Cithaerias cliftoni Constantino

Penz, Carla M., Alexander, Laura G. & Devries, Philip J., 2014, Revised species definitions and nomenclature of the rose colored Cithaerias butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), Zootaxa 3873 (5), pp. 541-559 : 548-549

Cithaerias cliftoni Constantino , STAT. REV.

( Figs 3 , 6 b, 8b–c, 9)

Type material: Holotype is in the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia http:// www.butterfliesofamerica.com/L/ih/n_ cithaerias 0019_i.htm (last accessed 22 June 2014).

Distribution. Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, east of the Andes. Available collection records suggest that this species is not sympatric with C. aurora . See map ( Fig. 9 ) for examined specimens.

Diagnosis. We define this species based on the following combination of characters (numbered in Fig. 3 ): (1) male HW marginal band very thin; (2) male HW submarginal band usually thin, clearly separated from marginal band and slightly staggered; (3) male HW postmedial band that outlines the ocellus complete, reaching vein M3, or incomplete, not reaching M3; (4) male HW postmedial band usually thin, and usually complete across cells M3 through Cu2, forming a staggered pattern; (5) male distance between HW submarginal and postmedial bands usually similar to the width of the cells, but variable between cells; (6) male HW rose scaling more diffuse than C. aurora , less than C. pireta , usually entering discal cell; (7) female with much wider HW brown bands than male, forming arches in each cell; (8) female HW scaling usually limited to postmedial area but sometimes reaching the medial area, varying in color from white to rose. In both sexes, FW brown bands vary from incomplete (below discal cell only) to nearly absent. Male genitalia ( Fig. 6 b): in lateral view the tall valva is narrow, and in ventral view it lacks an inner projection; in dorsal view the lateral edges of uncus plus tegument are rounded; in ventral view the triangular shape of the weakly sclerotized subscaphium bears small spines—a key difference between C. cliftoni and C. aurora . Female genitalia ( Fig. 8 b–c): note the rounded sterigma (slightly variable in shape and width between specimens), and the heavily sclerotized post-sterigma indentation.

Variation in wing pattern ( Fig. 3 ). In both sexes HW postmedial, submarginal and marginal bands show some variation in width, but this variation is more pronounced in females. Male HW rose scaling may show some fuchsia overtones and varies from being limited to the postmedial area (denser scaling pattern, resembling females) to reaching or entering the discal cell (scaling highly diffuse). Female HW scaling varies in color from off-white to rose.

Subspecies. None.

Remarks. The illustrations of C. pireta in Weymer (1910) and Brown (1942) correspond to C. cliftoni . Although the male HW submarginal and postmedial bands are usually thin, in some specimens we found they were wider and more arched, appearing as female-like males. Male genitalia from a specimen collected in Villavicencio (type locality; Fig. 3 a) match those from Ecuadorean, Colombian and Peruvian specimens that have more diffuse rose scaling ( Fig. 6 b). Although we observed some variation in the valva, tegumen plus uncus, and saccus among specimens, the morphology of the subscaphium was uniformly consistent and we found no intermediate specimens between C. cliftoni ( Fig. 6 b) and C. aurora ( Fig. 6 c–e).

