Electrostrymon picoloro Prieto & Robbins

Prieto, Carlos & Robbins, Robert K., 2015, Phylogenetic position of Electrostrymon picoloro, a new high elevation hairstreak from western Colombia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Eumaeini), Zootaxa 4012 (2), pp. 369-374 : 370-371

Electrostrymon picoloro Prieto & Robbins , new species.

(Figures 1A–E)

Type material. Holotype male: COLOMBIA, Valle del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali, Pico de Loro, 2800m, 02/ vii/2006, specimen code: m 785, C. Prieto & Ch. Muñoz Leg. The holotype is deposited in ICN-MHN.

Paratypes: 1 ♀ ICN-MHN*: COLOMBIA, Valle del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali, Pico de Loro, 2800m, 02/vii/2006, specimen code: m 796, C. Prieto & Ch. Muñoz Leg; 1 ♂ CP*: COLOMBIA, Cauca, Argelia, Naranjal, 2900m, 19/vii/2006, specimen code: m 838, C. Prieto Leg.; 1 ♂ CP: COLOMBIA, Cauca, Argelia, Naranjal, 2900m, 24/07/2006, specimen code: m 839, C. Prieto Leg.

Diagnosis. Electrostrymon picoloro belongs to the Calycopidina because the lateral edge of the female 8th abdominal tergum has a sclerotized ridge (Fig. 1E, inset). It also lacks male wing androconia (Figs. 1A, 1B). It belongs to Electrostrymon + Rubroserrata because the corpus bursae of the female genitalia is less than 2 mm long (Fig. 1E) with a vestigial signa. It belongs to Electrostrymon because it has toothless male genitalia gnathos (Fig. 1C), and the male is brown or orange-copper dorsally, without a semicircle of blue scales along the forewing inner margin (Fig. 1A). All most parsimonious trees include this species in the genus (see below).

Electrostrymon picoloro is the only Electrostrymon with a blue line segment between veins Sc+R1 and Rs near the base of the ventral hindwing.

Description. Male. Thorax and abdomen covered with brown scales. Mean forewing length 19.3 mm (n = 3); hindwing anal angle rounded with a tail at vein Cu2; dorsal wing surface homogeneous brown, except for anal angle, which is suffused with deep orange scaling; no evident androconial clusters (Fig. 1A).\; ventral forewing wing surface brown with two thin, straight light blue lines from R1 or R2 to vein Cu1;ventral hindwing surface brown with two conspicuous light blue, thin lines; inner postmedian line “W-shaped” between veins Cu1 and 2A; a blue dash positioned basally between veins Sc+R1 and Rs veins; typical orange and black “ Thecla spot” in submarginal area of hindwing between veins Cu1 and Cu2 (Fig. 1B). Genitalia (Fig. 1 C, D) with eighth abdominal tergum rectangular; brush organs absent; gnathos toothless; one terminal cornutus in penis.

Female. Superficially nealry undistinguishable from male, but smaller in only known individual, which is not illustrated because of its poor condition. Genitalia with lateral edge of 8th tergum sclerotized and inwardly curved; corpus bursae less than 2 mm in length (Fig. 1 E), and signa vestigial.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to the type locality, Pico de Loro (Parrot Beak Hill), between Jamundí and Cali municipalities. It is a noun in apposition.

Biology. Males land on vegetation up to 5 m above the ground in cloud forest. Males appear to establish mating territories in the early afternoon around 1230 hrs on the sunny edges of paths or ridge tops. The immature stages, larval food plants, and adult nectar sources are unknown. Adults were captured in July.

Distribution ( Fig. 2 ). The species is known from two localities in the western mountain range of the Colombian Andes, in forest between 2800 and 2900 m elevation. Specific localities are Pico de Loro (Farallones de Cali National Natural Park) and Argelia, Cauca.

Remarks. Both sexes of E. picoloro can be distinguished superficially from other Electrostrymon by the ventral light-blue postmedian and submarginal lines and by the short basal blue line between veins Sc+R1 and Rs veins. Although associating the sexes of many Eumaeini is difficult, Electrostrymon picoloro has a restricted geographical range, and the wing pattern is almost identical in both sexes. We infer from the phylogenetic results that this species is not a geographical form of a described species.

The restricted high elevation habitat of E. picoloro at 2800 m to 2900 m elevation is unique in Electrostrymon .

FIGURE 1. A, E. picoloro holotype male in dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, E. picoloro paratype male genitalia in lateral view; D, male genitalia in ventral view with penis removed; E, E. picoloro paratype female genitalia (inset with arrow denoting the sclerotized ridge at the lateral edge of the 8th abdominal tergum).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution of E. picoloro in Colombia and the type locality, Pico de Loro.