Pseudeuptychia Forster, 1964

Nakahara, Shinichi, Willmott, Keith R., Mielke, Olaf H. H., Schwartz, Johanna, Zacca, Thamara, Espeland, Marianne & Lamas, Gerardo, 2018, Seven new taxa from the butterfly subtribe Euptychiina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) with revisional notes on Harjesia Forster, 1964 and Pseudeuptychia Forster, 1964, Insecta Mundi 639, pp. 1-38 : 14-15

Pseudeuptychia Forster, 1964

Pseudeuptychia: Forster 1964: 86 .

Type species: Euptychia languida Butler, 1871: 282 ― by original designation.

Forster (1964) described Pseudeuptychia to contain two species, namely Euptychia languida Butler, 1871 and E. hemileuca Staudinger, [1886] , and designated the former as the type species of the genus. Pseudeuptychia was regarded as a somewhat ‘isolated and distinctive genus’ by Forster, in regard to its DHW black ocelli and distinctive male genitalia. Presumably based on its overall appearance, Pseudeuptychia was associated with Euptychia Hübner, 1818 and Pareuptychia Forster, 1964 in the original description of the genus, but the genitalia do not show any strong affinities to support a close relationship to these two genera, and our molecular data show that these three genera are not closely related (unpublished data). Lamas (2004) retained Forster’s (1964) classification and listed two additional undescribed species in the genus. We here describe one of them, in addition to describing a new subspecies of Pseudeuptychia languida . In addition to describing these two new taxa, we also figure the female genitalia of P. hemileuca ( Fig. 13a, b ), a poorly known Pseudeuptychia species known only from the single female syntype in the MNHU ( Fig. 12a ). The new species described and named below, Pseudeuptychia cuzquenya n. sp., is also known only from a single female specimen, and clearly a discovery of the male, as well as any data regarding these taxa, would be extremely valuable in improving our understanding of these rare Neotropical butterflies.

Systematic placement and diagnosis. Our molecular data suggest that Pseudeuptychia is sister to Chloreuptychia herseis (Godart, [1824]) (unpublished data), which affinity is also supported by the form of lamella antevaginalis, but a comprehensive phylogenetic study of Euptychiina, to confirm the most appropriate generic classification, is still underway. Pseudeuptychia is distinguished from Chloreuptychia herseis by having a whitish coloration on the dorsal wing surface(s), which is absent in C. herseis , in addition to having the ocelli in VHW cells M 2 and M 3 more rounded (the ocelli in VHW cells M 2 and M 3 are elongated in C. herseis ).

Figures

Figure 12. Pseudeuptychia specimens (dorsal on left, ventral on right). a) Pseudeuptychia hemileuca syntype female. b) Pseudeuptychia cuzquenya n. sp. holotype female. c) Pseudeuptychia languida austrina n. ssp. (MUSM-LEP 104264). d) Pseudeuptychia languida austrina n. ssp. holotype female.

Figure 13. Pseudeuptychia genitalia. a) Female genitalia of Pseudeuptychia hemileuca syntype. b) Lamella antevaginalis in ventral view of P. hemileuca syntype. c) Lamella antevaginalis in ventral view of P. cuzquenya n. sp. d) Male genitalia in lateral view of P. languida austrina n. ssp., with tip of uncus shown above. e) Phallus in lateral view of P. languida austrina n. ssp. f) Female genitalia of P. languida austrina n. ssp. g) Lamella antevaginalis in ventral view of P. languida austrina n. ssp. (illustrated genitalia: Lee D. Miller M-9056 for P. hemileuca; SN-16-65 for P. cuzquenya n. sp.; SN-16-66 and SN-16-67 for P. languida austrina n. ssp.).