Pseudolycaena Wallengren, 1858

Martins, Ananda Regina P., Duarte, Marcelo & Robbins, Robert K., 2019, Phylogenetic Classification of the Atlides Section of the Eumaeini (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), Zootaxa 4563 (1), pp. 119-134 : 127-128

Pseudolycaena Wallengren, 1858

type species: Papilio marsyas Linnaeus

Two Pseudolycaena species have been recognized traditionally ( Godman & Salvin 1887 –1901; Draudt 1919 –1920; Robbins 2004b). Clench (1964) recognized one species, and Austin et al. (2007) recognized five species in two different groups based on a character matrix that was not analyzed phylogenetically. We used some of the newly proposed characters in Austin et al. (2007) in our phylogenetic analyses ( Martins et al. 2018), as they were informative, but could not confirm the validity of others because of excessive intraspecific variation. We follow the traditional two species taxonomy but note that the name P. dorcas (Druce) refers to populations that appear to be a hybrid mix of the two species. The genus occurs almost everywhere in the Neotropics, but the two species are allopatric or parapatric in all parts of their range except for a few scattered records of P. marsyas and P. damo on the wet Caribbean coast of Central America.

Pseudolycaena is characterized by seven synapomorphies ( Table 1), but the conspicuous disjointed spotting on the ventral wing patterns, the size, and the wing shape make this genus immediately recognizable ( Figs. 4 and 14 ).

(black arrows). 16. Lucilda crines . 17. Lucilda margaritacea .

FIGURES 18–19. Female genitalia ductus copulatrix (posterior of butterfly to the right) showing the transparent membranous area in the ductus bursae (arrow). 18. Denivia deniva lateral aspect. 19. Denivia espiritosanto ventral aspect.

Pseudolycaena damo (H. Druce, 1875) (Thecla) , type locality: Panama

dorcas ( H.H. Druce, 1907) (Thecla) , type locality: Peru [appears to be a “hybrid taxon” that could have been

synonymized under P. marsyas .]

Distribution and Habitat. Mexico to Panama in wet and dry lowland habitats with two presumably disjunct

populations in South America. Western Ecuador in dry scrub coastal vegetation around Guayaquil south to

Tumbes, Peru. Dry scrub vegetation in the Rio Marañon Valley of Peru south of 5°S latitude. Pseudolycaena marsyas (Linnaeus, 1758) (Papilio) , type locality: In calidis regionibus [no locality given].

cybele (Godman & Salvin, 1896) ( Thecla ), type locality: St. Vincent

nellyae Lamas, 1981, type locality: Peru described as Pseudolycaena marsyas nellyae .

Distribution and Habitat. The entire Amazonian and Atlantic Regions in many kinds of habitats. Western

Colombia and western Ecuador in forest (not in scrub vegetation along the coast). Southwestern Ecuador and western Peru (Atacama Desert) in valleys with vegetation. Occasional records from the very wet Atlantic coast of Central America, where it overlaps the previous species, but it is not known if these records refer to this species, to wing pattern variants of P. damo , or to hybrids.

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Male wing pattern in the Atlides Section. Dorsal and ventral surfaces. 1. Theritas mavors. 2. Arcas imperialis. 3. Lucilda crines. 4. Pseudolycaena marsyas. 5. Brangas caranus. 6. Atlides halesus. 7. Denivia deniva.

FIGURES 9–15. Hindwing anal lobe cleft (black arrows). 9. Arcas imperialis, 10. Brangas getus, 11. Atlides cosa (with a forewing double scent pad in the discal cell—red arrow), 12. Theritas drucei, 13. Lucilda danaus, 14. Pseudolycaena damo, 15. Denivia silma.