Calisto brochei Torre, 1973

Aguila, Rayner Nunez, Plasencia, Edelquis Oliva, Maravi, Pavel F. Matos & Wahlberg, Niklas, 2012, Cuban Calisto (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), a review based on morphological and DNA data, ZooKeys 165, pp. 57-105 : 70-74

Calisto brochei Torre, 1973 stat. n. Figs 7-927344256, 57606675-82

Calisto smintheus brochei Torre 1973: 6, Núñez 2009: 56

Calisto sibylla smintheus Fontenla and Rodríguez 1990: 8, Lamas 2004: 207

Diagnosis.

Calisto brochei is similar to Calisto smintheus but is smaller on average, lacks the reddish suffusion at the anal lobe in the UPWH, and is paler and less brightly colored at UN of wings (see more details below Calisto smintheus ). Calisto brochei has four white dots on UNHW and the androconial patch trilobed at the outer margin whereas Calisto bradleyi , Calisto occulta , sp. n., and Calisto muripetens have only three white dots and have different shaped androconial patches, the first species with a single rounded lobe at apex, and the other two without lobes at the outer margin. Calisto herophile also resembles Calisto brochei , but it is paler and has a smaller androconial patch without lobes at the outer margin. From Calisto sibylla , Calisto brochei differs by its darker coloration, the presence of red in cell at the UNFW, and the three lobes at the outer margin of androconial patch. The Hispaniolan Calisto confusa , Calisto hysius and Calisto obscura are superficially similar but are smaller on the average (13-17.5 mm of FWL),and have straighter white edged lines at UNHW. Calisto pauli possesses a similar wing pattern but its female genitalia has a terminal production a middle of dorsal crown, absent in Calisto brochei , and its male genitalia has the uncus and tegumen flattened, they are slightly rounded in Calisto brochei . Also, the uncus is shorter in Calisto brochei and the aedeagus has two prongs at apex, there are four in Calisto pauli .

Description.

FWL: 16-22 mm ♂, 20-22 mm ♀. Male UPFW dark brown except darker, almost black, androconial patch, outer third slightly paler (Fig. 7). Androconial patch distinct, dark brown almost black, approximately triangular with outer margin waved forming three usually distinct lobes, anterior margin not entering into cell, about one half the length of FW (Fig. 34). Female UPFW dark brown at basal two thirds, outer third pale brown (Fig. 8). UN background brown moderately mixed with pale reddish and pale yellow scaling basal to pdl and apex of both wings (Figs 9, 27). Outer edge of pdl with pale yellow scaling. Post discal area at UNHW with four white dots at Rs–M 1, M1-M2, M2-M3, and M3-Cu1, the last one smaller, sometimes absent in rubbed specimens. Male genitalia with tegumen about two fifths the length of uncus, rounded at posterior half (Fig. 42); uncus gradually tapering and arched toward apex, base subquadrated; digitiform projection of valvae heavy and moderately long, ventral margin concave; aedeagus straight at basal half and with a left curve at apical half. Female genitalia with dorsal crown tall (Fig. 50); corpus bursae broad, about the same length of ductus bursae.

Type material.

Holotype♀: Oriente (currently Guantánamo), Cupeyal 730 m, 20°26'57"N, 75°03'38"W, VI/1971, I. García. CZACC, examined. Paratypes 1 ♂, 5 ♀: same data as for holotype, genitalia ♀ in slide. CZACC, MFP, examined.

Additional material: 12 ♂, 6 ♀. Holguín: Ote (currently Holguín), Pinares de Mayarí 800 m, 20°28'8"N, 75°48'52"W, 16/X/1966, I. García, slide RNA269(wings) (1 ♀); Mayarí, camino de La Zoilita 250 m, 20°38'N, 75°29'W, IX/1986, R. Rodríguez, genitalia ♀ in glycerin (1 ♂, 1 ♀); Sierra de Cristal, cerca de la Estación La Zoilita 400 m, 20°37'41.7"N, 75°29'08.1"W, 15-20/II/2010, R. Núñez, DNA voucher PM07-20 (M037) (1 ♂). Guantánamo: same data as for holotype, genitalia ♀ in glycerin, slides RNA224/246/257/261(wings)/277(legs & labial palpus) (3 ♂, 2 ♀); Baracoa, Monte Iberia, campamento ladera norte 600 m, 20°29'25.5"N, 74°43'51.3"W, 18/V/2007, R. Núñez, slide RNA169(wings), DNA voucher PM07-03 (M003) (2 ♂); same data as for anterior except 2/V/2011, ex ova, emerged 9/VIII/2011 (1 ♂, imperfect); Baracoa, Monte Iberia, al sur de las Tetas de Julia 430 m, 20°27'58.6"N, 74°46'9.2"W, 20/V/2007, R. Núñez, slides RNA249(wings)/250(legs & labial palpus), DNA voucher PM 15-03 (M049) (1 ♂); Baracoa, Monte Iberia, ladera norte 385 m, 20°29'53"N, 74°43'48"W, 1/V/2011, R. Núñez (3 ♂, 1 ♀). CZACC.

Distribution.

Calisto brochei is present in several localities in the middle and western NSB mountains, from Monte Iberia plateau to more than 100 km west at Pinares de Mayarí at Nipe plateau (Figs 56, 57). The species is probably present along NSB wherever its habitat is preserved.

