A review of the Philaethria dido species complex (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) and description of three new sibling species from Colombia and Venezuela
Author
Constantino, Luis Miguel
Author
Salazar, Julian A.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2720
1
27
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.199882
efb4281f-a3cb-44f7-857e-75432dce8562
1175-5326
199882
Philaethria pygmalion pygmalion
(
Fruhstorfer, 1912
)
(
Fig. 11
)
Entomologische Rundschau 29(2): 14–15
=
Metamandana
dido pygmalion
Fruhstorfer, 1912
: 15
, fig.3
=
Philaethria dido pygmalion
(
Fruhstorfer, 1912)
);
Ackery & Smiles, 1976
:173
, pl. 1, fig.1.)
Type
locality.
Obidos,
Brazil
.
Type
:
(
BMNH
):
Holotype
male
: illustrated in
Ackery & Smiles, 1976
. pl 1. fig. 1.
Diagnosis.
Forewing length
48–49 mm
in males and
49–51 mm
in females.
P. pygmalion
is easily separated from the other species of
Philaethria
by the dark brown inner postdiscal band on the ventral surface of the hind wing, similar to
P. wernickei
, but with the bone white medial postdiscal band very reduced. HW submarginal cellular spots diffuse and continuous. FW postmedial area reduced in size (larger in
P. w e r ni c ke i
). Postmedial, medial and discal area on the ventral surface of both wings light green in coloration. Subapical spot on FW small and reduced in size.
Haploid chromosome number:
n=29 for material examined from
Brazil
(Pará, Amazonas, Matto Grosso) (Suoamalainen &
Brown, 1984
)
Male genitalia (
Fig. 36
):
like
P. wernickei
but valvae with swollen arms with a distal head deflaeted. Saccus short and straight, vinculum stout, tegumen rounded distally with setae at the base of the uncus and the medial; aedeagus short and straight with the apex pointed.
Distribution and habitat.
P. pygmalion
is restricted to rainforest habitats between
100–300 m
in the Amazon basin from
Colombia
(Amazonas),
Venezuela
(Amazonas) to central
Brazil
down the Amazon river.
P. pygmalion pygmalion
flies sympatrically with
P. dido dido
in dense forest.
Host plants
:
Passiflora coccinea
,
P. faroana
,
P. hexagonocarpa
,
P. mansoi
(Passifloraceae)
in
Brazil
(Benson
et al.,
1976).
P. phaeocaula
in
Venezuela
(
Brown & Fernandez, 1985
;
Beccaloni
et al
., 2008
)
Immature stages.
Brown (1981)
illustrates the fifth instar larva of
P. pygmalion pygmalion
. In this paper, the fifth instar larva of
P. pygmalion metaensis
n. ssp.
from Villavicencio,
Colombia
is illustrated in color for the first time (
Fig. 42
g-h). Egg- yellow, 1.5 mm high and 1.1 mm in diameter, with 20 vertical and 8 horizontal ridges, laid singly on tendrils, stipules and old leaves. Mature larva (
Fig. 42
g-h) - body white with black irregular rings on dorsum and sides; base of each scoli with red spots fused together forming small red bands (in
P. dido
with orange spots). Scoli large and black (in
P. dido
orange with black tips); head capsule bright red with head scoli black. Prolegs on abdominal segments red (yellow in
P. dido
). Pupa - mottled brown and gray covered with warts; abdomen and thorax have keels; generally resembles a bird dropping.
Material examined.
COLOMBIA
:
AMAZONAS: Araracuara, Rio Caquetá,
200m
, W. Winhard
leg
. (WWC).
VENEZUELA
:
AMAZONAS: Yavita, K. S. Brown
leg
. (
KSB
).
BRAZIL
:
PARA
: Obidos,
100 m
(
BMNH
), Santarem,
100 m
, K. S. Brown
leg
. (
KSB
), Porto Tromberas,
100 m
, K. S. Brown
leg
. (
KSB
). AMAZONAS: Humaita, R. Madeira, K. S. Brown
leg.
(
KSB
).
MATO
GROSSO: Buriti, K. S. Brown
leg.
(
KSB
) (
Suomalainen & Brown, 1984
).
1 female
,
PERU
:
MADRE
DE
DIOS
, Santuario Nacional Pampas del Heath, Rufugio Juliaca,
220 m
, bosque de galería,
16-VI-1992
, G. Lamas
leg
. (MHNUSM)