Steroma bega bega Westwood

Viloria, Angel L., Pyrcz, Tomasz W. & Orellana, Andrés, 2010, A survey of the Neotropical montane butterflies of the subtribe Pronophilina (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) in the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa, Zootaxa 2622, pp. 1-41 : 26

Steroma bega bega Westwood

( Figs. 53, 54 )

Steroma bega Westwood, [1851] : 66, fig. 6. Syntype (male) in BMNH [examined].

Geographic range: Species: CC, throughout Colombia, north-western and eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and Bolivia; Subspecies: CC, CM, SP, EC (east slopes).

Altitudinal range: 1800–2700 m ( Adams, 1986); 2250–2900 m ( Pyrcz & Wojtusiak, 2002); 2000–2700 m (Pyrcz, 2004); 1700–2400 m.

Remarks: S. bega is the only representative of the genus in the CC. It is a small, brown, inconspicuous butterfly with a characteristic cryptic HWV pattern resembling lichens or mosses, which it exposes in lateral basking behaviour. It may easily be overlooked, and actually it is much more common than usually thought. It flies slowly and close to the ground, being active in sunny weather only. It comes to a number of baits consisting of decomposing organic matter. In the CC, it occurs above 1800 m, but in some Andean localities it was found as low as 1400 m (Pyrcz, unpubl.).

Material examined: DISTRITO FEDERAL: 2 males: Pico Naiguatá, 2765, 24.III.1978, A. Montagne, leg., MIZA; 1 male: P. N. El Avila, Est. Teleférico, 16.VI.1983, MIZA; MIRANDA: 1 male: Pico Naiguatá, N. of Caracas, 2200 m, 13.V.1975, M. Adams leg., BMNH; 1 female: Pico Naiguatá, N. of Caracas, 2700 m, 16.V.1975, M. Adams leg., BMNH; ARAGUA: 1 male: Colonia Tovar, 2100 m, 22.V.1975, M. Adams leg., BMNH; 1 female: Colonia Tovar, 1800 m, 23.V.1975, M. Adams leg., BMNH; 1 male: Colonia Tovar, vía Cuesta Maya, 2100 m, 14.V.1996, J. DeMarmels leg., MIZA; 2 males: Capachal, vía Colonia Tovar, 2150 m, 11.VIII.1984, J. Lattke leg., MIZA; 1 female: Colonia Tovar, II.1994, V. Colmenares leg., MIZA; 3 males and 2 females: Colonia Tovar, 2100 m, IV.1982, F. Romero leg., FRR; 2 males: same data but IV.1993, FRR; 1 male: same data but IV.1970, FRR; 1 female: same data but 2200 m, VII.1993, FRR; 1 female: Colonia Tovar, Capachal, 2050 m, 22.II.2010, T. Pyrcz leg., MZUJ.

Figures

FIGURES 45 – 54. Adult satyrine butterflies from the Cordillera de La Costa, Venezuela (left: dorsal, right: ventral); 45. Eretris encycla encycla (C. & R. Felder) (male, vía Capachal); 46. E. encycla encycla (C. & R. Felder) (female, vía Capachal); 47. Eretris neocycla Pyrcz & Viloria n. sp., HOLOTYPE (male, vía Naranjal); 48. E. neocycla Pyrcz & Viloria n. sp., PARATYPE (female, Cuesta Puerto Maya); 49. Lymanopoda obsoleta (Westwood) (male, Colonia Tovar); 50. L. obsoleta (Westwood) (female, Colonia Tovar); 51. Lymanopoda caucana Weymer (male, Cerro San Isidro); 52. L. caucana Weymer (female, Cerro San Isidro); 53. Steroma bega bega Westwood (male, Colonia Tovar); 54. S. bega bega Westwood (female, Colonia Tovar).