Neomaenas tristis

Matz, Jess & Brower, Andrew V. Z., 2016, The South Temperate Pronophilina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae): a phylogenetic hypothesis, redescriptions and revisionary notes, Zootaxa 4125 (1), pp. 1-108 : 44-45

Neomaenas tristis ( Guerín-Méneville, [1830]) ( Argynnis ) n.comb.

( Figs. 7 H; 16G–I; 26)

Type: no type, but Reed (1877) described Guerín’s specimen as “the wings of this species glued to the body of a species of the genus Argynnis .”

Type location: Chile

= Satyrus flora Philippi, 1859

Type: no type

Type location: Corral, Los Ríos Province, Chile

= Pedaliodes oaxes Butler 1870

Holotype: (male) BMNH #809742 (specimen examined)

Type location: “ Cuba,” probably Valdivia, Los Ríos Province, Chile

= Stibomorpha reedi Reed, 1877

Syntype: (male) MNHN, Paris (photo examined)

Type location: Chile

Other combinations:

Spinantenna tristis — Hayward (1953); Peña & Ugarte (1997, p. 304); Lamas & Viloria (2004, p. 217)

Distribution. Found in Chile from southern Valparaiso Province to northern Los Lagos Province and in Argentina in the westernmost part of Rio Negro Province from late November to mid-March at nearly sea level to 1200m ( Fig. 26).

Diagnosis. Most similar to Auca coctei , but larger, without androconia in the males, and bearing a distinctive white to yellow triangle on the ventral side of the hindwing between M2-M3. Apical ocellus on the ventral side of the forewing appears as either a bipupillate dark chocolate or dark coffee spot between M1-M3 or as two smaller unipupillate dark chocolate or dark coffee spots between M1-M2 and M2-M3, fused at M2. Ocelli appear on the ventral side of the hindwing as a small yellow spot in each cell between Rs and 1A+2A, the ocelli between Rs-M1, M1-M2, and CuA1-CuA2 ringed in dark chocolate. Females are lighter in color, the ventral side hindwing ocelli between M2-M3, M3-CuA1, and CuA2-1A+2A sometimes obscured. Hindwing is scalloped along the termen with a ripple pattern over the entire wing and the postmedian band on the ventral side deckle-edged and bordered in cream to daffodil yellow on the median side.

Redescription. Head: Antennae 7–8 mm, covered in dark chocolate scales with a white longitudinal stripe, and terminating in a spatulate club. Eyes naked and oval, length approximately 1.2X the width. In the males, palps with a longitudinal white stripe bordered in black along the median, black and dark chocolate brown on the dorsal side, and white to cream with tawny and black piliform scales on the ventral side. Females with white palps, bearing a longitudinal tawny stripe at the median and black piliform scales on the ventral side. Terminal palp segment conical and slightly more than one-quarter the length of the second segment.

Thorax is dark amber with iridescent black scales and rust orange and black piliform scales in the males and with white and iridescent scales and cream to tawny piliform scales in the females. Male abdomens are dark chocolate brown ventrally and dark coffee dorsally. Female abdomens are cream to taupe ventrally and dark chocolate dorsally. Forelegs of both sexes with tarsi unsegmented and clublike. Midlegs and hindlegs with four rows of dark amber spines on the tibia and tarsus.

Forewing ( Fig. 7 H): Wingspan 24–30mm. Termen slightly concave and the distal end of the discal cell widely V-shaped. Males without visible androconia. Dorsal side dark chocolate in the males with a small patch of rust red at the median from M1 to M3 and chocolate in the females with a rust orange to rust red patch at the median between M1 and M3 and between CuA1-CuA2, the ocellus between M1-M3 barely visible in the females. Fringe scales are white or daffodil yellow and dark chocolate in stripes perpendicular to the termen, giving the appearance of crenulation. Ventral side dark chocolate in the males with a ripple pattern in daffodil yellow and dark coffee along the costa and over the radials and in dark coffee and dark chocolate along the subterminal band. A patch of rust red extends from the base to the median. Postmedian band is rust red to rust orange and outlined in dark coffee, deckle-edged at both the median and subterminal borders. Ocellus between M1-M3 round, dark coffee to black, and bipupillate, sometimes appearing as two separate unipupillate ocelli. Females are similar to the males, but lighter in color.

