Alesa hemiurga Bates, 1867

Santos, Wildio Ikaro Da Graça, Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Dias, Fernando Maia Silva, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik & Casagrande, Mirna Martins, 2023, A review of the South American metalmark genus Alesa Doubleday, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae: Eurybiini) with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5284 (1), pp. 77-120 : 114-117

Alesa hemiurga Bates, 1867

Figs 37–38 , 46–47 , 51, 55 , 59 , 70 , 76 , 81 , 96

Alesa hemiurga Bates, 1868 . Jour. Linn. Soc. 9: 372, 415; Ega, Upper Amazon [=Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil].—Herrich-Schäffer, 1868. Corr.-Blatt. zool.-min. Ver. Regensburg 22: 122.—Kirby, 1871. Syn. Cat. diurn. Lep., p. 287.—Mengel, 1905. Cat. Erycinidae , p. 55.—Stichel, 1915. Dtsch. ent. Ztschr. 1915: 695.— Callaghan & Lamas, 2004, Riodinidae , p. 148, in Lamas (ed.). Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea—Papilionoidea, in Heppner (ed.) Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera 5A. — Hall & Ahrenholz, 2010. Trop. Lep. Res. 20 (1): 21.

Alesa amesis hemiurga ; Stichel, 1910, in Wytsman. Gen. Ins. 112A, p. 81.— Seitz, 1916. Groβ-Schmett. Erde 5, p. 652.

Alesa sp. n. aff. amesis [misidentification]; Lamas et al., [1997]. Rev. per. Ent. 39: 66.

Diagnosis. Alesa hemiurga has a wing pattern similar to other members of the “ amesis group”. Males of A. hemiurga can be distinguished from males of A. amesis and A. mariae sp. nov. by the lack of the dark blue iridescence on the wings upper side, and by the irregular discal band on the hindwing underside, whereas they are distinguished from those of A. lipara by the presence of spots and bands present or observed by transparency on the wings upper side. Finally, males of A. hemiurga are distinguished from A. thelydrias by the presence of a purplish sheen on the wings upper side. Females of A. hemiurga are only tentatively identified (see comments section below), differing from females of A. amesis by the absence of dark blue iridescence on the center of the submarginal ocelli on the hindwing upper side, and by the yellowish discal band directed towards the costal margin and not to the ocellus in Rs–M 1 on both sides of the hindwing. There is no notable differences between the putative female of A. hemiurga and A. lipara , except by the smaller wing length of the former, 14,5–15mm.

Type material. Alesa hemiurga was described from an unstated number of specimens from “Ega”, upper Amazon (Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil). To avoid future uncertainty, a male syntype in NMHUK with the following labels is here designated lectotype of Alesa hemiurga Bates, 1868 : / Type H. T. / Type. A. hemiurga / Ega, U. Amazons. H. W. Bates. / ♁ / 300 / Alesa hemiurga, Bates. Godman-Salvin Coll. 1913 .-2. / BMNH (E) 1717340 /; female: / Type H. T. / Ega, U. Amazons. H. W. Bates. / ♀ / Type. A. hemiurga [verso of the same label:] ♁ Ega / Alesa hemiurga, Bates. Godman-Salvin Coll. 1913 .-2. / NHMUK 010242189 /, and the following labels will be added to the specimen: / LECTOTYPUS / Lectotypus Alesa hemiurga Bates, 1868 W. Santos, Dolibaina, Dias, O. Mielke & Casagrande des. 2021 /. Asyntype female also deposited at the NHMUK is here designated paralectotype and will be labeled accordingly.

Distribution. This species is only known from the western Amazon of Brazil (Acre and Amazonas) and Peru (Loreto), although this species is likely to be widespread in throughout the Amazon ( Fig. 96 ).

Comments. Morphology characters support A. hemiurga as being closely relatedto A. lipara and A. thelydrias . As mentioned above, A. hemiurga is superficially more similar to A. lipara , which is also supported by the male genitalia. The intensity of the purplish sheen on the wings upper side of the males of these species varies in A. hemiurga , while the sheen is always evident in A. lipara , and absent in A. thelydrias . Alesa hemiurga was considered a subspecies of A. amesis by Stichel (1910) and Seitz (1916), but as a “form” (i.e. subspecies) of A. lipara by Stichel (1930). However, Callaghan & Lamas (2004), recognized A. hemiurga as a distinct species.

The female of A. hemiurga is probably very similar to the female of A. lipara . Three specimens are here recognized as the putative females of A. hemiurga , a paralectotype of the species and two specimens from Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil (see examined material). One of these three females come from the exact same locality, where males and putative females of A. hemiurga and male and female specimens of A. lipara were collected together, in the same collecting event. In accordance with the average size of males, the putative females of A. hemiurga are smaller than the females of A. lipara ; apart from their different sizes, females of A. hemiurga and A. lipara are superficially indistinguishable.

