Alesa thelydrias Bates, 1867

Santos, Wildio Ikaro Da Graça, Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Dias, Fernando Maia Silva, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik & Casagrande, Mirna Martins, 2023, A review of the South American metalmark genus Alesa Doubleday, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae: Eurybiini) with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5284 (1), pp. 77-120 : 117-119

Alesa thelydrias Bates, 1867

Figs 38–39 , 52 , 60 , 96

Alesa thelydrias Bates, 1868 . Jour. Linn. Soc. London, Zool., 9: 371, 415; Rio Cupari, Tapajos, Amazons, [Pará, Brazil].— Herrich-Schäffer, 1868 Corr. Bl. zool.-min. Ver. Regensburg 22: 121.—Kirby, 1871. Syn. Cat. diurn. Lep., p. 287.— Mengel, 1905. Cat. Erycinidae , p. 55.— Stichel, 1910, in Wytsman. Gen. Ins. 112A, p. 81.— Seitz, 1916. Gross-Schmett. Erde 5, p. 727, 1137; syn: helydrias [sic].— Stichel, 1930. Lep. Cat. 40, p. 295.—Brown, 1993. Occas. Paper IUCN Sp. Surv. Comm. 8: 151.— d’Abrera, 1994. Butt. Neotrop. Region 6, Riodinidae , p. 933, fig. (male d).— Callaghan & Lamas, 2004, Riodinidae , p. 148, in Lamas (ed.). Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea—Papilionoidea, in Heppner (ed.) Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera 5A.— Hall & Ahrenholz, 2010. Trop. Lep. Res. 20 (1): 21.

Alesa helydrias [sic], Seitz, 1916. Gross-Schmett. Erde 5, p. 652.

Diagnosis. Males of A. thelydrias are most similar to A. mariae sp. nov. and A. hemiurga , and it can be distinguished from A. amesis and A. mariae sp. nov. by the absence of iridescence on the wings upper side, lighter ground color of the wings underside, and by the irregular discal band on the hindwing underside; it can be distinguished from males of A. lipara and A. hemiurga by the absence of purplish sheen on the wings upper side, reddish spots on the wings upper side well marked, and by the discal band, closer to the postdiscal band on the hindwing underside. Female unknown.

Type material. Alesa thelydrias was described from an unstated number of male specimens from Rio Cupari, Tapajós, Pará, Brazil. To avoid future uncertainty, a male syntype in NMHUK with the following labels is here designated lectotype of Alesa thelydrias Bates, 1867 : / Type H. T. / Tapajos, Amazons. H. W. Bates. / Type A. thelydrias [verso of the same label:] Tapajos / ♁ / 301 / Alesa thelydrias, Bates. Godman-Salvin Coll. 1913 .-2. / BMNH (E) 1717341 /; the following labels will be added to the specimen: / LECTOTYPUS / Lectotype Alesa thelydrias Bates, 1868 W. Santos, Dolibaina, Dias, O. Mielke & Casagrande des. 2021 /.

Distribution. This species is only known from its type locality, in the region of the municipalities of Aveiro and Rurópolis, near Itaituba, Pará, Brazil ( Fig. 96 ).

Comments. Alesa thelydrias is one of the three species of Alesa known only from a single male specimen. This species is distinctive in the “ amesis group” due to the spots and bands well marked on both wings upper side, which resembles a typical female of this species group. As already mentioned, characters of the wing pattern support A. thelydrias as being closely related to A. lipara and A. hemiurga , although the purplish sheen is absent in A. thelydrias but present in A. lipara and A. hemiurga . Alesa thelydrias is more similar and potentially can be misidentified with A. mariae sp. nov., as both species have reddish spots on the wings upper side. However, they can easily be distinguished by the irregular discal band on the hindwing underside in A. thelydrias , which is straight in A. mariae sp. nov.. This band is straight in all males of A. amesis and A. mariae sp. nov. available for examination, while it is irregular in A. thelydrias , A. lipara and A. hemiurga .

Nothing is known about the behavior or habitat of A. thelydrias . Considering that males of other species of Alesa perform hilltopping behavior, sampling in low elevation summits in eastern Amazon, mainly in the region of Itaituba, Pará, Brazil, would be advisable to find A. thelydrias .

Examined material. BRAZIL — Pará: ( Rio Cupari ), Bates leg., 1 male ( NHMUK) (examined from images) .

Figures

FIGURES 96. Geographic distribution of Alesa lipara, A. hemiurga and A. thelydrias. Question mark indicates uncertain records.

FIGURES 30–39. Males of species of “amesis group”, in dorsal and ventral views (left to right). 30–31, A. amesis (DZ 35.219) Brazil, Acre, Mâncio Lima. 32–33, A. mariae sp. nov. Peru, Madre de Dios: Puerto Maldonado (holotype). 34–35, A. lipara Brazil, Acre: Santa Rosa do Purus (DZ 35.246). 36–37, A. hemiurga Brazil, Amazonas: Tefé (DZ 34.976). 38–39, A. thelydrias Brazil, Pará: rio Cupari (holotype, NHMUK). Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 48–55. Wings upper side pattern with the main diagnostic characters of males (top) and females (bottom) belonging to species of the “amesis group”. 48, 53, A. amesis (male DZ 48.287, female DZ 35.186). 49, A. mariae sp. nov. (holotype). 50, 54, A. lipara (male DZ 35.246, female DZ 48.237). 51, 55, A. hemiurga (male DZ 34.976, putative female DZ 35.226). 52, A. thelydrias (holotype).

FIGURES 56–60. Underside pattern with the main diagnostic characters of the hindwing underside of males belonging to the “amesis group”. 56, A. amesis (DZ 48.287). 57, A. mariae sp. nov. (holotype). 58, A. lipara (DZ 35.246). 59, A. hemiurga (DZ 34.976). 60, A. thelydrias (holotype).