Thiemeia phoronea phoronea (Doubleday)

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 : 26-27

Thiemeia phoronea phoronea (Doubleday)

( Figs. 35, 36 )

Pronophila phoronea Doubleday [1849] : pl. 60, fig. 1. Syntype (male) in BMNH [examined].

Daedalma phoronea (Doubleday) ; Butler, 1868: 183.

Catargynnis phoronea (Doubleday) ; Thieme, 1907: 150.

Thiemeia phoronea (Doubleday) ; Weymer, 1912: 267.

Thiemeia phoronea var. obscurata Krüger, 1924: 38 . As a synonym of T. phoronea phoronea . Lectotype (male) designated by Pyrcz, 1999: 371 [examined], stat. reinst.

Geographic range: Species: CC-Yungas de Cochabamba; Subspecies: CC, SP[?], western slopes of the Andes in Colombia and north-western Ecuador.

Altitudinal range: 1600–2200 m ( Pyrcz & Wojtusiak, 1999; Pyrcz, 2004); 2000–2300 m

Remarks: This interesting species has been attributed to three different genera, until it was placed in a monobasic genus Thiemeia Weymer. Pyrcz (2004) suggested that Thiemeia is a relic which evolved before the radiation of Daedalma Hewitson and Pseudomaniola Röber. The geographic range of T. phoronea is very wide, from the CC to Bolivia, but discontinuous. The apparent absence of T. phoronea from many well sampled areas is due to the fact that it is habitat- specific, thus highly localized and seldom encountered in nature. Three subspecies can be recognized, differing mostly by the females. The female of the nominate subspecies has a conspicuous whitish FWD subapical streak. This feature allows its separation from obscurata Krüger stat. reinst., characterized by an all medium-brown FWD. Pyrcz (2004) was incorrect in assuming that obscurata occurring in the WC does not differ from the nominate subspecies, an observation based on the males only. Adams (1986), in his turn, was right in pointing out that the obscurata female is like neither ortruda nor phoronea . T. phoronea ortruda (Thieme) , occurring on the eastern slopes of the Andes between Ecuador and Bolivia, has a wide orange oblique postdiscal band. A male individual was observed for two consecutive days on the top road from Los Colonos to Naranjal (CC), keeping a territory in a sunny gap. After it was collected, another male appeared and occupied the very same small area. A female was collected several months later in the same spot, as late as 15:45, on a particularly misty day.

Material examined: DISTRITO FEDERAL: 1 male: Avila, 19.III.1983, M. Costa leg., MIZA; 3 males: P. N. Avila, Caracas, 1500 m, 15–16.VII.1979, D. Baiocchi, leg., MIZA; 1 male: Avila 1800 m, 1.I.1984, M. Costa, leg., MIZA; 1 male: same locality and collector, 1800 m, 20.XI.1982, MIZA; 1 male: Avila, Hotel Humboldt, 20.I.1985, M. Costa, leg., MIZA; 1 male: Distrito Federal, Avila, vía Picacho de Galipán, 1800 m, 20.XI.1982, M. Costa leg., MCC; 2 males: Distrito Federal, Avila, vía Picacho de Galipán, 1800 m, 20.III.1983, M. Costa leg., MCC; 1 male: Avila, 2000 m, 18.XI.2001, M. Costa leg., MCC; ARAGUA: 1 female: Colonia Tovar, 2100 m, 31.I.2004, M. Costa leg., MCC; 1 male: Colonia Tovar, 09.IX.2003, M. Costa leg., MCC; 1 female: Colonia Tovar, vía Naranjal, 2150 m, 19.VII.2006, T. Pyrcz leg., MZUJ; 2 males: Colonia Tovar, Los Colonos, 2200 m, 03.III.2010, T. Pyrcz leg., MZUJ; 1 male: same data but 04.III.2010, MZUJ; 3 males: same data but 05.III.2010, 1 PBF, 2 MZUJ.

Figures

FIGURES 29 – 36. Adult satyrine butterflies from the Cordillera de La Costa, Venezuela (left: dorsal, right: ventral); 29. Pronophila obscura Butler (male, Cerro San Isidro); 30. P. obscura Butler (female, vía Maracay-Choroní); 31. Pronophila thelebe Doubleday (male, vía Capachal); 32. P. thelebe Doubleday (female, vía Capachal); 33. Mygona irmina (Doubleday) (male, Los Colonos); 34. M. irmina (Doubleday) (female, Los Colonos); 35. Thiemeia phoronea phoronea (Doubleday) (male, vía Naranjal); 36. T. phoronea phoronea (Doubleday) (female, vía Naranjal).