Material examined: MALE: 1M British Guiana, Demerara River, no date, dissection CMP 13-17 (UFL); 1M Colombia, no date dissected by M. Clifton as part of a paratype-to-be series, slide 649, labeled as C. ereba , very similar to the type specimen of C. pireta cliftoni Constantino ( CMNH); 1M Colombia, Rio Orteguaza, Rastrojo, August–September 1947, studied by M. Clifton as part of a paratype-to-be series, labeled as C. ereba medea ( CMNH); 1M Colombia, Putumayo, Orito Rd. 400 m, 3 July 1981, dissection CMP 13-36 (UFL); 1M Colombia, Boyaca, Villavicencio, Rio Negro, 3 January 1976, dissection CMP 13-12 (UFL); 2M Ecuador, Yasuni National Park, 8 September 2002, dissection LG 12-04, and 4 October 1998 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, Oriente, Rio Pumagaco (sic) 700 m, 5 September 1971, dissection LG 12-05 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, Napo, Coca 300 m, 4 March 1971 dissection LG 12-06 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, Oriente, Rio Latas, 10 September 1971 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, San Jose Julio 800 m, 1–30 July 1990 (UFL); 2M Ecuador, Napo, Puerto Misahualli, 6 November 1983 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, Napo, Rio Napo 22–24 August 1978 ( LACM); 1M Ecuador, Oriente Rio Finoly (sic), 22 July 1980 ( LACM); Ecuador, Sucumbios, Garzacocha, 16–22 September 1994, dissection CMP 13-23 (UFL); 1M Ecuador, Lake Taracoa on Rio Napo, 25 June 1980 (UFL); 6M Ecuador, Pastaza, Shiripuno 31 May 2008 dissection CMP 13-26, 31 May 2008, 5 August 2008, 3 September 2008, 3 November 2008, 5 November 2008 (PJD); 2M Ecuador, Concepción, September 1929, one dissection CMP 14-09 ( LACM); 2M Peru, Iquitos, Explorama Lodge 22–28 October 1989, dissection CMP 13-15 (UFL); 3M Peru, Loreto, Rio Amazonas, Iquitos, 9–12 September 1990 ( LACM); 1M Peru, Iquitos, June 1919 dissection CMP 14-16 ( CMNH); 1M Peru, Yurimaguas, 12 April 1920, dissection CMP 14-19 ( CMNH); 1M Peru, Yurimaguas, 26 April 1920 ( CMNH); FEMALE: 1F Colombia, Rio Orteguaza, Rastrojo, August–September 1947, studied by M. Clifton as part of a paratype-to-be series, labeled as C. ereba medea ( CMNH); 1F Colombia, no date, studied by M. Clifton as part of a paratype-to-be series, labeled as C. ereba ( CMNH); 1F Colombia, Putumayo, Orito Rd. 400 m, 3 July 1981, dissection CMP 13-37 (UFL); 2F Colombia, Amazonas, Rio Loreto Yacu 8 July–August 16 1981, one dissection CMP 14-06 ( LACM); 2F Ecuador, Yasuni National Park, 8 September 2002, dissection CMP 13-29 and 13-35 (UFL); 1F Ecuador, Napo, Rio Misahualli, June 1988 (UFL); 1F Ecuador, Napo, Rio Napo, Misahualli 1700 ft. 9 August 1998 (UFL); 1F Ecuador, Napo, Laguna Taracoa, Rio Napo 800 m, no date (UFL); 1F Ecuador, Napo, Limoncocha, 6 June 1977 dissection CMP 13-39 (UFL); 2F Ecuador, Oriente, Rio Arajuno 700–1000 m, 29 April 1941 and 20 March 1968 (UFL); 6F Ecuador, Pastaza, Shiripuno 3 January 2009 dissection CMP 14-01, and 5 May 2008, 2 August 2008, 5 August 2008, 4 February 2009, 3 May 2009 (PJD); 1F Peru, Loreto, Iquitos, October 2000 (UFL); 1F Peru, Iquitos, Explorama Inn, 1980’s, dissection CMP 14-15 ( LACM).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Male genitalia in lateral and ventral views, tegument and uncus in dorsal view, and subscaphium in ventral view. Valva setae shown on one side only. When not clearly visible in the lateral view illustration, the phallus was shown separately. The position of the phallus varies between illustrations, which does not reflect true variation in length. Given that the two parts of the subscaphium (subanal plate and adjacent sclerotized area) rest on the membranous diaphragma, the variation in the shape of the subanal plate includes preparation artifacts (compare c – e which belong to the same species). Scale bar 1 mm for all images. a, C. pireta dissection CMP 13 - 09; b, C. cliftoni dissection LGA 12 - 05; c – e, C. aurora dissections CMP 13 - 16, CMP 13 - 19 and CMP 13 - 18.

FIGURE 8. Female genitalia in ventral view, including schematic representation of papilla anales and abdomen outline. Scale bar Scale bar 1 mm for line drawings only. a, C. pireta dissection CMP 13 – 28, the arrow indicates lateral portion of the sterigma that is much reduced (and not illustrated) in other species; b – c, C. cliftoni dissections CMP 13 – 35 and 13 – 29; d, C. aurora dissection CMP 13 – 33; e, C. pyritosa dissection CMP 14 – 20. f, characteristic aspect of a mated female; note that the scaling anterior to the sterigma have been lifted by the mating plug.

FIGURE 9. Map showing the collecting localities of examined specimens (excluding dubious localities).

FIGURE 3. C. cliftoni; dorsal view on the left, ventral on the right—except when indicated (a). Collecting localities and genitalia dissection codes appear below each specimen.