Neomaenas fractifascia Butler 1881

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 : 36-37

Neomaenas fractifascia Butler 1881

( Figs. 6 F–H; 15J–L; 26)

Lectotype: (male) BMNH #809629 (specimen examined)

Paralectotype (female) BMNH #809628 (specimen examined)

Type location: near Termas de Chillán, Chile

= Neomaenas fractifascia patagonica Bryk, 1944

Holotype: (male), NRM, Stockholm (not examined).

Allotype: (female) NRM, Stockholm (not examined).

Paratypes: (2 males, 2 females), NRM, Stockholm (not examined).

Type location: Peninsula Llau Llau, north of Punto Nuevo, Lago Nahuel Huapí, Neuquen Province, Argentina, Oct. 1933 – March 1934, leg. Anna Hildegard Ljungner.

Distribution. Found in Chile from the eastern part of Bío-Bío Province southward to Auraucania Province, and in the western part of Neuquén and Rio Negro Provinces, Argentina in January and February at 80–1620m ( Fig. 26). Abundant near Termas de Chillán and at a wider altitudinal range farther south.

Diagnosis. Similar to N. wallengrenii , the ventral side hindwing of both having a yellow band that crosses the discal cell from the subbasal costa to the cubitus and a large ocellus between Cu1-Cu2, but with the yellow band more distinct in N. fractifascia . The dorsal side forewing are chocolate to dark chocolate brown with patches of rust orange over the discal cell and at the postmedian band. Females are similarly marked but lighter. VFWwith a unipupillate and occasionally unpupillated apical ocellus between M1-M3 that extends just beyond the confines of the cells and a maize and chocolate ripple pattern at the costa. Dorsal HW similar in color to the FW with a rust orange patch at the postmedian band. Ventral HW with a ripple pattern superimposed over the entire wing and a deckle-edged postmedian band in maize to chocolate that contains black ocelli in each cell between Rs-M2 and in each cell between M3-1A+2A, the largest ocellus between CuA1-CuA2. Ocelli may be absent or reduced in females in the cells between Rs-M2, M3-CuA1, and CuA2-1A+2A and are not as clearly demarcated as in the males.

Redescription. Head: Antennae 7–9 mm and striped with ivory and dark chocolate brown scales, terminating in a spatulate club. Eyes oval and naked, length approximately 1.3X the width. Palps with a longitudinal white stripe along the median and an adjacent black stripe on the ventral side to the median. Males with dorsal side piliform scales white at the base and black distally and with ventral side piliform scales black and tan. Females with fewer black scales, dorsal side piliform scales white at the base and tawny at the distal end, and ventral side piliform scales ivory with sparse black scales. Terminal palp segment cylindrical and about 0.3X the length of the second segment.

Thorax dark sepia and clothed with iridescent black scales on the males and ivory and iridescent black scales on the females, both sexes with toffee-colored piliform scales. Female abdomen tan ventrally and dorsally tan with dark chocolate stripes along the sutures of each segment. Male abdomen tan, taupe, and dark chocolate ventrally and dark chocolate dorsally. Forleg tarsi with three segments in both sexes, the females being slightly more slender than the males. Midlegs and hindlegs with four rows of amber spines on the tibia and tarsus.

Forewing ( Fig. 6 F–H): Wingspan 28– 24mm. Termen slightly convex and the distal end of the discal cell gently sinuate with M1-M2 shorter than M2-M3. Males with no visible androconial patch. Dorsal side rust orange over the discal cell and at the postmedian band, bordered in chocolate in the females and dark chocolate in the males. Fringe scales tan to tawny in the females and the males with dark chocolate layered over white, giving the false appearance of crenulation at the termen. Apical ocellus between M1-M2 appearing on the dorsal side in both sexes as an unpupillated round spot. Ventral side rust orange with the postmedian band yellow-orange outlined thinly in chocolate. Bordered in chocolate at the inner margin and tornus and with a maize and chocolate ripple pattern narrowly along the costa and extending over the subterminal to terminal portion of the radial and median veins. Apical ocellus between M1-M3 ringed in maize to daffodil yellow and with a single white pupil. Apical ocellus extends just past the confines of the cells and is unpupillated in some examples.

