Dasyophthalma geraensis Rebel, 1922

Penz, Carla Maria, 2009, Phylogeny of Dasyophthalma butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Brassolini), Insecta Mundi 2009 (69), pp. 1-12 : 6

Dasyophthalma geraensis Rebel, 1922

( Fig. 1G , 3G )

Type locality. Brazil, Minas Gerais, Passa Quatro.

Diagnosis. Transverse postmedial bands of same color on FW and HW, both homogeneously yellow. FW and HW blue iridescence patches smaller than in D. rusina . HW medial band slightly broader than in D. rusina and clearly extended to the anal margin. Male genitalia indistinguishable from D. rusina .

Distribution. Brazil, Minas Gerais (Mantiqueira mountain range), Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo (Casagrande 2004, A.V.L. Freitas pers. comm., Appendix 1).

Remarks. d’Araújo e Silva (1968) reported “uricana” ( Bactris tormentosa , Arecaceae ) as host plant. This taxon was originally described as a subspecies of D. rusina by Rebel (1922), who considered it a ‘local form’ worthy of a name. The male genitalia are identical to those of D. rusina . Females were not available for examination in the collections that were used in this study (Appendix 1). This species higher elevation forests (~ 1200 m) and it is currently listed as endangered in the Lista Oficial da Fauna Brasileira ameaçada de extinção (http://www.biodiversitas.org.br/f_ameaca/p_fauna.asp, consulted on 26 January, 2009).

Figures

Figure 1. Dasyophthalma adults. Habitus with dorsal side on the left, ventral side on the right. Scale bar next to B = 1cm. A) D. creusa male, Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul. B) D. creusa female, Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul. C) D. verebralis male, Brazil, Espírito Santo. D) D. vertebralis female, [Brazil] East Amazonas. E) D. rusina male, South Brazil. F) D. rusina female, South Brazil. G) D. geraensis male, [Brazil] Minas Gerais. H) Detail of the head of D. rusina. I) Detail of the hindleg of D. rusina. J) Venation pattern of D. rusina, vein thickness is not shown.

Figure 3. Dasyophthalma male genitalia in lateral and ventral views (setae omitted from right side of figure), with detail of the juxta and tegumen + uncus in dorsal view, plus female sterigma and corpus bursae. The line below sterigma represents the shape of the intersegmental sac. Scale bar next to G = 1mm. A) D. creusa male, South Brazil, 01-17 dissected by C.M.Penz. B) D. creusa female, South Brazil, 01-16 dissected by C.M.Penz. C) D. vertebralis male, Brazil, Espírito Santo, 07-170 dissected by C.M.Penz. D) D. vertebralis female, [Brazil] East Amazonas, no date, 07-171 dissected by C.M.Penz. E) D. rusina male, Brazil, Santa Catarina, 01-18 dissected by C.M.Penz. F) D. rusina female (with detail of the intersegmental sac below sterigma), Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul, 01-19 dissected by C.M.Penz. G) D. geraensis male, Brazil, Minas Gerais, 07-169 dissected by C.M.Penz.