Erycina prema, Godart, 1824

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 : 80-81

“ prema group”

This group includes the largest species of the genus, with forewing length ranging from 20.5– 26mm in males and 20–30mm in females. Males with lateral frontal area and paraocular areas whitish to creamy white; tip of antenna black; wings upper side, thorax and abdomen with metallic blue to green scales; forewing apex rounded (except in A. juliae sp. nov.); forewing intervenal submarginal spots delimited above and below by scales with the same color as the ground color; hindwing tornus rounded (except in A. prema ); hindwing upper side with submarginal and postdiscal bands similar in color; spots on the proximal margin of abdomen; inner process of valva narrower and shorter than the outer. Females with forewing ground color and bands brown, basal and postbasal bands covered partially by metallic green scales, or with a wide blue or green metallic area, if so, then with a creamy white postdiscal diagonal band.

Included species: A. prema , A. esmeralda , A. beneluzi , A. rothschildi and A. juliae sp. nov.

Key for males from the “ prema group”

1 Wings upper side bands and body blue.................................................................... 2

1’ Wings upper side bands and body green................................................................... 3

2 Forewing upper side postdiscal and submarginal bands free................................................ prema 2’ Forewing upper side postdiscal and submarginal bands merged.......................................... esmeralda

3 Wings underside ground color pinkish brown......................................................... beneluzi

3’ Wings underside ground color gray....................................................................... 4

4 Forewing upper side discal and postdiscal bands developed............................................. rothschildi

4’ Forewing upper side discal and postdiscal bands vestigial........................................... juliae sp. nov.

Key for females from the “ prema group”

1 Wings upper side ground color brown, with dark brown bands.............................................. prema

1’ Wings upper side ground color gray, with black bands........................................................ 2

2 Forewing upper side postdiscal band whitish, narrow and nearly reaching the outer margin.................... rothschildi

2’ Forewing upper side postdiscal band yellowish cream, wide and not reaching the outer margin.............. juliae sp. nov.