A review of the Neotropical skipper genus Sodalia Evans, 1955 (Lepidoptera Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae) with the description of a new species
Author
Gaviria-Ortiz, Fabian Guillermo
0000-0001-8119-6372
fabianggo @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 8119 - 6372
fabianggo@gmail.com
Author
Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo
Author
Carneiro, Eduardo
0000-0002-4796-0020
eduardo. carneiro @ ufpr. br; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4796 - 0020
eduardo.carneiro@ufpr.br
Author
Warren, Andrew D.
0000-0002-6730-1938
McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, U. S. A. awhesp @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 6730 - 1938
awhesp@gmail.com
Author
Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik
0000-0003-3655-4606
omhesp @ ufpr. br; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3655 - 4606
omhesp@ufpr.br
Author
Casagrande, Mirna Martins
0000-0002-6076-8463
mibras @ ufpr. br; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 6076 - 8463
mibras@ufpr.br
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-11-09
4877
1
102
124
journal article
8048
10.11646/zootaxa.4877.1.4
a4126ee5-4b17-474c-b96a-fa4662e0c653
1175-5326
4423887
7F5AF885-F6F2-4A65-B0A7-CBE943787943
Sodalia spangla
(
Evans, 1955
)
comb. nov.
Figs 17–18
,
23
,
28
,
33
,
38
,
45
Mnasitheus spangla
Evans, 1955
.
Cat. Amer. Hesp. 4
, p. 146, pl. 63 (male gen.); [holo]
type
male,
Rio Blanco
, [
Morona Santiago
,]
Ecuador
,
1700 m
,
F. M. Brown
leg.; BM(NH).—
Bridges
, 1983.
Lep. Hesp.
1
, p. 111;
2
, p. 21.—
Bridges
, 1988.
Cat. Hesp.
1, p. 176; 2, p. 34.—
Lamas
, 2003.
Marip. Machu Picchu
, p. 190.—
Mielke
, 2004.
Hesperioidea
, p. 72,
in
Lamas
(ed.).
Checklist
:
Part
4A,
Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea
,
in
Heppner
(ed.).
Atlas Neotrop. Lep.
5A
.
(no genus)
spangla
; Beattie, 1976.
Rhop. Direct
., p. 262.
Diagnosis.
Sodalia spangla
is the smallest species of
Sodalia
and the only one with the dorsal and ventral wing surfaces completely speckled with yellow scales.
Redescription
.
Head
: Mostly brown mixed with yellow, frons with a patch of short, compact, iridescent bluishgreen scales. Labial palpus mostly dark brown and yellow. Antenna brown, ventrally yellow at base of segments;
club brown, with yellow ring at base; apiculus shorter than club, ventrally with a yellow line; nudum of 11 segments, dark brown, restricted to apiculus.
Thorax
: Entirely brown and yellow including patagia, tegula and legs.
FIGURES 39–42.
Female genitalia of
Sodalia
. 39.
S. sodalis
, from Tingo Maria, Huánuco, Peru (DZ 31.675). 40.
S. argyrospila
, from Paranaguá, Paraná, Brazil (OM 15.992). 41.
S. coler
, from Seara, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ 35.306). 42.
S. petiti
sp. nov.
, paratype from La Palma, Alluriquin, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador (DZ 35.375). Top to bottom: lateral view of tergum VIII, posterior apophysis, stergima, papilla analis and part of the ductus bursae; ventral view of the sterigma and bursa copulatrix. Scale bar: 1 mm.
Wings
: Forewing length
9–10 mm
. DFW and DHW dark brown speckled with yellow; DFW with two brands over and under CuA
2
, covered by dark brown scales, the former longer than in all other species of the genus, with base only slightly wider than tip, bordering CuA, the latter brand narrower and shorter than former, bordering CuA
2
. VFW dark brown, yellow speckling denser than on DFW; VHW as VFW but yellow speckling denser. Fringe of both wings yellowish brown.
Abdomen
: Dorsally dark brown, densely speckled with yellow scales; ventrally as dorsally but paler.
