Pellicia (Hemipteris) nema R. Williams and E. Bell, 1939

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Genomics-based taxonomic rearrangement of Achlyodini and Carcharodini (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae), Insecta Mundi 2023 (16), pp. 1-33 : 21

Pellicia (Hemipteris) nema R. Williams and E. Bell, 1939 is a species distinct from Pellicia (Pellicia) theon Plötz, 1882

Genomic sequencing of the holotype of Pellicia nema Williams and Bell (type locality in Brazil: Mato Grosso, sequenced as NVG-15097B11, GenBank barcode OR721876) and the lectotype of Pellicia theon Plötz, 1882 (type locality in South America, sequenced as NVG-15032E09, GenBank barcode OR721877) currently considered conspecific reveals that they belong to different subgenera, Hemipteris Mabille, 1889 (type species Hemipteris fumida Mabille, 1889 , a junior subjective synonym of Pellicia tyana Plötz, 1882 ) and Pellicia Herrich-Schäffer, 1870 (type species Pellicia dimidiata Herrich-Schäffer, 1870 ), respectively ( Fig. 4 ). Not finding other species with older names that are justifiably conspecific with either of the two, we propose that Pellicia (Hemipteris) nema Williams and Bell, 1939 , restored status, is a species distinct from Pellicia (Pellicia) theon Plötz, 1882 . We hypothesize that the two species were confused with each other because Evans (1953) misidentified P.theon . What he identified as P. theon was probably P. nema . As identified by its lectotype, labeled as “theon Pl. ” in Plötz’s writing, P. theon is a species closely related to Pellicia dimidiata Herrich-Schäffer, 1870 (type locality Mexico and La Guaira [ Venezuela]) ( Fig. 4 ). Evans treated the former within his concept of the latter species, but their COI barcodes differ by 1.4% (9 bp).

Figures

Figure 4. The nuclear genome-based phylogeny of Carcharodini, first segment (continues in Fig. 5, 6). See Fig.1 for notations.