Emesis (Tenedia) pacis Callaghan, Trujano-Ortega & Ríos-Málaver, 2024

Callaghan, Curtis John, Trujano-Ortega, Marysol & Ríos-Málaver, Indiana C., 2024, Two New Species of Emesis Fabricius, 1807 from Northwestern South and Central America (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Zootaxa 5443 (3), pp. 406-416 : 411-415

Emesis (Tenedia) pacis Callaghan, Trujano-Ortega & Ríos-Málaver , sp. nov.

( Figs. 22–28 )

Emesis ? sp. D´Abrera, 1994 6:1067.

Diagnosis. Can be distinguished from all other Emesis species by the brown dorsal wing surface punctuated by bright yellow/orange spots on the forewing, the brightest in cell M 3 distad of the broken post discal line, with another smaller spot below in cell CuA 1, two fainter spots infused with brown scaling above in cells R 4 +R 5 and R 2, with similar lighter subapical scaling ( Figs. 22–23 ).

Description. MALE ( Figs. 22–26 ): Forewing length of HOLOTYPE 21 mm (n=1).

Wing shape ( Figs. 22–23 ): Costal margin very slightly concave, apex slightly falcate, distal margin convex to pointed tornus, inner margin straight. Hindwing distal margin curved to rounded tornus, inner margin convex.

Dorsal surface ( Fig. 22 ): Forewing dorsal surface dark brown, discal cell with three thick, black evenly spaced lines, and one slightly curved at the end, three similar black lines below in cell CuA 2; distad, a post discal row of unconnected black lines in cells R 2 to CuA 2, the line in cell M 2 slightly offset distad, those in cells R 2, R 4 +R 5, M 3 and Cu1 connected distad to a yellow/orange spot; distad of this, a slightly curved postmedian row of indistinct black spots and a parallel row of sharper, smaller submarginal spots, one in each cell except in CuA 2 where there are two; at the apex, the two rows are separated by indistinct yellow/orange scaling; fringe dark brown.

Hindwing dorsal surface brown, anal cell grey-brown; discal cell occupied by three irregular lines, the first divided into two small spots; below an indistinct spot in cell CuA 2; post discal row of irregular, connected short lines between Sc+R 1 and vein 2A, a continuation of those on forewing, nearly in a straight line, except for that in Sc+R 1 being slightly offset proximally; distad a slightly curved row of faint, black spots between vein Rs and vein 2A, and a parallel row of indistinct small marginal black spots, one in each cell except in CuA 2, where there are two, the space between these two rows slightly lighter; fringe dark brown.

Ventral surface ( Fig. 23 ): Forewing ventral surface ground color reddish brown, maculation same as dorsal, but more pronounced. Discal area to post discal line reddish brown, infused with grey scaling below vein CuA 2; postmedian and marginal areas lighter with greater variable infusions of yellow/orange scaling; area between vein CuA 2 and inner margin infused with grey scaling; row of marginal spots reddish brown except for the two in cell CuA 2, which are black.

Hindwing ventral surface ground color uniform light brown, cellular area with short line above discal cell in cell Sc+R 1, four faint lines within discal cell, the three intermediate lines divided, that at end of cell long; post discal row of separated short black lines extends from vein M 2 to vein 2A, those in cells M 1 and Rs angled parallel to end of cell; that in Sc+R 1 offset proximally; postmedian row of lines broader and irregular extending slightly distad along veins; submarginal row of small black spots faint except for that at tornus, which is slightly larger.

Head: Labial palpi pubescent, dark yellow; antennae dark brown with scattered whitish scales, frons black.

Body: Thorax dark brown, forelegs pubescent, dark yellow, femur of both mid- and hind legs ventrally dark grey, dorsally dark yellow, tibia and tarsus dark yellow with random dark brown spurs. Abdomen dark brown with lighter scaling between segments.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 24–26 ): Uncus shorter than tegumen, squared in lateral view, lobes of uncus connected directly without intermediate peak in ventral view ( Fig. 25 ); tegumen rounded dorsally, narrow laterally, narrowing ventrally to rounded point; falces connected to lateral edges of tegumen, curved caudad, scaphium narrow, attached dorsally to tegumen; vinculum not connected dorsally, attached to cephad edge of tegumen, slightly curved in “s” shape to saccus with triangular caudad projecting flange halfway; saccus small, triangular, flat; valvae elongated, tip bifurcated in two pointed projections on each side, dorsal projection slightly curved with rough edges, broader in ventral view, lower projection shorter, narrower, at divergent angle from dorsal projection; transtilla connecting two sides of valvae dorsally to aedeagus, ending caudad in two small points ( Fig. 26 ); aedeagus curved, pointed, with ventral flange before attachment to the curved pedicel, vesica leaves aedeagus dorsally before pointed tip and contains two, small separate elongated cornuti, one slightly longer than the other.

