Euselasia pontasis, Callaghan, Curtis J., Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge & Luis-Martinez, Armando, 2007

Callaghan, Curtis J., Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge & Luis-Martinez, Armando, 2007, Descriptions of four new Mexican riodinids (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Zootaxa 1660, pp. 33-43 : 34

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.179912

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6246950

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03ABD951-FFDA-FFD5-3D98-D31119D6F87D

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Euselasia pontasis
status

sp. nov.

Euselasia pontasis sp. nov.

( Figures 1 View FIGURES 1 – 9. 1 , 10 View FIGURES 10 – 14. 10 , 15 View FIGURE 15 )

Description. Male. Forewing length of Holotype 15 mm. Forewing costa curved, tip slightly falcate, distal margin straight to Cu1, where it angles sharply to the pointed tornus. Hind wing costa short, curving concave to a point at Cu1, then again bending concave to a point at the tornus; inner margin nearly straight to base. Dorsal wing ground color dark brown. Forewing with dark orange area extending from cell to inner margin; hind wing with round dark orange discal area below cell, inner margin dark grey. Ventral surface ground color grey – brown. Forewing with a row of submarginal spots between veins, and a faint irregular band crossing the discal area from costa to inner margin; hindwing with similar row of sub-marginal spots; discal area lighter with paler scaling extending along veins into limbal area; the indistinct discal band, continuing from the forewing, extends from costa to end of the cell where it divides slightly before rejoining, continuing to just before inner margin where it curves abruptly basad.

Head, thorax, abdomen dark orange dorsad, dark brown ventrad; antennae brown, ventrad with white scales between sections; orbit, frontoclypeus; labial palpi and forelegs dark brown; median and hind legs cream colored.

Male genitalia ( Fig.11 View FIGURES 10 – 14. 10 ) with uncus same length as tegumen, squared with minute teeth, and with a small dorsal notch; tegumen rounded caudad with long blunt lateral projections nearly reaching the valvae; vinculum narrow, slightly wider at base. Valvae pointed, narrow, rounded at base with long, thick lateral setae; dorsal process on transtilla prominent and pointed; aedeagus slightly curved, with a rounded point.

Female. unknown

Types. Holotype male with label reading: “Chincultic”, Chiapas, 11-VII-92, John Kemner 4500’, 468 KEMNER 2870 Base Kemner, and a red type label. 5 Paratype males as follows: 2 males Santa Rosa Comitán, Chiapas, V-61, leg. Escalante, MGCL/4110, 4111; 1 male Ochna, [Ochuc] Chiapas, 17-X-65. leg. P. Hubbell, MGCL/4112; 1 male Las Delicias, Chiapas, leg. R. Wind MGCL/4102; 1 male S. Cristóbal de las Casas 4800’ 25-VI-69, leg. R. Wind, MGCL/4113.

The Holotype is deposited in the MZFC. The paratypes are in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History.

Etymology. The name refers to the pointed distal margins on the fore- and hind wings.

Diagnosis. This little butterfly appears at first glance to be related to Euselasia angulata (Bates, 1868) , sharing the pointed distal margins on both fore- and hindwings. Examination of the male genitalia of both species, however, shows many differences between them. Euselasia pontasis has a longer process on the tegumen, lacks internal process on the valvae and has a narrower aedeagus. The male genitalia are not close to any other Mexican riodinid.

Distribution and Habits. ( Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 ) This species inhabits the southern highlands in the State of Chiapas near the Guatemalan border. Nothing is known of its habits. The holotype comes from Chinkultic (an archeological site of the Mayan culture in the Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, La Trinitaria Municipality in Chiapas; 16°36'50'' 91°47'30''). This species probably also occurs in Guatemala highlands.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Lycaenidae

Genus

Euselasia

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