Hindwing ( Fig. 7 H): Wing trapezoidal, termen convex and scalloped. Inner margin excavated between anal vein and 1A+2A resulting in a lobed apex. Dorsal side similar in color to the forewing, females with a patch of rust red to rust orange over the postmedian band from M2 to CuA1. Fringe scales are as in the forewing. Ventral side with a ripple pattern in daffodil yellow with dark chocolate to dark coffee striations along the costa. Subbasal band white to daffodil yellow with dark coffee striations in the males and white to cream with dark chocolate striations in the females, the submedian border deckle-edged. Submedian band is dark chocolate with dark coffee striations in the males, fading to daffodil yellow with dark coffee striations toward the inner margin. Females are chocolate to cream with dark chocolate striations at the submedian band. Postmedian band is edged in cream to yellow at the median border in both sexes, a white to daffodil yellow triangle appearing between M2-M3. Center of the postmedian band is chocolate brown with dark chocolate striations in the males and cream to daffodil yellow with chocolate to dark chocolate striations in the females. Subterminal border of the postmedian band is scalloped and the subterminal band is similar in coloration to the submedian band. Hindwing ocelli appear as a small yellow spot appears in each cell between Rs and 1A+2A, the ocelli between M2-M3, M3-CuA1, and CuA1-CuA2 ringed in dark chocolate brown. Ocelli between M2-M3, M3-CuA1, and CuA2-1A+2A may be obscured in females.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 16 G–I): Uncus widest at the base, narrowing toward a finger-like distal end and approximately 1.4 times longer than the tegumen. Gnathos acute and a little more than half the length of the uncus. Pedunculus long and U-shaped. Saccus U-shaped and a little less than three-quarters the length of the gnathos. Valvae widest at the median, narrowing to an acute distal end. Aedeagus narrow, a little wider at the median, terminating in an acute proximal end, and bearing minute serrations toward the distal end.

Remarks. There is some confusion throughout the literature as to whether N. tristis is synonymous with or a form of A. coctei , many agreeing that the original figure, which depicts only the dorsal side, is barely adequate to distinguish it as a separate species ( Butler 1868; Elwes 1903; Weymer 1911; Hayward 1958; Herrera 1966). Hayward (1953) determined it to be distinct from A. coctei , and placed it in the monotypic genus Spinantenna , based primarily on wing venation, but it is similar in many features to other members of Neomaenas .

The name Stibomorpha reedi (or reedii ) has been attributed by authors, since Reed (1877), to Butler (1874), but Butler described only one species, Stibomorpha decorata , in that publication. Reed (1877,) stated,

This species has been described various times by different authors with many names, and, in truth, I do not know which of them I should assign to it. The first description is that of Guérin [ Argynnis tristis ], from his voyage of the Coquille, but this author only had one exemplar composed of the wings of this species glued to the body of a species of the genus Argynnis . Few entomologists will agree to accept a description based on such a type. Subsequently, Blanchard gave, in Gay’s work, a description of something like this species [as Satyrus tristis ]; but Mr. Butler says that it is a different species. Later, Dr. Philippi published in the Anales de la Universidad de Chile a description of an exemplar native to Valdivia which seems to be this species [ Satyrus flora ], but the description is not very good, and finally Mr. Butler has described it with the name I now employ [ Stibomorpha reedi ] and which I believe will be conserved by European lepidopterologists. (Translated from Spanish by AVZB).

However, Butler (1881), in his description of Neosatyrus reedii (now considered a subspecies of Neomaenas poliozona ; see above) stated, “I believe this to be the species intended by Blanchard’s figure: the other figure ( S. tristis of Blanchard), for which I proposed the name of Stibomorpha reedii , but which I did not describe (for want of a specimen corresponding with the representation), is probably the male of Hipparchia chiliensis .” It seems that Reed mistook Butler’s “proposal” for a formal description and thereby assumed that Butler (1874) was the author of the name Stibomorpha reedi , but the name appears to have been made available by Reed himself. This was noted by Elwes (1903) in his synonymy of “ Pedaliodes flora ” (= N. tristis , even though he considered Guerin’s Satyrus tristis to be the senior name for Auca coctei ).

Specimens examined. Chile, Bío-Bío Province, (MTSU) CL0433, CL0901; Chile, Araucanía Province, (MGCL) 2 males; Chile, Los Ríos Province, (BMNH) Holotype male 809742; Chile, Los Lagos Province, (OSU) 0 0 0 0 93363, 0 0 0 0 93364, (CU) 2 males; Chile, unknown province, (CU) 2 males

Figures

FIGURE 7. Composite habitus images of Neomaenas species. The left side of each specimen is the dorsal surface, the right side is the ventral surface. A, B: Neomaenas inornata Elwes 1903. Lithographs of male holotype (BMNH # Rh 3864) (A), and female allotype (BMNH) (B), (reproduced from Plate XIV of Elwes, 1903, Figure 19); C, D: Neomaenas monachus (Blanchard, 1852) — male N. monachus monachus (C), male N. monachus limonias (MZUJ) (D); E, F: Neomaenas poliozona (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) male holotype N. poliozona (BMNH # 809789) (E), male holotype N. poliozona eustephanos Matz nom. nov. (BMNH # 809619) (F); G: Neomaenas simplex (Butler, 1881) male holotype (BMNH # Rh 3878); H: Neomaenas tristis (Guérin-Méneville, [1830]) male (MZUJ); I, J: Neomaenas wallengrenii Butler, 1881, male lectotype (BMNH # 809361) (I), female paralectotype (BMNH # 809362) (J).

FIGURE 16. Male genitalia of Neomaenas species. See Fig. 2 for labels of parts. All to the same scale. A – C: Neomaenas poliozona (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) (CH 10 - 5); D – F: Neomaenas simplex (Butler, 1881) (CL 0204); G – I: Neomaenas tristis (Guérin-Méneville, [1830]) (CL 0901); J – L: Neomaenas wallengrenii Butler, 1881 (CL 0204).