Oxeoschistus puerta puerta (Westwood)

Viloria, Angel L., Pyrcz, Tomasz W. & Orellana, Andrés, 2010, A survey of the Neotropical montane butterflies of the subtribe Pronophilina (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) in the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa, Zootaxa 2622, pp. 1-41 : 14

Oxeoschistus puerta puerta (Westwood)

( Figs. 27, 28 )

Pronophila puerta Westwood, [1851] : 358. Syntype in BMNH [examined]. Oxeoschistus puerta (Westwood) ; Butler, 1867: 268.

Geographic range: Species: CC, SP, northern part of the EC; Subspecies: CC (SL northern slopes).

Altitudinal range: 1400–1800 m.

Remarks: This is the only representative of the genus Oxeoschistus in the CC. Its relations with closely related taxa are a debated issue, and some authors consider O. puerta as conspecific with O. simplex or O. submaculatus (Lamas et al., 2004) . It was, however, discovered recently (Huertas, pers. comm.) that O. puerta and O. simplex are apparently locally sympatric in the north-eastern part of the Colombian Eastern Cordillera, where O. puerta occurs at slightly lower elevation. O. puerta is the one of the least known Pronophilina in the CC. Despite being large and conspicuous, it is extremely rarely observed.

Material examined: ARAGUA: 1 female: Colonia Tovar, vía Puerto Maya, 1850 m, 02.V.2004, M. Costa leg., MCC; 1 male: same data, TWP; 1 male: Rancho Grande, Portachuelo, 1100 m, IX.1968, F. Romero leg., FRR; 1 male: carretera Maracay-Choroní, La Cumbre, 1550 m, VI.1970, F. Romero leg., FRR; 1 female: same data but 1500 m, VII.1970, FRR; 1 female: same data but 1240 m, IX.1976, FRR; 1 female: same data but 1450 m, IX.1980, FRR.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 28. Adult satyrine butterflies from the Cordillera de La Costa, Venezuela (left: dorsal, right: ventral); 21. Praepronophila perperna perperna (Hewitson) (male, vía Naranjal); 22. P. perperna perperna (Hewitson) (female, Cerro San Isidro); 23. Lasiophila zapatoza zapatoza Westwood (male, vía Naranjal); 24. L. zapatoza zapatoza Westwood (female, vía Naranjal); 25. Pseudomaniola phaselis phaselis (Hewitson) (male, Cerro San Isidro); 26. P. phaselis phaselis (Hewitson) (female, Sector El Tigre); 27. Oxeoschistus puerta puerta (Westwood) (male, Maracay-Choroní); 28. O. puerta puerta (Westwood) (female, Cuesta de Puerto Maya).