Revised species definitions and nomenclature of the rose colored Cithaerias butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)
Author
Penz, Carla M.
Author
Alexander, Laura G.
Author
Devries, Philip J.
text
Zootaxa
2014
3873
5
541
559
journal article
42358
10.11646/zootaxa.3873.5.5
57f18dad-5ee3-4df1-83f6-32c19e460d7b
1175-5326
230839
05BD334C-493D-4688-92E8-602943ECF57D
Cithaerias pyritosa
(Zikán)
(
Figs
5
g–i, 7b, 8e, 9)
Cithaerias similigena
D’Almeida
Callitaera pireta amaryllis
Bryk
Type
material:
Lectotype
is in the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
http:// www.butterfliesofamerica.com/L/ih/n_
cithaerias
0037_i.htm (last accessed
22 June 2014
).
Distribution.
Colombia
east of the Andes, and
Brazil
, and might be sympatric with
C. aurorina
(see
Constantino 1995
) and
C. aurora
. See map (
Fig. 9
) for examined specimens.
Diagnosis.
We define this species based on the following combination of characters (numbered in
Fig.
5
g): (1) male HW submarginal band well separated from marginal band, slightly staggered, usually merging with marginal band in cell M2 to form a brown triangle (arrow in
Fig.
5
g); (2) male HW postmedial band that outlines the ocellus complete across cells Rs through M2; (3) male HW postmedial band somewhat broad, slightly arched in each cell; (4) male HW scaling dense, deep rose with overtones of iridescent purple in some specimens, and usually localized in cells M3, Cu1 and Cu2 (absent or barely entering cell M2); (5) female similar to male but with wider brown bands and lighter color scaling (lacking the purple sheen), wing pattern of the single specimen available to us seems indistinguishable from
C. aurora
. Male genitalia (
Fig. 7
b): note the extremely long phallus and saccus—unique to this species, plus the narrow rounded subscaphium that bears well-sclerotized small spines. Female genitalia (
Fig. 8
e): the rectangular sterigma is smaller and more deeply concave than in
C. aurora
, and it bears an extremely large ostium bursae. Note also the enlarged antrum plus ductus bursae.
FIGURE 8.
Female genitalia in ventral view, including schematic representation of papilla anales and abdomen outline. Scale bar Scale bar 1 mm for line drawings only.
a
,
C. pireta
dissection CMP 13–28, the arrow indicates lateral portion of the sterigma that is much reduced (and not illustrated) in other species;
b–c
,
C. cliftoni
dissections CMP 13–35 and 13–29;
d
,
C. aurora
dissection CMP 13–33;
e
,
C. pyritosa
dissection CMP 14–20.
f
, characteristic aspect of a mated female; note that the scaling anterior to the sterigma have been lifted by the mating plug.
FIGURE 9.
Map showing the collecting localities of examined specimens (excluding dubious localities).
Variation in wing pattern.
Although few specimens were available to us, some variation was observed. In males the coloration can be pure rose (
Brazil
) or have overtones of purple (
Colombia
), and the brown scale-less triangle below M
2 may
be solid (brown bands amalgamated;
Fig.
5
g) or open (brown bands not amalgamated;
Fig 5
h).
Subspecies.
None.
Remarks.
Although it is not possible to evaluate the length of the phallus and saccus from the original description of
C. pyritosa
, based on
type
specimen photographs and localities, we concur with
Lamas (1998)
that
C. similigena
and
C. pireta amaryllis
are synonyms of
C. pyritosa
. The male genitalia photograph of
C. similigena
in D’Almeida (1951) is quite similar to
C. pyritosa
in
Fig. 7
b, but the phallus is proportionately longer. It is also important to note that the proportions of the male genitalia parts in lateral view illustrated by
Constantino (1995)
do not match those in D’Almeida (1951; as
C. similigena
) nor this study (
Fig. 7
b). This variation warrants further examination.
Material examined: MALE:
1M
Brazil
, Amazonas, Tonantins,
August 1923
M. Clifton dissection slide 239 (
CMNH
); 1M
Colombia
, Amazonas, Rio Tacana,
1–13 November 1946
(
CMNH
); 1M
Colombia
, Amazonas, Rio Loreto Yacu,
8 July–16 August 1981
, dissection CMP 14-04 (
LACM
); 2M
Colombia
, Leticia,
19 November 1975
(
USNM
).
FEMALE:
1F
Colombia
, Amazonas, Rio Tacana,
1–13 November 1946
, dissection CMP 14-20 (
CMNH
); 1F
Brazil
,
30 June 1919
(specimen has an unusual number of eyespots, identification is tentative) (
CMNH
).