Barcinae Grishin

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Brockmann, Ernst & Grishin, Nick V., 2019, Three new subfamilies of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae), ZooKeys 861, pp. 91-105 : 98-99

Barcinae Grishin subfam. n.

Type genus.

Barca de Nicéville, 1902.

Diagnosis.

Keys to F.4a in Evans (1949: 23). The synapomorphy of the subfamily is likely to be the bow-like shape of the forewing vein A1+A2. In appearance similar to Heteropterinae (slender body and characteristic relatively broad for monocot-feeding Hesperiidae but rounded wing shape), from which it is distinguished by this bowed vein and not flattened antennal club with obtuse apiculus. Morphologically, distinguished from all Hesperiidae , by the following combination of additional characters. Body slender, abdomen not longer than inner margin of hindwing. Second segment of palpi protruding forward (in line with the body, =porrect) and not pointing dorsad (perpendicular to the body line, =erect). Apiculus of antennae blunt, with black nudum of 10 segments, more than in Heteropterinae (6-9) but fewer than Trapezitinae (12-26). Mid tibiae without spines and hind tibiae with 2 pairs of short spurs. No secondary sexual characters. Forewing discal cell about 2/3 of costa in length, apex rounded. Hindwing with a rounded tornus, costal margin longer than inner margin; discal cell not shorter than half of the wing; discocellular vein points toward tornus, not inner margin. Male genitalia with extended, undivided uncus ( Evans 1949: plate 29 F.4, F.5) more similar to Heteropterinae , but valva broader and more robust and reminiscent of that in Trapezitinae : expanded and modified costa-ampulla, harpe prominent, with serrated edge. In DNA, a combination of the following base pairs in the nuclear genome is diagnostic: aly525.83.3:A682T, aly525.83.3:G683C, aly1139.27.4:G112T, aly1139.27.4:G113C, aly23605.15.15:G49A, and in COI barcode region: G101A, A166G, and 474C.

Genera included.

Barca de Nicéville, 1902 with its invalid synonym Dejeania Oberthür, 1896 (junior homonym of Dejeania Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 in Diptera ) ( Fig. 1g ) and Apostictopterus Leech, [1893] with its subjective synonym Tecupa Swinhoe, 1917 ( Fig. 1h ). Both valid genera are monotypic.

Comments.

These two genera from southwestern China were (with disclaimers) placed in Heteropterinae by Evans ( Evans 1949) and transferred to Hesperiinae by Warren et al. (2009), owing to different from Heteropterinae genitalia. Mitochondrial genomes for both genera were determined recently, and they confirmed the lack of affinity to Heteropterinae ( Han et al. 2018). However, in the absence of Trapezitinae mitogenome, the two genera remained in Hesperiinae . Our phylogenies place the two genera as sister to Trapezitinae , thus they may not belong to Hesperiinae . This placement is unexpected because there are no obvious morphological features than unify Trapezitinae and the two genera. Therefore, we decided on the level of a subfamily for these two unusual skippers. They form an ancient phylogenetic group, and placing them within Trapezitinae seems unfitting due to the lack of morphological affinities.

Figures

Figure 1. Sequenced specimens from the new Hesperiidae subfamilies. DNA sample numbers are given for each specimen, additional data are in the Suppl. material 1: Table S 1 a Ortholexis holocausta syntype, NVG- 18053 C 02 b Ortholexis hollandi, NVG- 18082 A 08 c Ortholexis melichroptera, holotype of Acallopistes dimidia Holland, 1896; NVG- 18053 C 05 d Ortholexis melichroptera, holotype, NVG- 18053 A 06 e Katreus johnstonii, NVG- 18053 B 05 f Chamunda chamunda, NVG- 18086 E 02 g Barca bicolor, NVG- 17069 C 10 h Apostictopterus fuliginosus, NVG- 17069 C 12.