Alesa telephae (Boisduval, 1836)

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 : 92-95

Alesa telephae (Boisduval, 1836)

Figs 18–19 , 26–27 , 64 , 73 , 78 , 85 , 94

Eurybia telephae Boisduval, 1836 . Spec. Gén. Lép., Atlas, Expl. planches, p. 5, pl. 20, fig. 2 ([male] d); Cayenne, [ French Guiana].—Westwood, 1851, in Doubleday. Gen. diurn. Lep. 2, p. 417.

Alesa telephae ; Bates, 1868. Jour. Linn. Soc. London, Zool., 9: 372, 414,—Herrich-Schäffer, 1868. Corr.—Blatt zool.-min. Ver. Regensburg 22: 121.—Kirby, 1871. Syn. Cat. diurn. Lep., p. 287.—Kirby, 1879, Cat. Coll. diurn. Lep. Hewitson, p. 186.—Mengel, 1905. Cat. Erycinidae , p. 55.— Stichel, 1910, in Wytsman. Gen. Ins. 112A, p. 81, pl. 4, fig. 12 f (leg), 112B, pl. 24, fig. 12 (female d, v).—Weeks, 1911. Illustr. diurn. Lep. 2, p. XII.— Seitz, 1916. Gross-Schmett. Erde 5, p. 652, pl. 127 (female d).—Stichel, 1925. Ztschr. wiss. Insektenbiol. 20: 21.— Stichel, 1930. Lep. Cat. 40: 293.— Lathy, 1932. Ann. & Mag. nat. Hist. (10)9 (53): 484.—R̂ber, 1931. Int. ent. Ztschr. 24: 389.— Rebillard, 1958. Mém. Mus. d’Hist. nat. (Paris) 15 (2): 167, fig. 8 (aedeagus), pl. 4, fig. 14 (female “ allotype ” d, v).—T. Emmel & G. Austin, 1990. Trop. Lep. 1 (1): 8.—Brown, 1993. Occas. Paper IUCN Sp. Surv. Comm. 8: 151.— d’Abrera, 1994. Butt. Neotrop. Region 6, Riodinidae , p. 933, figs (male, female d).— Brévignon & Gallard, 1997. Lambillionea 97 (3)(1): 331, 334.—Murray, 2000. Jour. Res. Lep. 35: 58.— Lamas, 2001. Rev. per. Ent. 42: 43 (in part).— Callaghan & Lamas, 2004, Riodinidae , p. 148, in Lamas (ed.). Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea— Papilionoidea, in Heppner (ed.) Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera 5A; syn.: prema f. sapphirina.— Hall & Ahrenholz, 2010. Trop. Lep. Res. 20(1): 21, figs 2A–B (male, female d, v).—O. Mielke, Carneiro & Casagrande, 2010. Biota Neotr. 4 (10): 292.— Gallard & Fernandez, 2015. Bull. Soc. ent. France 120 (2), p. 135, 138, figs 7–10 (male, female d, v).— Brévignon, 2015. Bull. Soc. ent. France 120 (4): 453, figs 3, 4 (male d, v), 9–12 (male gen.).— Gallard, 2017. Riodinidae Guyane, p. 55, pl. 10, fig. 2G (male d).

Alesa prema f. sapphirina Biedermann, 1936. Bull. Soc. ent. France 41 (15): 258, pl. 3, figs 9, 10 (female d, v); holotype female, III-1934, Manacapuru, moyen Amazonas, [Amazonas, Brazil]; collection Biedermann.— Rebillard, 1958. Mém. Mus. d’Hist. nat. (Paris) 15 (2): 167.

Alesa aff. telephae ; Lamas et al., 1991. Publ. Mus. Hist. nat. UNMSM(A) 40: 14.— Robbins et al., 1996, in Wilson & Sandoval. Manu, p. 235.

Diagnosis. Alesa telephae most similar species are A. negra and A. humilis . Males of A. telephae is distinguished from A. negra by the absence of purple iridescence covering the reddish spots on both wings upper side, and from A. humilis by the presence of iridescent rays on both wings upper side and by a submarginal reddish band on hindwing upper side. Alesa telephae differs from A. suzana by the upper side spots reddish instead of white. The female of A. telephae can be distinguished from the putative female of A. negra by the hindwing upper side submarginal spots orangish yellow, and the postdiscal white area of hindwing wider.

Type material. Eurybia telephae Boisduval, 1836 was described based on the illustration of a male from Cayenne, French Guiana, based on an unknown number of specimens. To avoid future uncertainty, a male syntype in NMHUK with the following labels is here designated lectotype of Eurybia telephae Boisduval, 1836 : / Type HT / Eurybia telephae, Bdv. (Species Gal, pl. 20, fig. 2) / Telephae . Boisd. Sp. pl. Fig. Cayenne. / EX. MUSAEO Dris. BOISDUVAL / Ex Obertḩr Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3. / This type was received in broken condition / 302 / BMNH (E) 1717342 /. The following labels will be added: / LECTOTYPUS / Lectotypus Eurybia telephae Boisduval, 1836 W. Santos, Dolibaina, Dias, O. Mielke & Casagrande des. 2021 /.

Alesa prema f. sapphirina Biedermann, 1936 was described from a female holotype deposited at the MNHN, with the following labels: / HOLOTYPE ♀ Alesa prema f. sapphirina Biedermann, 1936 / Manacapuru Amaz. Mars-34 / Alesa telephae Bsd. ♀ Manacapurú, Amazonas III.1934 Krg. 7. V.35. /.