Immature stages.

Egg & oviposition - Eggs are glued to substrate. Color is pale yellow with slight greenish tint becoming beige with irregular orange brown spots a day after being laid. Eggs are near spherical, diameter 1.0-1.1 mm, height 0.8-1.0 mm (n=9). Time to hatch 7 to 8 days (n=9).

First instar larva (Fig. 75) - Head capsule pale orange beige, with two short horns on top. Body beige, pale grayish green after fed on host leaves, with a dorsal line and three pairs of longitudinal pale brown lines: subdorsal, suprastigmatal, and stigmatal. Dorsal, subdorsal and stigmatal lines thinner than suprastigmatal one; suprastigmatal and stigmatal lines are closer between them than remainder lines. Dimensions (n=9): head capsule width 0.65-0.68 mm, head capsule height 0.67-0.71 mm, initial total length 2.7-3.0 mm, final total length 4.2-4.5 mm. Duration (n=9): 11-16 days.

Instars from second to fifth (Fig. 76) with color pattern similar to that of sixth, described below, but with pattern better defined and the following dots: a pair, brown, at end of each abdominal segment, the upper one in contact with the more ventral part of subdorsal lines waves; a dark brown, larger at middle segments, at each abdominal segment on the most dorsal portion of suprastigmatal lines waves, above spiracles.

Sixth instar larva (Figs 77-79) - Head capsule beige regularly speckled with scarce dark brown dots; horns reduced, spotted with dark brown; sides with a dark brown vertical line passing horns to epicranial suture; a dark brown band crossing lower part of frons and curved down at sides to stemmata; sides of clypeus, mandibles and stemmatal areas dark brown, almost balck; X– mark of epicranium dark brown, arms ellipse like and connected by almost indistinct paler lines, lower arms larger. Body pale brown with brown striations; dorsum of each segment with darker diffuse X– marks at sides of dorsal line; lines slightly darker than background, diffuse; a transverse diffuse band at end of each abdominal segment, slightly darker than background; dorsal line edged at beginning of each abdominal segment by two dark brown dots; subdorsal lines wavy, diffuse almost indistinct, closer to dorsal line at middle of each segment; suprastigmatal lines wavy following the wave pattern of subdorsal ones; stigmatal and infrastigmatal lines diffuse, indistinct, area between them and below paler; spiracles dark gray brown surrounded by whitish. Dimensions (n=1): head capsule width 2.62 mm, head capsule height 2.69 mm, initial total length 18.4 mm, final total length 22 mm. Duration (n=1): 15 days.

Pupa (Figs 80-82) - Entirely pale ashy gray minutely speckled with darker gray color heavier dorsolaterally on wing sheats; three pairs of frontal brownish gray dots: one elongated on eyes and two smaller and rounded on sheaths of legs, one at first third and the other at apical third; wing sheaths with a small darker crescent on the middle; a row of small submarginal dots on wing sheats; abdomen with a transverse ridge with a pair of more prominent crests on dorsum of segments 1 to 6, with a brownish gray line on sides; last abdominal segment long, stout, cremaster area large, broad. Two days before emergence eyes turns dark brown extending gradually to occupying entire surface. Dimensions (n=1): total length 10 mm, maximum width 4.3 mm. Duration (n=1): 12 days.

Habitat and biology.

The species inhabits several variants of rain and evergreen forests of NSB Mountains at altitudes between 200 and 800 m (Fig. 60). Individuals can be found mainly at shady forest paths.

Larvae eat the entire corion after hatching and feed at night, remaining in the lower parts of grasses during day. Calisto brochei larvae did not accept well the two grass species supplied as substitute food and only one of nine larvae survived to pupation. Average duration of each instar was about two weeks each. Prepupal period was two days long and pupal stage extended for 12 days. Immature development took three months and larvae went through six instars (possibly due to low food quality). Adult emergence occurred at the beginning of the afternoon, between 14:00 and 15:00.

Remarks.

Although superficially almost identical, Calisto brochei and Calisto smintheus both possess small consistent differences in the adult stage and are well differentiated in the immature stages. Adults can be separated by the characters given above in the Diagnosis section. Immature stages are more different than adults, with the first instar of Calisto smintheus having the head capsule dark brown, almost black, whereas it is pale orange in Calisto brochei . In the latter species, the pair of dark dots on dorsum of metathoraxpresent from secondinstar of Calisto smintheus is absent. Pupae are also different, with those of Calisto brochei paler in color pattern whereas in Calisto smintheus have a heavily dark spotted pattern.

Two individuals of Calisto brochei (PM07-03 and PM15-03) are grouped together by the COI sequences (Fig. 66A) and placed as sister to a large clade comprising all other taxa except Calisto israeli and Calisto smintheus . One of these individuals (PM07-03) was also sequenced for nuclear genes, which place it within the new species Calisto occulta (Fig. 66B). Another individual (PM07-20) is the sister to Calisto smintheus based on both sets of markers, but is morphologically different to Calisto smintheus . The existence of hybrids between brochei and occulta may explain these results. Munroe (1950) hypothesized that populations of Calisto smintheus and Calisto herophile may interbreed. The high mortality rate of Calisto brochei larvae may be due to substitute food used during rearing; however, it could be also an indication of hybridization. It is clear that more individuals of Calisto brochei need to be sequenced in order to discover the general patterns of molecular variation in this species.