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology. The name is a noun in opposition in Latin signifying peace, a word particularly important and relevant to the current situation in Colombia, and especially the Departments where this species is found.

Distribution ( Fig. 29 , yellow circles). The range of Emesis pacis sp. nov. is limited to the northern portion of the western cordillera in the Departments of Risaralda, Antioquia and Valle de Cauca. Additional data comes from the photos of amateur photographers:

1♂, Antioquia, Jardín ; 1 ♂ Valle de Cauca, El Cairo, Cerro el Inglés, 4°45’N / 76°16’W, 2068m, 16.viii.2018, Joel Tupac Otero Ospina ; 1 ♂ Pueblo Rico , Risaralda, 5°12’N / 76°04’W, 1505 m, Daniel Jaramillo Ferrer ; 1 ♂ Reserva Mesenia-Paramillo , 5°29’42.5”N / 75°53’22.8”W, 2190m, 13–14.vi.2014, Kim Garwood .

Type material. Holotype male from Colombia , Risaralda, with the following labels:HOLOTYPUS/ COLOMBIA Risaralda, Pueblo Rico Cuchilla La Línea PNN Tatamá 05°08´54”N / 76°02’00”W, 2150m, Bosque, T. Van Someren-Rydon, 19–20.viii.2004, L. Franco / Instituto Humboldt, Colombia IAvH-E-86367

Paratypes: COLOMBIA: 1♂ Frondino, Antioquia, NHMUK Natural History Museum, United Kingdom , London , United Kingdom .

Biology ( Figs. 27, 28 ). Emesis pacis sp. nov. is apparently a very rare species endemic to the central region in the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. This region is characterized by very high rainfall (Mountain Rain Forest (bp-M), and Mid Mountain Rain Forest (bp-MB) and is very rich in endemic species with distribution restricted to the biogeographic Chocó region, including Pseudotinea volcanicus (Callaghan & Salazar, 1997) , Mesene ingrumaensis Callaghan & Salazar, 1999 , Euselasia tenebrosa (Constantino, G. Rodríguez & Salazar, 2011) , Mesosemia portentosa (Stichel, 1927) , M. vemania Constantino, Salazar & Rodríguez, 2010 , and Pelolasia bettina (Hewitson, 1869) . Our observations suggest that Emesis pacis sp. nov. is most common during the drier months, especially June and August. Occurs rarely in areas of undisturbed cloud forest between 1500–2500m near streams and small clearings where the males can be observed perching with wings outspread or imbibing mineral salts on wet sand ( Figs. 27–28 ) on sunny days when the environmental temperature is above 24 °C.

Discussion: Emesis (Tenedia) pacis sp. nov. was first known from a lone male specimen in the British Museum (Natural History) photographed and published by D’Abrera (1994), in his volume VI of Butterflies of the Neotropical Region as an undescribed taxon. Another lone specimen, the Holotype, was found in the Instituto Humboldt collection in Villa de Leyva, Colombia. Since then, the species has been recorded occasionally by amateur butterfly photographers from various localities in western Colombia.

In their genomic analysis of the tribe Emesidini, Zhang et al. (2019) defined a subgenus Tenedia Grishin based exclusively on DNA data, on the absence of apparent synapomorphy. However, all the species cited by them as belonging to this subgenus share two elongated slightly divergent posterior projections in the male genitalia. As in the case of most groups belonging to the tribe Emesidini , there is considerable individual variation which complicates the classification on the species level. Species status is best confirmed using barcoding or other genomic techniques. However, in the case of the present taxon, the morphological characters of the wing maculation described above show very slight variation in the individuals studied and is sufficient to confirm its species status.

Figures

FIGURE 29. Distribution map. Red circles= Emesis hypoaithos hypoaithos Callaghan et al. sp. nov. Blue circles= Emesis hypoaithos ochros Callaghan et al. ssp. nov. Yellow circles = Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov.

FIGURES 22–28. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov. Scale bar adults 10 mm., Scale bar genitalia 1mm. 22. HOLOTYPE, Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., lateral view. 23. HOLOTYPE, Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., ventral view. 24. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., male genitalia, lateral view. 25. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., male genitalia, ventral view. 26. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., male genitalia, ventral view at angle, showing transtill. 27. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., male on wet sand. 28. Emesis pacis Callaghan et al. sp. nov., male, perching on leaf.