Distribution. Alesa telephae is widespread in the Amazon basin and the Guianas, recorded in Ecuador (Napo), Peru (Loreto and Madre de Dios), French Guiana and Brazil (Acre, Amazonas and Rondônia) ( Fig. 94 ).

Comments. Although uncommon in collections, this is the most common species of the group. This species was unmistakable until the recent description of A. amethystina and A. humilis , both occurring in French Guiana where A. telephae also occurs. Nevertheless, A. telephae is easily recognized by the presence of red spots on the basal area of the wings upper side, and on the submarginal hindwing (these spots are covered by a violet iridescence in A. amethystina , and faint in A. humilis ).

The female of A. telephae is greatly different in wing, mainly due to the absence of red spots; the hindwing upper side with a row of yellow submarginal ocelli-like spots, and a whitish area between discal and postdiscal bands. The marked sexual dimorphism probably was the reason why Biedermann (1936) recognized and described A. prema f. sapphrina, based on a female specimen, as a different taxon. However, this name is currently correctly recognized as a junior subjective synonym of A. telephae ( Callaghan & Lamas 2004) .

Gallard (2017) mentions that males of this species are sometimes present in large numbers in September disputing and protecting territory, near the summit of a hill in French Guiana. Males are active from 14:00h on, perching on half-shaded leaves about one meter above the ground. Females are uncommon in French Guiana, and only once a female was observed at this site, being immediately pursued by one male. Only three specimens of this species were collected despite intensive field work at the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil; a male in early afternoon, at the hilltop, and a male and a female specimen in a trail that goes around the eastern hillsides of the park. This trail passes through several buriti palm ( Mauritia sp. ) swamps, the specimens of A. telephae were collected in one of these swamps at noon.

Examined material. ECUADOR — Napo: Puerto Misahuallí ( Rio Napo), 400m, 7–19.IX.1997, 1 male, Leuschner leg. ( USNM), (8 Km Jatun Sacha), 450m, 15. VI.1988, 1 female, P. J. DeVries leg. ( USNM) . PERU — Loreto: Iquitos , XII.1929, 1 male, no collector, DZ 35.124 ( DZUP) . Yanama , 120m, 24.IX.1995, 1 male, Robbins leg. ( USNM) . Madre de Dios: Pakitza ( Parque Nacional del Manu ), 340m, 14.X.1991, 1 male, 17.X.1991, 1 female, Mielke leg. ( USNM) , 13.X.1991, 1 male, Robbins leg. ( USNM) , 10.IX.1989, 1 female, Harvey leg. ( USNM) . FRENCH GUIANA —no locality, 12.X.1986, 1 macho, 23.X.1988, 1 macho, 18.IX.1988, 1 macho, 15.III.1989, 1 macho, 8.X.1988, 1 macho, 29.XI.1988, 1 macho, 16.VII.1987, 1 macho, Gallard leg. ( USNM) , 16.XII.1990, 1 male, Brévignon leg. ( USNM) , 31.XII.1992, 1 male, Gallard leg. ( USNM) . BRAZIL — Amazonas: Manaus ( Fazenda Dimona , 72 Km ), 9.XII.1993, 1 male, R. Hutchings & J. B. Jullivan leg. ( USNM) . Acre: Mâncio Lima (Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Porç „o Norte ), 200–450m, 23–30.VIII.2014, 1 male and 1 female, Mielke, Casagrande, Carneiro, Dias, Dolibaina, Siewert & Salik leg., DZ 35.114, DZ 35.094 ( DZUP) , 450m, 7–10,13. X.2018, 1 male, O. Mielke, Casagrande, Dolibaina & Medeiros leg., DZ 48.327 ( DZUP) . Santa Rosa do Purus (11.9 Km SE), 13.VIII.2008, 1 male, Mielke & Carneiro leg., DZ 35.134 ( DZUP) .

Figures

FIGURES 94. Geographic distribution of the species of Alesa belonging to the “telephae group”.

FIGURES 18–25. Males species of of “telephae group”, in dorsal and ventral views (left to right). 18–19, A. telephae Brazil, Acre: Santa Rosa do Purus (DZ 35.134). 20–21, A. humilis French Guyana, Cayenne: Roura (holotype). 22–23, A. negra stat. rev. (paratype of A. amethystina syn. nov. French Guyana, Cayenne, Montsinéry (SF). 24–25, A. suzana Ecuador, Napo: Tena. Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 26–29. Females of species of “telepha group”, in dorsal and ventral views (left to right). 26–27, A. telephae Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.094). 28–29, Putative female of A. negra stat. rev. Brazil, Amazonas: Uypiranga [14 km N Manaus] (MNHN). Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 64–66. Male genitalia of species of “telephae group”. 64, A. telephae Brazil, Acre: Mâncio Lima (DZ 35.114). 65, A. negra stat. rev. Brazil, Amazonas: Eirunepé (DZ 35.104). 66, A. suzana Ecuador, Napo: Tena (MGCL). 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.

FIGURES 82–85. Species of Alesa in situ, part I. 82–83, A. prema, male from Peru, San Martín, Tarapoto (by Ken Kertell, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72706630) (82), female from Brazil, Paraná, Foz do Iguaçu (by Roberto Greve) (83). 84, A. juliae sp. nov., male from Ecuador, Napo, Tena (by Robert Carrion, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27548806). 85, A. telephae, male from Peru, San Martín, Rumipata-Mishquiyacu area (by David Geale, https://calydna.com/taxon/4372- alesa-telephae).