Alesa mariae Santos & Dolibaina, 2023

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 : 105-107

Alesa mariae Santos & Dolibaina sp. nov.

Figs 32–33 , 49 , 57 , 68 , 95

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Diagnosis. Alesa mariae sp. nov. closely resembles A. hemiurga and A. thelydrias , as all three species are rather small, with well-marked bands on the wings upper side, with some reddish. Males of A. mariae sp. nov. are distinguished from those of A. hemiurga and A. thelydrias by the forewing upper side intervenal rays with dark blue purplish iridescence; forewing upper side around intervenal rays silvery gray, reaching the end of discal cell between M 1 and M 3; hindwing upper side submarginal ocelli with dark blue purplish iridescence at the center; wings underside ground color dark brown; hindwing underside discal band more or less straight. Female unknown.

Description. MALE. Head. Frons dark yellow with a medial dark brown spot; paraocular area creamy white. Labial palpi creamy white, third segments brown. Antennae black, tip dorsally white, about 70% of the forewing length.

Thorax. Dorsally dark brown; ventrally creamy white. Legs same color as ventral thorax.

Forewing. Length 19.2mm, n=1; 1/5 longer than wide; costal margin slightly convex; apex rounded; outer margin convex, projected from apex to CuA 1; tornus obtuse; anal margin more or less straight. Upper side ground color and fringes dark brown; bands reddish brown; basal, postbasal, discal and postdiscal bands with rectangular spots, color brighter basally; intervenal rays with dark blue purplish iridescence, surrounded above and below by light silvery rays, from R 1 to CuA 2, reaching the end of discal cell. Underside ground color and fringes dark brown; spots pattern similar to the upper side, but bands less marked and spots absent in discal cell; submarginal creamy white intervenal rays from R 1 to 2A extending basally to discal area, reaching end of discal cell, with a dark ray at the center of each space, two in CuA 2 -2A, above and below the anal fold, and with a dark blue purplish iridescence between R 5 -M 1.

Hindwing. Rounded, 1/5 longer than wide; costal margin proximal 3/4 straight then strongly convex towards apex; apex rounded; outer margin convex; tornus obtuse, not projected; anal margin convex. Upper side ground color and fringes brown, paler along the costal margin and in most of the space between 2A and theanal margin; basal, postbasal and discal bands tenuous, reddish brown; postdiscal band varying from pale brown to reddish; submarginal row of longer than wide dark brown ocelli, one in each cell, from Rs to 2A, smaller in Rs-M 1, two merged spots in CuA 2 -2A, larger between M 1 -M 3 and CuA 2 -2A, the last surrounded by a thin ferruginous line. Underside ground color mostly dark brown and creamy white. Spots and bands dark brown; basal band with four rounded spots, one between Sc-R 1 and the discal cell, two in discal cell and one between discal cell and 2A; postbasal band with three spots, two rounded in discal cell, and one irregular spot in CuA–2A; discal spot dark brown, reaching the origin of M 2; discal band dark brown, thick, nearly straight, from Sc+R 1 to 3A, reaching ocellus Rs–M 1; postdiscal band dark brown, thick, from M 1 to 3A; submarginal row of dark brown spots from Rs to 2A, surrounded by a thin pale yellow line, one in eah cell, two in CuA 2 –2A, merged in M 1 –M 3 and CuA 2 –2A, with a dark blue purplish iridescence at the center; fringes dark brown, creamy white in apex and tornus.

Abdomen. Dorsally dark brown; ventrally creamy white.

