Brassolis haenschi Stichel, 1902

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 : 57

Brassolis haenschi Stichel, 1902

( Plate 1 , figs. 1&2; Plate 3 , figs 13–15)

Brassolis haenschi is a rare, high-altitude (900–2000m), species known so far only in the central eastern Andes in Ecuador (nominate haenschi ), central Peru (h. rufescens Rothschild) and Venezuela (h. maritimus Stichel). At times, all three taxa have been regarded as subspecies of astyra Godart [1824] ( Fruhstorfer 1912b, Rothschild 1916) or even sophorae ( Racheli and Racheli 2001) . Carla Penz (pers. commn.) informs me that the male genitalia of haenschi (and astyra ) show a few, slight, differences from sophorae and isthmia .

Male haenschi is similar to both isthmia and sophorae . The main difference from these taxa is in the ocelli on the hindwing underside (particularly the lower one). In both sexes of the three haenschi taxa examined (rufescens from Peru, nominate haenschi from Ecuador, and maritimus from Venezuela), the hindwing ocelli lack the narrow, dark brown, border seen in isthmia and sophorae . Additionally, on the forewing underside, the two very narrow submarginal bands which occur in isthmia (very clear on Plate 3 , fig. 4) and sophorae are either absent (as in all nominate haenschi examined), or represented by just one (never two) indistinct line (as in a female rufescens from Huancabamba and one male maritimus from Venezuela). These two characters appear to be defining features of haenschi ( Plate 3 , figs. 13&14).

The forewing band of nominate haenschi has an almost white ‘highlight’ close to the cell and costal margin ( Plate 3 , fig. 15); on the hindwing, there is just a very faint, apically developed, sub-marginal band. In the female, there is no sub-marginal hindwing band; the forewing band is a deep orange and composed of a series of touching spots. Where these cross the upper part of the cell, they are elongated distally into ‘flame-like’ spots. On the underside, the outer ocellus on the hindwing does not have an inner, dark brown circle.

I have seen only the following, Ecuadorian, specimens of nominate haenschi : 2 males ‘Balzapamba’ ( BMNH and FLMNH) ; 1 male Macas ( ZMUC) — Plate 1 , fig. 2; 1 male Macas ( MNHN) ; 1 male & 1 female ‘Oriente’ AMNH ; 1 female Normandia ( BMNH) — Plate 1 , fig.1); 1 female Macas ( ZMUC) .

Figures

PLATE 1 (haenschi and sophorae) 1. Brassolis haenschi haenschi female ECUADOR: Normandia, BMNH. 2. Brassolis haenschi haenschi male ECUADOR: Macas ZMUC. 3. Brassolis sophorae luridus Holotype male, COLOMBIA: Río Magdalena, BMNH. 4. Brassolis sophorae philomela Paralectotype female, ECUADOR: Macas, BMNH. 5. Brassolis sophorae philomela Lectotype male, ECUADOR: Macas, BMNH. 6. Brassolis sophorae ardens female, Peru La Union, BMNH. 7. Brassolis sophorae ardens Lectotype male, PERU: Pozuzo, 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.