Male genitalia
: Tegumen more than two times wider than long in dorsal view, proximal margin with a short indentation. Fenestra semicircular, almost reaching distal margin of uncus in dorsal view. Saccus slightly longer than tegumen. Uncus more than twice as long as tegumen; distal margin of base with a wide, shallow indentation; arms parallel to tegumen, about six times longer than base, narrowed distally to a sharp ventrally bent tip. Gnathos arms about 2/3 length of uncus, markedly narrowed distally to an upturned tip. Valva 2.5 longer than wide, base narrow, widening distally; ampulla 2/3 width of valva, wider distally, distal margin rounded; harpe longer than ampulla, with a sharp, serrated and upcurved distal projection, slightly curved anteriorly. Fultura inferior the smallest of the genus, lateral sides dorsally projected, base with an anterior and another, short, ventral rounded projection. Aedeagus about 90% as long as valva, straight in dorsal and slightly concave in lateral view; distal opening restricted to tip; aedeagus distal margin with a short median dorsal indentation; no cornutus.
Type
material.
Mnasitheus spangla
Evans, 1955
was described based on the [holo]
type
male from
Rio Blanco
, Ecuador. This specimen is deposited at the
NHMUK
bearing the following labels
: /
Type
/ 432 /
ECUADOR
:
Cord. Oriental E. Foothills
[, Morona Santinado,]
Rio Blanco
1700 m
.
May 1949
F. M. Brown
/
Brit. Mus.
1950-369. / accidentally damaged after description /
PHOTO
AA /
BMNH
(E)# 806018 /
NHMUK
.
Distribution.
This species is distributed at mid to high elevations of the eastern Andes of
Ecuador
and
Peru
(
Fig. 45
).
FIGURE 43.
Geographic distribution of
Sodalia sodalis
and
Sodalia coler
.
Comments.
Sodalia spangla
is the smallest species of the genus and the only one with wings densely speckled with yellow scales, an atypical pattern among skippers. This color pattern is also found, albeit to a lesser extent, in the Andean endemic
S. petiti
sp. nov.
. The range of
S. spangla
extends along a narrow zone of elfin forest in the Andes of
Ecuador
,
Peru
and possibly
Colombia
(which needs further confirmation), where it is believed to be endemic, in areas at least between
2200–3000 m
elevation, although two specimens are known from the
type
locality at
1700 m
. At the MGCL there are seven males from
Ecuador
labeled by Lafebre from the NW slope of Volcan
Pichincha
(
Pichincha Province
) at
3500 m
, and a male labeled from the Cordillera Cotacachi (
Imbabura Province
) at
3750 m
. Given that various Lafebre specimens from
Ecuador
are known to be mislabeled, the occurrence of
S. spangla
as high as
3750 m
requires verification.
FIGURE 44.
Geographic distribution of
Sodalia argyrospila
.
This species was originally placed by
Evans (1955)
in the genus
Mnasitheus
. However,
S. spangla
differs from most of the species included in that genus by the presence of a transverse brand over CuA
2
, the broadly divided uncus, and coecum of the aedeagus of similar thickness as the rest of the structure, with the opening of the ejaculatory bulb almost as long as half the length of the aedeagus. Most of the species included in
Mnasitheus
have a longitudinal or sagitated brand over CuA
2
, a slightly divided uncus, and the coecum of the aedeagus is distinctly thinner than the rest of the structure. Therefore, the characters above support the combination of
Sodalia spangla
(
comb. nov.
). Although the female of
S. spangla
remains unknown, it is expected that the morphology of its genitalia will reinforce the new combination proposed here.
Examined
material.
ECUADOR
:
Imbabura
—Cordillera Cotacachi
,
3750 m
,
XI.1971
,
R
.
de Lafebre
leg.,
1 ♂
(
MCGL
)
.
Pichincha—
old road from Quito to coast,
2713–2957 m
,
00°18’03.4’’S
78°38’55.0’’W
,
15.X.2005
,
J. D. Turner
leg.,
1 ♂
(
MCGL
*)
.
Niebli
(
NW
Slope
,
Vol.
Pichincha
)
,
3500 m
,
1.VIII.1971
,
R
.
de Lafebre
leg.,
7 ♂
(
MCGL
)
.
Tugurahua
—
Rio Blanco
,
1700 m
,
VIII.1971
,
R
.
de Lafebre
leg.,
1 ♂
(
MGCL
*)
.
Loja
—
Podocarpus National Park
(
Cajanuma Ranger Station
),
2823 m
,
04°06’58.2’’S
79°10’19.3”W
,
15.XI.2009
, C.
V
.
Covell Jr.
leg.,
1 ♂
(
MCGL
)
. PERU—
Amazonas—
Oso Perdido
,
2200 m
,
05°43’S
,
77°50’W
,
XI.2016
,
J. Pintado
leg.,
1 ♂
(
OM 83.645
*)
,
IV.2017
,
J. Pintado
leg.
2 ♂
(
OM 83.945
,
OM 83.985
)
.