Brassolis isthmia wallengreni, Bristow, 2008

Bristow, C. Roger, 2008, A review of the genus Brassolis Fabricius in Colombia and Ecuador with description of two new taxa (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), Zootaxa 1806 (1), pp. 47-58 : 49-52

Brassolis isthmia wallengreni ssp. nov.

( Plate 2 , figs. 13–16; Plate 3 , figs. 10–12)

Historical background. Wallengren (1863) recorded a specimen of ‘ Brassolis astyra ’ on Isla Puna, Ecuador. As isthmia , which is superficially similar to astyra , had not been described at the time of Wallengren’s article, and is the only Brassolis taxon that occurs west of the Andes in Ecuador, it seems likely that isthmia is the species to which Wallengren referred and thus, this will be the first reference to what is now recognised as the new taxon wallengreni in Ecuador.

Identification (see the above plates for detailed wing pattern). The wing pattern is typical isthmia with a broad, orange, forewing band that crosses the apical part of the cell, but encloses one (male) or two (female) small, dark brown spots at the cell apex. In the male, the forewing band extends from the tornus (like granadensis , but unlike i. daisye) up to the cell and, in some specimens, only a short distance (c. 1 mm) beyond the apical part of the cell ( Plate 3 , fig. 12) (c.f. granadensis where it is 2 mm or more). Additionally, the outer margin of the forewing band in space M 3 –Cu 1 is concave (convex in granadensis , nominate isthmia and i. daisye). The hindwing is a fairly uniform chocolate-brown, but there is some slight variation in colour density with the outer margin being a slightly lighter colour. On the underside, there are three, round, sub-marginal spots. Male forewing length 35–38 mm. The forewing band of the female is more ‘ragged’ than that of the male and just crosses the upper part of the cell ( Plate 3 , fig. 11) (in i. daisye, and to a lesser extent in nominate isthmia , it extends proximally as a narrow band parallel to the costal margin). In the cell on the underside, there is a small, orange, proximal spot, and a larger, irregular orange patch in the distal part (in daisye, these two patches just coalesce). Female forewing length 49–52 mm.

Types: Holotype female: ECUADOR: Paramba , 1913, Rosenberg, in the BMNH . Paratypes: male ECUADOR: Tinalandia , 06/09/1974, Bristow in the BMNH ; male as preceding in CRB; male as preceding, but 29/06/1975; two males: ECUADOR: ‘ Balzapamba’ (Paratype males of Brassolis granadensis ) BMNH ; male ECUADOR: Alluriquin , 29/03/1972, Venedictoff in FLMNH ; female ECUADOR: Santo Domingo , 01/ 01/1973, Venedictoff in MNHN ; male ECUADOR: Tinalandia , 15/06/2007, T.G. Marqua in USNM .

Not included in the type series are: ECUADOR: 2 females from Alluriquin, 02/02/1996 and 20/01/1996, Piñas in FP ; female Alluriquin , 22/06/1984, Bastides in MECN , and a male Alluriquin , 29/03/1972, Venedictoff in FLMNH ; female, Río Palenque , Dodson in FLMNH ; 3 females Santo Domingo (almost certainly Tinalandia), 01/08/1972, 01/01/1973, 12/06/1973, Venedictoff in MNHN ; male Santo Domingo , Benoist in MNHN ; 2 males Tinalandia 00/08/1972 and 04/05/1972, Venedictoff in FLMNH ; male Tinalandia , 07/11/ 1971, Venedictoff in FP . COLOMBIA: female Mistrato , 27/07/1992, Andrade in ICNO ; male, Pueblo Rico , 16/04/ 1991 in ICNO ; San José del Palmar , 27/08/1994, Silva in JFL ; female, Río Dagua in BMNH .

Etymology. Named after Hans Daniel Johan Wallengren whose record of Brassolis ‘astyra’ [= isthmia ] on Isla Puna in March 1852 was the first brassolinid to be recorded in Ecuador.

Distribution. Pacific slope between sea level and 1000 m in Ecuador. In Colombia, there are females from the Rio Dagua and San José del Palmar on the Pacific slope, and one which may be this taxon from Mistrato, together with a male from Pueblo Rico in the Cauca Valley. Dated specimens are mostly for January to August, but there are September and November records from Tinalandia. Adults are attracted to lights and can be commonly found in the morning on window screens.

Figures

PLATE 2 (isthmia and granadensis). 1,2. Brassolis isthmia isthmia female, PANAMÁ: Taboga Island, BMNH. 3,4. Brassolis isthmia isthmia Lectotype male, PANAMÁ: Lion Hill, BMNH. 5,6. Brassolis granadensis Paralectotype female, COLOMBIA: Río Magdalena, BMNH. 7,8. Brassolis granadensis Lectotype male, COLOMBIA: Río Magdalena, BMNH. 9,10. Brassolis isthmia daisye Holotype female, COLOMBIA: Chicorral, BMNH. 11,12. Brassolis isthmia daisye Paratype male, COLOMBIA: Mariquita, UPI. 13,14. Brassolis isthmia wallengreni Holotype female, ECUADOR: Paramba, BMNH. 15,16. Brassolis isthmia wallengreni Paratype male, ECUADOR: Tinalandia, BMNH

PLATE 3 (details). 1,2. Brassolis granadensis female, COLOMBIA: Otanche, JFL. 3. Brassolis granadensis male, COLOMBIA: Río Magdalena, BMNH. 4,5. Brassolis isthmia isthmia female, PANAMÁ: Taboga Island, BMNH. 6. Brassolis isthmia isthmia Lectotype male, PANAMÁ: Lion Hill, BMNH. 7,8. Brassolis isthmia daisye Paratype female, COLOMBIA: Chaparral, ICNO. 9. Brassolis isthmia daisye Paratype male, COLOMBIA: Mariquita, UPI. 10,11. Brassolis isthmia wallengreni Paratype female, ECUADOR: Tinalandia, CRB. 12. Brassolis isthmia wallengreni Paratype male, ECUADOR: Balzapamba (Paralectotype male of Brassolis granadensis), BMNH. 13. Brassolis haenschi haenschi male ECUADOR: Macas, ZMUC. 14. Brassolis haenschi haenschi male ECUADOR: Macas, ZMUC. 15. Brassolis haenschi haenschi male ECUADOR: Macas, ZMUC.