Artines focus Evans, 1955

Medeiros, Adalberto Dantas De, Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Carneiro, Eduardo, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik & Casagrande, Mirna Martins, 2019, Taxonomic revision of Artines Godman, 1901 (Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae: Moncini) with the description of nine new species, Zootaxa 4614 (1), pp. 1-49 : 32-33

Artines focus Evans, 1955

Figs 16, 23, 38, 51, 63, 75, 80

Artines focus Evans, 1955 . Cat. Amer. Hesp. 4, p. 107, pl. 60 (male gen.); [holo] type male, Roraima, British Guyana, H. Whiteley leg.; BM(NH). —Lamas*, 1981. Rev. Soc. Mex. Lep. 6: 37.— Bridges, 1983. Lep. Hesp. 1, p. 44; 2, p. 3.— Bridges, 1988. Cat. Hesp. 1, p. 70; 2, p. 5.—O. Mielke & Casagrande, 1992. Acta Amaz. 21: 199.—Lamas*, 1994, in Foster et al. RAP Working Papers 6: 175.— Bridges, 1994. Cat. Fam.-Group, Gen.-Group, Sp. Group Nam. Hesp. (Lep.) World 8, p. 84; 9, p. 6.—Robbins et al.*, 1996, in Wilson & Sandoval. Manu , p. 248.—O. Mielke & Casagrande, 1998, in Milliken & Ratter. Maracá , p. 477.— Garrouste, 2003, in Lacomme & Manil. Lép. Guyane, p. 141.—O. Mielke, 2004. Hesperioidea, p. 62, in Lamas (ed.). Checklist: Part 4A, Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea, in Heppner (ed.). Atlas Neotrop. Lep. 5A.—O. Mielke, 2005. Cat. Amer. Hesperioidea 4, p. 833.—Garrouste, 2007, in Lacomme & Manil. Lép. Guyana 2, Rhop. 1, p. 64.

(no genus) focus ; Beattie, 1976. Rhop. Direct., p. 147.

Taxonomic history. Artines focus was described by Evans (1955) based in five males and five females from Guyana and Roraima, Pará (Santarém) and Pernambuco, Brazil. The other authors mentioned this species in taxonomic comments, faunistic studies and catalogs.

Diagnosis. Artines focus differs from the other species of the “ aquilina group” in the following combination of characters: ventral forewing without spot in CuA 2 –2A; uncus distally wide, with a ventral projection; aedeagus proximal portion narrow; opening of ejaculatory bulb separated from proximal margin of aedeagus by short distance; lamella postvaginalis without proximal plate, distal sclerotized plate without median notch on proximal margin and with distal margin approximately straight.

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 16 A–B). Head: antenna with nudum bearing 12 to 13 segments.

Forewing length: 12–15 mm.

Dorsal forewing ( Fig. 16A): one to three apical spots, spot in R 3 –R 4, when present, represented by few scales; discal spots as in A. aquilina ; a white and yellow spot in CuA 2 –2A; brand with lower projection long, upper projection with narrow base and pointed apex (Fig. 23).

Ventral forewing ( Fig. 16B): costal area with weak violet aspect; three to four apical spots, spot in R 2 –R 3 not conspicuous and shifted to base; discal spots as on dorsal surface; submarginal band conspicuous and not contiguous in the middle of the cells; without spot in CuA 2 –2A.

Ventral hind wing ( Fig. 16B): apical portion of discal cell densely covered by orange scales; central black spot quadrate to rectangular; postdiscal band yellow, limited distally by not wavy margin.

Genitalia ( Figs 38 A–M, 51): tegumen longer than wide, distally trapezoid from 1/2 of its extension ( Fig. 38C), in lateral view rectangular, dorsal margin strongly convex ( Fig. 38A). Saccus, in ventral view, narrower on proximal 1/2, anterior portion narrower than tegumen, proximal margin straight or convex ( Fig. 38B). Uncus with ventral projection, in dorsal view with base as wide as 1/2 width of tegumen, proximal 1/2 with lateral margin concave, distal 1/2 narrower, tip rounded to slightly bifid ( Fig. 38C), in lateral view, strongly curved ventrally ( Fig. 38A). Gnathos reaching distal 1/2 of uncus, arms parallel and slightly divergent at apex in ventral view ( Fig. 38D), tips slightly curved dorsally, directed to distal 1/2 of uncus ( Fig. 38A). Valva twice longer than wide; sacculus reduced; costa narrow and triangular, in dorsal view as in A. aquilina , however less projected inwards and separated from ampulla by short distance; harpe longer than 1/2 valva, uniformly narrower than in the other species of the group; ampulla as wide as 1/2 harpe, dorsally protruding; distal projection of the valva slightly curved inwards and dorsally ( Fig. 38 E–F). Aedeagus narrower on proximal portion; opening of ejaculatory bulb ovoid and separated from proximal margin of aedeagus by short distance; ventral projection bifid, narrow at base, diverging at an angle less than 45 degrees and with distal portion asymmetrically bifid ( Fig. 38 G–J). Cornutus with spines as setae from base to median portion of vesica ( Figs 38M, 51). Fultura inferior, in lateral view, widened distally ( Fig. 38L).

Female ( Fig. 16 C–D). Forewing length: 14 mm. Similar to male.

Genitalia ( Figs 63 A–B, 75): lamella antevaginalis narrow; lamella postvaginalis without proximal plate, distal plate sclerotized, without sclerotized median notch on proximal margin, distal margin approximately straight. Ostium on proximal 1/2 of sterigma; ductus bursae narrow.

Variation. Some specimens from Reserva Duque, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil and from French Guiana have vestigial spot in CuA 2 –2A on ventral forewing. The male genitalia of the specimens from French Guiana have uncus wider and ventral projection more developed, with distal end dilated ( Fig. 38D).

Comments. Artines focus is easily recognized for being the only species of the genus that has uncus with a ventral projection. It is sympatric with A. aepitus in the northern Amazon Rainforest, from which it can be easily differentiated by the broad discal spots on forewing and by the presence of brand in the males.

The record of Evans (1955) for Pernambuco, Brazil is probably from a mislabeled specimen.

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 80). The species occurs in the Guiana Shield. VENEZUELA— Amazonas: Yavita. FRENCH GUIANA— Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni: Régina. Cayenne; Mitaraka ( Garrouste 2003, 2007). BRA- ZIL— Roraima: Alto Alegre, Pacaraima. Amazonas: Manaus.