Genitalia. Tegumen about as long as wide dorsally, with a wide and rounded anterior indentation, and a rounded lateral ventral lobe; fenestra narrow and long; combined ventral arm of tegumen and dorsal arm of saccus fused, enlarged near tegumen; anterior projection of saccus triangular, as long a tegumen; posterior projection of saccus triangular, shorter than anterior projection; uncus shorter than tegumen, distal margin slightly bilobed with a shallow median indentation; gnathos narrow, elbow-like, narrowing distally to a point; valva about twice longer than wide, proximal margin rounded, distal half divided in a dorsal/outer and another ventral/inner process, dorsal process as wide as half the width of valva, laterally flattened, distal third curved ventrally and inwardly, with thin long setae, ventral process shorter and thicker than dorsal, narrowing to a strong distal point, slightly curved inwardly, without setae; transtilla median process rectangular, slightly projected distally, slighty distinct from the two lateral processes, lateral processes rounded but slightly longer and with thin setae; fultura inferior narrow and well sclerotized, between valvae but not reaching saccus; aedeagus narrow, straight, three times longer than the combined length of tegumen and the uncus; cornutus absent.

FEMALE. Unkown.

Etimology. This species is named in honor to the mother of the first author, Maria da Graça Santos, and is proposed as a feminine noun in the genitive case.

Distribution. Alesa mariae sp. nov. is known to occur in northern Brazil, in the state of Acre, and in southeastern Peru, in the department of Madre de Dios ( Fig. 95 ).

Comments. Alesa mariae sp. nov. is very similar to A. amesis , as detailed above in the A. amesis species account. Males of A. mariae sp. nov. (forewing length 15–15,5mm) share the small size and the reddish spots on the wings upper side with A. hemiurga (forewing length 15–17mm) and A. thelydrias . However, the forewing upper side area around intervenal rays are light silvery gray instead of yellowish or reddish, and reaches the end of the discal cell between M 1 and M 3. Additionally, the hindwing underside discal band is more or less straight instead of irregular. Nevertheless, due to their similar sizes and wing patterns, specimens of A. mariae sp. nov. are most likely to be confused with A. thelydrias .

Specimens of A. mariae sp. nov. were collected on a hilltop at the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil, disputing territory in a partially shaded forest gap, perching on leaves of small bushes and lianas about 1.5m from the ground. At the same spot, males of species of the “ amesis group”, namely, A. amesis , A. lipara and A. hemiurga , were also observed. Males of A. mariae sp. nov. hilltop behavior (14:00–14:30h), occurs roughly at the same time as A. amesis (13:00–15:30h) early in the afternoon, while A. lipara (8:30–9:30h) and A. hemiurga (9:00–9:30h) hilltop early in the morning.

Type material. Holotype male with the following lables: / HOLOTYPUS / 16–17-X-1983 Comunidad Infierno Ptº Maldonado, Peru, 300m. Mielke & Casagrande leg. / DZ 34.986 / Holotypus Alesa mariae W. Santos, Dolibaina, Dias, O. Mielke & Casagrande des. 2021 / ( DZUP) .

Paratypes. BRAZIL — Acre: Mâncio Lima ( Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor , Porç „o Norte), 450m, 20– 27. VI.2013, 2 males, O. Mielke, Casagrande, Carneiro, Dias & Dolibaina leg., DZ 35.046*, DZ 35.066* ( DZUP), 23–30.VIII.2014, 7 males, O. Mielke, Casagrande, Carneiro, Dias, Dolibaina, Siewert & Salik leg., DZ 34.827*, DZ 34.996, DZ 35.036*, DZ 35.056*, DZ 35.086, DZ 35.096*, DZ 35.204 ( DZUP), 7–10,13. X.2018, 3 males, O. Mielke, Casagrande, Dolibaina & Medeiros leg., DZ 44.461, DZ 44.501, DZ 44.491 ( DZUP). Pará : Benevides ( Neopólis ), 1–3.VIII.1992, 1 macho, O. Mielke & Casagrande leg., OM 32.513 ( OM) . Rondônia: Cacaulândia ( Fazenda Rancho Grande ), 6.XI.1990, 1 male, 10.X.1993, 1 male, G. T. Austin leg. ( MGCL) . Mato Grosso: Diamantino (Fazenda S„o Jo „o), 27. VI.1975, 1 male, E. Furtado leg. ( EF) .

Figures

FIGURES 95. Geographic distribution of Alesa amesis and A. mariae sp. nov.

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 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.