Pampasatyrus nilesi ( A. G. Weeks, 1902 ) (Cosmosatyrus)

Matz, Jess & Brower, Andrew V. Z., 2016, The South Temperate Pronophilina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae): a phylogenetic hypothesis, redescriptions and revisionary notes, Zootaxa 4125 (1), pp. 1-108 : 57-58

Pampasatyrus nilesi ( A. G. Weeks, 1902) (Cosmosatyrus)

( Figs. 9 E; 19C–E; 28)

Lectotype: (male) MNCN 11057 AG Weeks Collection Oct. 1, 1899. Coll. A. G. Weeks, Jr. (photo examined) Type location: Sica Sica, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia = Faunula johanna Weymer, 1911

Type location: Catamarca, Argentina

Holotype: unknown

Distribution. Found in Bolivia in southern La Paz Department to southeastern Cochabamba Department, southward into Argentina in Tucumán Province, and in Paraguay from December to April at 300 to 3100m ( Fig. 28 ).

Diagnosis. Similar to Pampasatyrus gyrtone , but with the hindwing ocelli yellow, the postmedian band on the ventral side of the hindwing reduced to a pair of thin dark chocolate lines at the median and subterminal edges, and the termen edged in dark chocolate. Dorsal side coppery brown with the postmedian band as barely discernable dark chocolate lines on both the forewing and hindwing. Ocelli between M1-M3 appear as a single round, bipupillate, black ocellus ringed in daffodil yellow or as two separate ocelli. Illustrations of the original description show both forms and states that “specimens intergrade nicely from one to the other.” Ventral side of the hindwing bears four yellow lenticular ocelli in each cell between M1 and CuA2 that are framed by two irregular, thin, dark chocolate lines that comprise the postmedian band. Forelegs are extremely reduced as in other species of Pampasatyrus and the aedeagus is widest at the median one-third where it bears dentate projections on either side of the lateral plane.

Redescription. Head: Antennae 8–9 mm with cream to chocolate scales and terminating in a spatulate club. Eyes oval and naked, length approximately 1.3X the width. Palps white to tan dorsally and chocolate to dark chocolate ventrally. Terminal palp segment cylindrical and a little less than one-quarter the length of the second segment.

Thorax dark amber with iridescent black scales an chocolate brown piliform scales. Foreleg extremely reduced in size with the tarsi club-like and unsegmented in the males. Females were unavailable for study. Hindlegs with four rows of black spines on the tibia and tarsus.

Forewing ( Fig. 9 E): Wingspan 26–28 mm. Termen nearly straight and the distal end of the discal cell sinuous, the costal half more deeply curved than the cubital half. Males with no visible androconial patch. Dorsal side coppery brown with fringe scales in tan to chocolate brown. Postmedian band may appear as a barely discernible, slightly lighter patch of scales narrower between M3-CuA1 and outlined with a faint dark chocolate border. Apical ocellus between M1-M 3 may appear as a single, black, bipupillate ocellus weakly ringed in daffodil yellow or as two separate ocelli. In the latter case, the M2-M3 ocellus is smaller and unpupillated, and shares the daffodil yellow ring with the larger M1-M2 black, unipupillate ocellus. Another similar ocellus appears between CuA1-CuA2 and may or may not bear a single white pupil. The original description suggests that some specimens may lack the CuA1-CuA2 ocellus. Ventral side chocolate brown with a postmedian band outlined in dark chocolate brown. Postmedian band widest around the M1-M3 and CuA1-CuA2 ocelli and narrowest between CuA2-1A+2A with the median edge sharply sinuous and the subterminal edge irregular and nearly straight. Termen is edged in dark chocolate brown. M1-M3 ocellus is black, round, bipupillate, and strongly bordered in daffodil yellow. CuA1- CuA2 ocellus is similar but bearing only a single white pupil.

Hindwing ( Fig. 9 E): Wing trapezoidal, termen convex and entire, and inner margin barely excavated between the anal vein and 1A+2A. Dorsal side coppery brown with fringe scales in tan to chocolate brown. A thin, irregular, dark chocolate subterminal line may appear in some specimens as the distal border of the subterminal band. Long, blonde piliform scales appear on both sexes at the base and over the discal cell, extending to the median and toward the inner margin. Ventral side similar in color to the ventral side of the forewing. A ripple pattern appears in faint dark chocolate striations from the base to the median border of the postmedian band. Borders of the postmedian band are thin and dark chocolate, narrowing abruptly between CuA2-1A+2A. Median border of the postmedian band is deckle-edged and the subterminal border is scalloped. A yellow lenticular ocellus appears in each cell between M1 and CuA2. The termen is edged in dark chocolate brown as in the forewing. Veins are highlighted in cream to tan.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 19 C–E): Uncus widest just past where it joins the tegumen, gradually narrowing to a blunt distal end, and approximately 1.2X the length of the tegumen. Gnathos narrow, acute, and a little less than half the length of the uncus. Pedunculus long and U-shaped and saccus truncate and a little more than four-fifths the length of the gnathos. Proximal end narrow and finger-like, widening slightly toward the proximal one-third where it then abruptly doubles in width and narrows gradually to a blunt-acute distal end. Dorsal side curve of the valvae is gently sinuous while the ventral side is nearly straight. Aedeagus widest at the middle one-third where it bears dentate projections on each side. Distal end is slightly narrower and the proximal end narrows then widens slightly to a U-shaped terminus.

Specimens examined. Argentina, Tucumán Province, (MGCL) 1 male.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Composite habitus images of Pampasatyrus species. The left side of each specimen is the dorsal surface, the right side is the ventral surface. A: Pampasatyrus gyrtone (Berg, 1877) male (BMNH # 809453); B: Pampasatyrus edmondsii (Butler, 1881) n. comb. male (MZUJ); C: Pampasatyrus glaucope (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) male (BMNH # 789978); D: Pampasatryrus gorkyi Pyrcz, Cerdeña and Zacca, 2014 holotype male (scale bar = 1 cm; reproduced from Cerdeña et al., 2014, open access); E: Pampasatyrus nilesi (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) male (MZUJ); F: Pampasatyrus quies (Berg, 1877) male (MZUJ).

FIGURE 19. Male genitalia of Pampasatyrus species. See Fig. 2 for labels of parts. All drawings to the same scale. A, B: Pampasatryrus gorkyi Pyrcz, Cerdeña and Zacca, 2014. Photos of holotype male (MUSM), with lateral and dorsal views of aedeagus (B) (modified from Cerdeña et al., 2014, open access); C – E: Pampasatyrus nilesi (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) (MGCL), (D) showing ornamentation on the aedeagus; F – H: Pampasatyrus quies (Berg, 1877) (BMNH # 808376), showing ornamentation on the aedeagus (G).

FIGURE 28. Distribution of locality records for Pampasatyrus species. Note that the locality for P. glaucope is overlain by a record for P. reticulata.