Hindwing ( Fig. 6 F–H): Wing trapezoidal, termen slightly convex and scalloped. Inner margin excavated between anal vein and 1A+2A. Dorsal side chocolate to dark chocolate brown with the postmedian band in rust orange. A single black ocellus appears between CuA1-CuA2 and another, smaller ocellus can sometimes be seen between M3-CuA1. Fringe scales are as in the forewing and long piliform scales appearing on both sexes at the base and over the discal cell, extending to the median and toward the inner margin. Ventral side with a ripple pattern superimposed over all design elements, taupe and black at the base, maize and dark chocolate at the inner margin, maize and warm medium brown at the costa and along the postmedian band, and dark chocolate and maize that fades to dark chocolate and white at the terminal band. Postmedian band deckle edged on both sides with a thin, crisp outline in dark chocolate brown. Proximal border with a very thin white band that fades to maize, chocolate brown at the center, and then returning to maize at the distal border. A round black ocellus ringed in daffodil to maize may be found in each cell between Rs-M2 and in each cell between M3-1A+2A, the largest ocellus between CuA1-CuA2. In females, postmedian ocelli are not as clearly demarcated as in the males and are without the yellow ring. Ocelli may be absent or reduced in females in the cells between Rs-M2, M3-CuA1, and CuA2-1A+2A. In both sexes, a maize band about two millimeters wide extends from the subbasal costa diagonally across the wing to the cubitus, not extending past the discal cell.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 15 J–L): Uncus narrow and finger-like, approximately 1.5X the length of the tegumen. Gnathos acute and a little less than half the length of the uncus, pedunculus long and U-shaped, and saccus Ushaped and a little longer than the gnathos. Valvae wide, narrowing abruptly at the distal one-third to about half the width and terminating in a U-shape. Aedeagus nearly even in width, narrowing in a slight hourglass curve at the distal one third with the proximal end terminating in a U-shape.

Remarks. Two specimens, a male and a female are both labeled as “ Type ” in the British museum, both of which were collected in the same locality. J. Matz has designated the male as the lectotype. This is an uncommon species ( Elwes 1903, Weymer 1911) and according to Elwes, “It frequents open places in the forest.”

Specimens examined. Chile, Bío-Bío Province, (OSU) 0 0 0 0 93669, 0 0 0 0 93677, 0 0 0 0 93666, 0 0 0 0 93674, (MTSU) CH 24B-03, CH 24B-04, CH 25-3, (BMNH) Lectotype male 809629, paralectotype female 809628, (UJ) 1 male; Chile, Araucanía Province, (UJ) 1 female.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Composite habitus images of Neomaenas species. The left side of each specimen is the dorsal surface, the right side is the ventral surface. A, B: Neomaenas servilia Wallengren, 1858 male (A), female dorsal (B) (CUIC); C, D: Neomaenas coenonymphina Butler, 1881 male lectotype (BMNH # 809622) (C), female paralectotype (BMNH # 809623) (D); E: Neomaenas edmondsii (Butler, 1881) male holotype (BMNH # Rh 3862); F – H: Neomaenas fractifascia Butler, 1881 male lectotype (BMNH # 809629) (F), male showing patterning of a fresh specimen (OSU # 93666) (G), female paralectotype (BMNH # 809628) (H).

FIGURE 15. Male genitalia of Neomaenas species. See Fig. 2 for labels of parts. All to the same scale. A – C: Neomaenas servilia Wallengren, 1858 (CUIC); D – F: Neomaenas coenonymphina Butler, 1881 (CH 26 - 1); G – I: Neomaenas edmondsii (Butler, 1881) (CL 0701); J – L: Neomaenas fractifascia Butler, 1881 (CH 25 - 3); M – O: Neomaenas monachus (Blanchard, 1852) (CH 32 - 3).