Johnsonita turquisca Bálint, Boyer & Pyrcz, 2021

Bálint, Zsolt, Boyer, Pierre, Cerdeña, José, Larico, Jackie Farfán, Brudecka, Jadwiga Lorenc-, Prieto, Carlos & Pyrcz, Tomasz W., 2021, Contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical Lycaenidae: taxonomy of Johnsonita Salazar & Constantino, 1995 with descriptions of seven new species (Theclinae Eumaeini), Zootaxa 4963 (1), pp. 11-57 : 34-35

Johnsonita turquisca Bálint, Boyer & Pyrcz sp. n.

( Figs 14 , 19C–D , 22D–F , 23G , 31 )

Type material. CEP – MZUJ holotype male, in moderate condition (left FW margin damaged, right antenna and left antenna tip missing), labelled as “ ECUADOR [//] Prov. Napo [//] Papallacta [//] 17.01.2004, 2985 m [//] leg. Wojtusiak & Pyrcz ” (white label, printed) . Paratypes (n=9, two dissections) all from ECUADOR. Prov. Sucumbios, La Bonita , 1800 m, IX.1996 ( CB: female); Prov. Sucumbios, La Bonita, 1800 m, II.1997, Aldaz ( CB: female); Prov. Tungurahua, Run – Tun, 15.IX.1997, A. Jasiński ( CEP – MZUJ: male); Prov. Tungurahua, Banos, El Tablón, 3000 m, VIII.1998, Aldaz ( CB: female); Prov. Tungurahua, Tungurahua volcano, Baños – Pondoa road, 2600 m, 17–20.I.2002, J. Wojtusiak & Garlacz ( CEP – MZUJ: two males) ; Prov. Napo, Papallacta , 2985m, 17.I.2004, J. Wojtusiak & T. Pyrcz ( CEP – MZUJ: male); Prov. Napo, Papallacta , Chalpi Grande , 2007m, 18.I.2004, J. Wojtusiak & T. Pyrcz ( CEP – MZUJ: male; gen. prep. 02/ J. Lorenc); Prov. Sucumbios, El Calvario – La Bonita , 2009m, 1.II.2005, J. Wojtusiak & T. Pyrcz ( CEP – MZUJ: female, gen. prep. 314/ J. Lorenc) .

Additional material (n=2): COLOMBIA, Risaralda, Pereira, La Florida, La Suiza , Ucuman, W Pastora Pena La Bonita , 2535–2700 m, 5.X.1993, G. Andrade C. ( RCCP: female); Cauca, PNN Puracé, Via Paletará–Isnos, 3000 m, 20.XI.2008, C. Prieto ( RCCP: female) . ECUADOR. Prov. Sucumbios, Lago Agrio , I. 1997, Aldaz ( CB) .

Description. Wings. FW length: 13–14 mm (n=9, CEP–MZUJ specimens); FW apical area of costa and outer margin straight resulting in an acute apex; male dorsal wing surface blue colouration bright turquoise; dorsal FW surface black border inner margin reaching the erection of vein M3; HW dorsal surface discal area structurally coloured; ventral HW surface medial pattern composed of light ruptive dashes and inner margin medial area with orange scaling. Genitalia. Male valva without costal margin flip, valval terminus stout, tegumen reduced, capsule extremely thin and narrow in dorso/ventral aspect. Female ductus with divergent edges, lower terminus membraneous, upper plate symmetric and wide with rounded edge. Androconia present in ventral FW along Cubital 2 present as a wide black streak in the median-postmedian area.

Diagnosis. On the basis of the male dorsal colouration and ventral HW discal pattern it is easily distinguished from the sympatric congeners J. auda , J. carpia sp. n., and J. pardoa . Although J. auda possesses orange scaling along the inner margin of the ventral HW surface, the male is bright violet (in J. turquisca is turquoise) and androconia is lacking (in J. turquisca it is well visible). J. carpia does not possess the HW orange scaling, and the male dorsal wing surface is dark violet blue. The male dorsal wing surface of J. pardoa is somewhat duller coloured (dark azure), there is no orange scaling in inner edge of the ventral HW surface.

Distribution. Geographical: COLOMBIA: Cauca, Risaralda. ECUADOR (Napo, Sucumbios, Tungurahua) ( Fig. 31 ); spatial: recorded between 1800–3000 m a.s.l; temporal: recorded in January–February and from August–September.

Etymology. Named after the male turquoise blue dorsal wing colouration. The species name “turquisca” is freely formed by Latinising “turquoise” and treating it as a female noun in apposition.

Note. Our definition of J. turquisca is based on Ecuadorian material exclusively. Further investigations are necessary for mapping the distribution and variability of the species in Colombia, from where hitherto we have two specimens only in our disposal. We do not designate the male specimen from “Lago Agrio” as paratype because the locality is certainly erroneous .

Figures

FIGURE 14. Johnsonita turquisca Bálint, Boyer & Pyrcz, sp. n. imagines (left column: recto, right column: verso). A–B: holotype (Ecuador: Napo), C–D: paratype female (Ecuador, Sucumbios) (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale bar: 10 mm).

FIGURE 19. Johnsonita genitalia armatures; entire male organs in lateral (left column) and ventral (right column) views.A–B: J. subcunicula, Peru, Huánuco, San Pedro de Carpish; C–D: J. turquisca, Ecuador, Napo, Papallacta, Chalpi Grande; E–F: J. oxalida, Peru, Pasco, Oxapampa; G–H: J. zubkova, Peru, Cuzco, Abra Acjanaco vers Pillcopata (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale as indicated).

FIGURE 22. Entire Johnsonita female organs in lateral (left column), ductus in lateral (central column) and ventral (right column) views. A–C: J. pardoa, Ecuador, Tungurahua, Laguna de San Borja; D–F: J. turquisca, Ecuador, Sucumbios, El Calvario–La Bonita; G–I: J. oxalida, Peru, Huánuco, Paso Carpish; J–L: J. zubkova, Peru, Puno, Carcel Punco (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale as indicated).

FIGURE 23. Johnsonita mail trait ventral forewing subcubital scent patch indicated by arrow. A: J. carpia, B: J. catadupa, C: J. chlamydem, D: J. ianusca, E: J. johnsoni, F: J. pardoa, G: J. turquisca, H: J. zubkova.

FIGURE 31. Johnsonita distributions based on museum material examinded. J. auda = red circle, J. iacinta = blue diamond, J. subcunicula = green square, J. turquisca = yellow trinagle, J. zubkova = brown trinagle.