Porphyrogenes simulator Austin and Mielke, 2008

Austin, George T. & Mielke, Olaf H. H., 2008, Hesperiidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Porphyrogenes Watson (Lepidoptera: Pyrginae: Eudamini), with descriptions of new species from Central and South America, Insecta Mundi 2008 (44), pp. 1-56 : 23

Porphyrogenes simulator Austin and Mielke , new species

( Fig. 89, 90 , 127 , 146 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 89, 90 ) - forewing length = 25.2 mm (holotype); forewing with costal fold, apex slightly produced, pointed, termen and anal margin nearly straight; hindwing termen nearly straight, tornus produced to short lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and just basad of CuA 2 ( Fig. 127 ); dorsum brown, unmarked; forewing overscaled with orange-brown, heaviest basad, anal margin with sparse tuft proximad; hindwing overscaled with orange-brown posterior to vein Rs; shining gray speculum in anterior discal cell (as relatively large area), proximal 1/3 of Sc+R 1 -Rs, and proximal 1/4 of costal cell; moderately long ochreous-tan recumbent tuft near base of Sc+R 1 -Rs covering speculum in that cell, slightly thicker semierect ochreous-tan tuft arising from near base of discal cell covering speculum in discal cell ( Fig. 127 ); conspicuous erect orange-brown tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent gray-brown tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings brown.

Venter similar to dorsum, duller and browner; forewing vein 2A strongly sinuate but otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 127 ); shining gray-tan speculum in proximal 1/4 of CuA 2 -2A (continued to just beyond midwing as modified brown scales) and in proximal 1/2 of anal cell (continued to tornus as modified pale tan scales); hindwing with no indication of discal macules; cell 2A-3A with deep groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax orange-brown, palpi dark gray, eyes red, antennae black, yellow on venter distad, apiculus missing from both antennae, ventral thorax brown, pectus medium gray-tan, legs ochreous-brown, dorsal abdomen brown, gray at segments, overscaled with orange-brown, ventral abdomen charcoal brown.

Genitalia ( Fig. 146 ) - tegumen broad and quadrate in lateral and dorsal views, long, thin and almost dorsally oriented process from each side of caudal end, tuft single and sparse; uncus decurved in lateral view, divided in dorsal view, arms widely spaced, short and broad, ventral process of uncus thin; gnathos shorter than uncus, terminal ends rounded in ventral view; combined ventral arms from tegumen and dorsal arms from saccus curved; saccus broad, long, oriented dorso-cephalad; valva with costa-ampulla broadly rounded, curving ventro-caudad to harpe, harpe long, broad cephalad, curving irregularly upward and inward to blunt and dentate caudal end oriented nearly dorsad; aedeagus approximately length of valva, broad with blunt caudal end; cornuti as two rows of long, slightly curved, thin spikes.

Female - unknown.

Type. Holotype male with the following labels: white, printed - / Buenavista , / E. Bolivia, / Alt. 400 m. / J. Steinbach /; white, printed and handprinted - / Apr. / 1915 /; white, printed - / Carn. Mus. / Acc. 5570. /; white, printed and handprinted - / Genitalic Vial / GTA - 4181 /; red, printed - / HOLOTYPE / Porphyrogenes simulator / Austin & Mielke /. Deposited at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania .

Type locality. BOLIVIA: Buenavista , 400m in elevation. As noted above, Johnson et al. (1990) commented on data associated with Steinbach’s specimens .

Etymology. The name means “imitator” and refers to this species’ similarity to several other species, especially the preceding.

Distribution and phenology. The species is known only from the holotype.

Diagnosis and discussion. Porphyrogenes simulator is another large and bright species. It is generally similar to P. splendidus , but is smaller, vein Rs arises just before CuA 2 (well before on P. splendidus ), has a considerably less extensive specular area on the costa of the dorsal hindwing, and has darker palpi, a grayer pectus, and browner legs. The genitalia ( Fig. 146 ) also differ in the orientation of the processes of the tegumen, the length of the saccus, and particularly in the structure of the valvae (compare with Fig. 145 ).

Figures

Figure 83-100. Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 83) undescribed species, male, COSTA RICA: Ciudad Colon, Finca Hamadryas, 15 September 1998, ds. 84) same, vs. 85) P. convexus, holotype male, data in text; 86) same, vs. 87) P. splendidus, holotype male, data in text, ds. 88) same, vs. 89) P. simulator, holotype male, data in text, ds. 90) same, vs. 91) P. spadix, holotype male, data in text, ds. 92) same, vs. 93) P. sparus, holotype male, data in text, ds. 94) same, vs. 95) P. specularis, holotype male, data in text, ds. 96) same, vs. 97) P. spina, holotype male, data in text, ds. 98) same, vs. 99) P. sporta, holotype male, data in text, ds. 100) same, vs.

Figure 124-128. Venation and some secondary sexual characters of male Porphyrogenes. Shown is ventral surface including modification of vein 2A and extent of speculum on ventral forewing (irregular line in CuA -2A and anal 2 cell) and origins of veins on hindwing. Insert is of anterior portion of dorsal hindwing showing hair-like tufts. 124) P. zohra, HONDURAS (GTA #8903); 125) P. convexus, holotype, BRAZIL:Rondônia (GTA #2760); 126) P. splendidus, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4182); 127) P. simulator, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4181); 128) P. spadix, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3894).

Figure 146-151. Male genitalia of Porphyrogenes; shown are lateral view of uncus, gnathos, tegumen, and saccus; dorsal view of uncus and tegumen; ventral view of uncus and gnathos; juxta; lateral view (with extended vesica) and often dorsal view of aedeagus; internal lateral view of right valva (inset shows the flattened harpe). 146) P. simulator, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4181); 147) P. spadix, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3894); 148) P. sparus (also including anterior view of harpe), holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3928); 149) P. specularis, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3589); 150) P. spina, holotype, PANAMA (GTA #8905); 151) P. sporta, holotype, COLOMBIA (GTA #4180).

Figure 140-145. Male genitalia of Porphyrogenes; shown are lateral view of uncus, gnathos, tegumen, and saccus; dorsal view of uncus and tegumen; ventral view of uncus and gnathos; juxta; lateral view (with extended vesica) and often dorsal view of aedeagus; internal lateral view of right valva (inset shows the flattened harpe). 140) P. sororcula, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3493); 141) P. spanda (also including posterior view of harpe), BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3225); 142) P. stresa (also including posterior view of harpe), BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3927); 143) P. zohra (also including posterior view of harpe), HONDURAS (GTA #8903); 144) P. convexus, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #2760); 145) P. splendidus (also including interior view of left valva), holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4182).