Dyscophellus mielkei Austin, 2008

Austin, George T., 2008, Hesperiidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Taxonomic comments on “ night ” skippers, with descriptions of new genera and species (Lepidoptera: Eudaminae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (29), pp. 1-36 : 21-23

Dyscophellus mielkei Austin , new species

( Fig. 47-48 , 101 , 127 )

Description. Male: mean FW length = 23.3 mm (22.3-24.4, n = 6); forewing with costal fold, apex pointed, produced, termen slightly convex; hindwing costal margin shorter than forewing anal margin, termen relatively straight, very slightly angled at vein CuA 2 to short tornal lobe; dorsum relatively bright cinnamon-brown; forewing grading to brown at outer margin, brown broadest at apex; black macules as follows: postbasal and doubled postmedial macules in CuA 2 -2A, curved macule above postmedial macules in CuA 1 -CuA 2, very thin curved line in M 3 -CuA 1, three vague subapical macules, macule or short bar near distal end of discal cell; fringes brown. Hindwing with broad black costal margin including relatively distinct gray vein Sc+R 1 and area anterior to it proximad; relatively distinct to obsolete black macules at distal end of discal cell and as curved submarginal row, most prominent between M 1 and CuA 1; fringes very pale brown, darker at vein tips.

Ventral forewing brown, cinnamon-brown overscaling in discal cell (where heaviest), bases of cells M 3 -CuA 1, CuA 1 -CuA 2, and along costa with sparse to moderate dusting of same color to outer margin; black macules of dorsum vague. Ventral hindwing cinnamon-brown basad grading to brown with cinnamon-brown overscaling at outer margin, brown broadest at apex; medial and postmedial macular series more prominent and complete than on dorsum; submarginal macule in CuA 1 -CuA 2 with whitish center as are paired submarginal and medial macules in CuA 2 -2A, brown macules in other cells may or may not be present.

Head and palpi cinnamon-brown, cheeks grading to pale yellow behind red-brown eyes, antennae black on dorsum, yellow at base of club and on sides of apiculus, yellow ringed with black on venter, nudum yellow-brown with 35 segments; thorax and legs cinnamon-brown, tibiae smooth with dense, hairlike tufts on back, mid-tibia with single pair of spurs, hind tibia with two pairs of spurs; abdomen cinnamon-brown cephalad on dorsum and on venter, posterior dorsum browner.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 101 ): uncus evenly curved from tegumen to long and narrow caudal end, no lateral processes, similar to that of Dyscophellus sebaldus ; valva with relatively evenly curved costaampulla grading gradually into harpe; dorsal edge of harpe finely serrate to blunt caudal end; aedeagus about length of valva, curved slightly upward, cornuti as two sets of fine spikes.

Female: unknown.

Types. Holotype male with the following labels: white, printed - / BRASIL: Rondonia / 65 km S Ariquemes / linea C-20, 7 km E / B-65, Fazenda / Rancho Grande / 16 November 1992 / leg. G. T. Austin / at paper lures / 1630-1700 /; white, printed and hand printed - / Genitalia Vial / GTA – 6702 /, red, printed - / HOLOTYPE / Dyscophellus mielkei / Austin /. Deposited at the Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil. Paratypes (all same location and collector as holotype) - 14 Aug 1993, associated with Eciton burchelli, 1700 -1730 (1 male); 13 Oct 1994, at paper lures, 1700-1730 (1 male); 9 Nov 1992, associated with Eciton burchelli, 1730 -1800 (1 male); 13 Nov 1992, at paper lures, 1700-1730 (1 male); 13 Nov 1992, at paper lures, 1630-1700 (1 male); 19 Nov 1992, at paper lures, 1700-1730 (1 male).

Type locality. BRAZIL: Rondônia; 62km south of Ariquemes, Linha C-20, 7km (by road) east of route B- 65, Fazenda Rancho Grande , elevation 180m. This is approximately 5km northeast of Cacaulândia in typical lowland tropical rainforest .

Etymology. It is my great pleasure to name this species after a friend and colleague, Olaf H. H. Mielke, who knows more about neotropical Hesperiidae than anyone.

Distribution and phenology. This species is known only from the types taken in August, October, and November ( Fig. 127 ).

Diagnosis and discussion. Dyscophellus mielkei will key to D. erythras in Evans (1952). Dyscophellus erythras superficially is very similar in both size and markings, but is redder in contrast to the more yellowish cinnamon-brown of D. mielkei . Male genitalia of D. mielkei are very different from those of D. erythras that have a broad dorsal process on the harpe.

The new species is also similar to D. ramusis , but is smaller in size and has a less clearly pale vein Sc+R 1 on the dorsal hindwing. Dyscophellus mielkei is much redder brown than the sympatric Dyscophellus porsena , and nearer to the color of Central American D. ramon , but that species is larger in size and has a prominently white vein Sc+R 1. The valva of D. mielkei is relatively broad and with a broad and blunt caudal end to the harpe. The harpe is distinctly narrow caudad on D. porsena and D. ramon ( Fig. 102- 103 ) and has irregular caudal processes on D. ramusis .

Figures

Figure 38-49. Dyscophellus, Nicephellus, and Euriphellus (from BRAZIL: Rondônia, unless noted otherwise; dorsum and venter of same specimens). 38-39) Dyscophellus sp. (D. diaphorus?) female, COSTA RICA: Alajuela Prov.; Upala Rd., 18.3 km S of Upala, 22 Sep 1987. 40, 43) N. nicephorus female, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 21 Sep 1992. 41-42) N. nicephorus male, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 13 May 1995. 44-45) E. euribates euribates male, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 5 Dec 1991. 46, 49) E. euribates euribates female, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 10 Nov 1995. 47-48) D. mielkei male, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 16 Nov 1994.

Figure 98-103. Male genitalia of Dyscophellus (from BRAZIL: Rondônia, unless noted otherwise). Structures shown are lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of tegumen, uncus, gnathos, and associated structures; lateral internal view of right valva; lateral view of aedeagus and associated structures; and ventral view of transtilla and juxta. 98) D. porcius porcius (GTA #3419). 99) D. erythras (GTA #1787). 100) D. diaphorus (GTA #3916). 101) D. mielkei (GTA #2879). 102) D. ramon (GTA #3363), COSTA RICA. 103) D. porsena (GTA #3204).

Figure 125-130. Phenology of some night skippers from central Rondônia, Brazil. 125-126) Bungalotis species. 127) Dyscophellus species. 128) Salatis salatisand Sarmientoia similis. 129) Nicephellus nicephorus and Euriphellus euribates. 130) Pseudonascus paulliniae and Nascus species.