Males of A. hemiurga were collected in the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil, in a low elevation summit, in the same place where other species of the “ amesis group” were also collected, displaying typical hilltopping behavior in a shaded area, flying fast and resting on leaves of bushes or lianas, about one to one and a half meters above the ground, between 9:00–9:30h.

Examined material. PERU — Loreto: San Roque (W of Iquitos), 1 male, ex. coll. Le Moult ( MGCL *) . BRAZIL — Amazonas: Tefé ( Rio Solimıes ), IX.1930, 1 female, ex. coll. Le Moult ( MGCL *) , 4–6.XII.1987, 1 male, 1 female, O. Mielke & Casagrande leg., DZ 34.976*, DZ 35.266* ( DZUP) . Acre: Bujari (50 Km NW), 200m, 25.IX.2003, 1 male, Mielke & Casagrande leg., DZ 35.106* ( DZUP) . Mâncio Lima (Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Porç „o Norte ), 450m, 7–10,13. X.2018, 2 males, O. Mielke, Casagrande, Dolibaina & Medeiros leg., DZ 44.441*, DZ 44.671* ( DZUP) . Rondônia: Cacaulândia ( Fazenda Rancho Grande ), 15.XI.1992, 1 male, G. T. Austin leg., ( MGCL) .

Figures

FIGURES 96. Geographic distribution of Alesa lipara, A. hemiurga and A. thelydrias. Question mark indicates uncertain records.

FIGURES 30–39. Males of species of “amesis group”, in dorsal and ventral views (left to right). 30–31, A. amesis (DZ 35.219) Brazil, Acre, Mâncio Lima. 32–33, A. mariae sp. nov. Peru, Madre de Dios: Puerto Maldonado (holotype). 34–35, A. lipara Brazil, Acre: Santa Rosa do Purus (DZ 35.246). 36–37, A. hemiurga Brazil, Amazonas: Tefé (DZ 34.976). 38–39, A. thelydrias Brazil, Pará: rio Cupari (holotype, NHMUK). Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 40–47. Females of species of “amesis group”, in dorsal and ventral views (left to right). 40–41. A. amesis Brazil, Amazonas: Novo Air„o (DZ 35.186). 42–45, A. lipara Brazil,Amazonas: Fonte Boa. 42–43 DZ 48.237, 44–45 (USMN). 46–47, Putative female of A. hemiurga Brazil, Maranh„o: Açailândia (DZ 35.226). Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 48–55. Wings upper side pattern with the main diagnostic characters of males (top) and females (bottom) belonging to species of the “amesis group”. 48, 53, A. amesis (male DZ 48.287, female DZ 35.186). 49, A. mariae sp. nov. (holotype). 50, 54, A. lipara (male DZ 35.246, female DZ 48.237). 51, 55, A. hemiurga (male DZ 34.976, putative female DZ 35.226). 52, A. thelydrias (holotype).

FIGURES 56–60. Underside pattern with the main diagnostic characters of the hindwing underside of males belonging to the “amesis group”. 56, A. amesis (DZ 48.287). 57, A. mariae sp. nov. (holotype). 58, A. lipara (DZ 35.246). 59, A. hemiurga (DZ 34.976). 60, A. thelydrias (holotype).

FIGURES 67–70. Male genitalia of species of “amesis group”. 67, A. amesis Brazil, Pará: Paragominas (DZ 35.209). 68, A. mariae sp. nov. Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.036). 69, A. lipara Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.126). 70, A. hemiurga Brazil, Acre: Bujari (DZ 35.106). Left to right: dorsal view of tegumen and uncus, lateral and ventral views of genitalia, and dorsal view of valvae and transtilla. Scale bar: 1mm.

FIGURES 71–76. Female genitalia of Alesa species. 71, A. prema Brazil, Mato Grosso: Barra do Garça (DZ 35.254). 72, A. juliae sp. nov. Brazil, Mato Grosso: Rio Arinos (DZ 35.144). 73, A. telephae Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.094). 74, A. amesis Brazil, Amazonas: Tefé (DZ 35.116). 75, A. lipara Brazil, Amazonas: Fonte Boa (DZ 48.237). 76, Putative female of A. hemiurga Brazil, Amazonas: Tefé (DZ 35.266). Up to bottom: lateral view of papilla analis and ventral view of sterigma and bursa copulatrix. Scale bar: 1mm.

FIGURES 77–81. Signum of species of Alesa. 77, A. prema Brazil, Mato Grosso: Barra do Garça (DZ 35.254). 78, A. telephae Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.094). 79, A. amesis Brazil, amazonas: Tefé (DZ 35.116). 80, A. lipara Brazil, Amazonas: Fonte Boa (DZ 48.237). 81, Putative female of A. hemiurga Brazil, Amazonas: Tefé (DZ 35.266). Scale bars: 1mm.