an ocellus between R5 and M2 with a white pupil and encircled by a yellowish ring. This ocellus and the discal, postdiscal, submarginal and marginal lines are more clearly defined than those of the male. VFW color pale yellowish brown (R179, G161, B99). In general, the lines are lighter colored and their relative position is the same as the male, the submarginal line with an undulated pattern from R3 to M3 that continues with an irregular pattern reaching 2A, with a continuous darker yellow (R155, G115, B47) patch from M3-Cu1 to Cu2-A2.

Hindwing (HW). Dorsal ground color the same as DFW, two postdiscal ocelli with a little white pupil and encircled by a yellow ring in cells M1-M2 and Cu1-Cu2, submarginal line a little wider than of male. VHW ground color the same as VFW, lines and ocellus pattern the same as the male, but in some specimens the ocellus in Rs-M1 is connected with the ocellus in M1-M2.

Early stages and host plants. Unknown for the new species, but Singer et al (1971) and Beccaloni et al. (2008) report plants of the Selaginellaceae as host plants for some species of Euptychia .

Etymology. The name cesarense refers to the type locality.

Type locality. Colombia, Cesar, Río de Oro, Vereda El Salobre, 8º19’43.4’’N, 73º24’19.3’’W, 1300 m.

HOLOTYPE: Male, with the following labels: COLOMBIA, Cesar, Río de Oro, Vereda El Salobre, 8º19’43.4’’ N, 73º24’19.3’’ W, 1300 m, 6 March 2007, Hannier Pulido-B. leg., HP 1654, Gen No. 1461, ICN- MHN-L 20417.

ALLOTYPE: Female, with the following labels: COLOMBIA, Cesar (same data as HT), HP 1653, ICN- MHN-L 20419.

PARATYPES: COLOMBIA, Cesar, González, Vereda San Cayetano, 8º17’21’’ N, 73º24’60’’ W, 1800 m, 23 June 2007, H. Pulido-B. leg, HP 1979, Gen No. 1462, ICN-MHN-L 21429 (1 female) same data as HT, 1 female (HP 1653, ICN-MHN-L 20419); Cesar, Río de Oro, Vereda Saninvilla, 8º16’2.2’’ N, 73º24’23’’ W, 1550 m, 4 March 2007, H. Pulido-B. Leg., HP 1396, Gen No. 1457, ICN-MHNL 20420 (1 male); Cesar, Río de Oro, Vereda El Gitano, 8º18’34.5’’ N, 73º24’44’’ W, 1600 m, 5 March 2007, H. Pulido-B. Leg., HP 1528, Gen No. 1458, ICN- MHN-L 20421 (1 male); Cesar, Río de Oro, Vereda El Gitano, 8º19’27.1’’ N, 73º24’34.5’’ W, 1370 m, 5 March 2007, H. Pulido-B. Leg., HP 1527, Gen. No. 1460, ICN-MHN-L 20276 (1 male).

Diagnosis. The most obvious unique feature of the species is having a tornal ocellus in 2A-Cu2. The genitalia of E. cesarense have the fultura superior and the superuncus longer than E. met and, E. enyo . Forster’s (1964) genitalia drawings of Euptychia show the internal margin of the valva is plain without any dorsal processes or teeth. This species can be readily distinguished from E. rufocincta , E. enyo , E. hilara , E. insolata , E. jesia , E. meta , E. rufocincta and E. westwoodi by having, on the VHW, four black ocelli with a white pupil encircled by a yellowish ring and an external reddish brown ring between the postdiscal and submarginal lines in Rs-M1, M1-M2, Cu1-Cu2 and 2A-Cu2.

E. cesarense is perhaps most similar to E. rufocincta , but can be separated because E. rufocincta has three ocelli on the VHW and the postdiscal line on the VFW is not branched at the costa as in E. cesarense .

In general aspect, the wing pattern of E. cesarense resembles Euptychia enyo and Euptychia rufocincta . E. cesarense can be distinguished from E. enyo by lacking the two ocelli between M2-M3 and M3-Cu 1 in VHW, and lacking the three non-pupilled ocelli in M2-M3, M3-Cu1 and Cu1-Cu 2 in VFW. The ground color in E. cesarense is darker and the lines on the ventral side are narrower. The new species can be distinguished from E. rufocincta because in ventral side the lines are narrower and in VFW the postdiscal line is branched. The genitalia of E. cesarense is compared with Forster’s (1964) genitalia drawings of Euptychia species and with E. meta and E. enyo , showing notable differences: the superuncus is very long, being the half of uncus length, the fultura superior is longer and slightly ventrally curved and the valvae are elongated with a pointed end and a smooth internal margin.

Distribution and ecology. Only known from the type locality in the Serranía del Perijá. The species flies in secondary-growth Andean and subandean forest with species of the genus Alfaroa, Hedyosmum, Weinmannia and Clusia from 1300 to 1800 m.

Discussion. Although there is no consensus about the adult morphological characters that define Euptychia , the new species is described in this genus because it shows several similarities in ventral markings with other species currently placed in this genus. The relationships among Euptychia and other euptychiines are not clear ( Murray & Prowell 2005; Peña et al. 2006), however it is possible to differentiate Euptychia from related genera ( Forster 1964). The male genitalia in Euptychia exhibit a smaller uncus, absent gnathos and very elongated fultura superior. Euptychia can be separated from Euptychoides Forster, 1964 because male genitalia in Euptychoides have a well developed gnathos and the aedeagus has cornuti ( Forster 1964), while these structures are not present in Euptychia species. Forsterinaria species present undulated dark brown discal, postdiscal, submarginal and marginal lines and submarginal ocelli in ventral view in both wings ( Peña & Lamas 2005); Erichthodes Forster, 1964 , in ventral view, present ocelli with bigger white pupils, and some species present white lines instead of those brown lines in Euptychia ; Magneuptychia includes bigger sized adults and wider uncus.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male wing venation of E. cesarense showing line and ocellus pattern, forewing above and hindwing below. (a), discal line; (b), postdiscal line; (c), submarginal ocelli; (d), submarginal line; (e) marginal line.

FIGURE 3. Male genitalia of E. cesarense. A, lateral view; B, dorsal view; C, aedeagus (lateral view); ae: aedeagus; un: uncus; te: tegumen; ft: fultura superior; sa: saccus; va: valva; su: superuncus.

FIGURE 4. Female genitalia of E. cesarense; pap. a: papillae anales; du. bu: ductus bursae; crp. bu: corpus bursae; sig: signa.

FIGURE 5. Adults of E. cesarense, A. Holotype from Río de Oro (Cesar, Colombia), B. Allotype from González (Cesar, Colombia). D: Dorsal view; V: Ventral view.