Thereus ortalus (Godman & Salvin, 1887)

Figures 31, 32, 48, 64, 77, 78, 86

Thecla ortalus: Godman & Salvin: 1887: 52

Type material. This species was described from a male and a female specimen from Cordova, Mexico, in the Godman and Salvin collection, now at the NHMUK. The male syntype NHMUK 015200798 gave a sequence, the female syntype NHMUK 015200814 didn’t, so it cannot be said that it is conspecific, although they both come from the same locality. For this reason and in order to stabilise the name, the male syntype (Fig. 31) is designated as lectotype of Thecla ortalus Godman & Salvin .

LECTOTYPE ♂, designated here: “Syn- // type” (blue rimmed white circle label, printed), “Type” (orange rimmed white circle label, printed); “♀” (brown rectangular label, printed); “ Cordova, // Vera Cruz. // Rumeli .” (brown rectangular label, printed); “Type. // Sp. figured.” (brown rectangular label, printed); “ Godman-Salvin // Coll. 1911.-93. // B.C.A.Lep.Rhop. // Thecla // ortalus, // G.&S.” (brown rectangular label, printed); “ Thecla ortalus // Godman & Salvin, 1887 // SYNTYPE” (white rectangular label, printed); “ NHMUK015200798 ” (white rectangular label, printed, with a flash code); “ Thecla ortalus // Godman & Salvin, 1887 // LECTOTYPE // Faynel, 2025 ” (white rectangular label, printed).

PARALECTOTYPE ♀: “Syn- // type” (blue rimmed white circle label, printed), “Type” (orange rimmed white circle label, printed); “♂” (brown rectangular label, printed); “ Cordova, // Vera Cruz. // Rumeli .” (brown rectangular label, printed); “Type. // Sp. figured.” (brown rectangular label, printed); “ Godman-Salvin // Coll. 1911.-93. // B.C.A.Lep.Rhop. // Thecla // ortalus, // G.&S.” (brown rectangular label, printed); “B.M. TYPE // No.Rh 719” (brown rectangular label, printed and handwritten); “ Thecla ortalus // Godman & Salvin, 1887 // SYNTYPE” (white rectangular label, printed); “ NHMUK015200814 ” (white rectangular label, printed, with a flash code); “ Thecla ortalus // Godman & Salvin, 1887 // PARALECTOTYPE // Faynel, 2025 ” (white rectangular label, printed) .

Other material examined (3♀, 1 larva). MEXICO. Campeche. 1 larva, Calakmul, Dos Lagunas Sur, 240m, 17.892, -89.367, 13.xi.2006, Diego Meneses leg., MLL-00398 * (Collection El Colegio de la Frontera Sur) . COSTA RICA. Alajuela. 1♀, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Laureles, 10.93319, -85.25335, 95m, Jose Perez leg., ex-pupa, 07-SRNP-42037 * (USNM) ; 1♀, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Laureles, 95m, 29.vii.2007, 10.93319, -85.25335, Jose Perez leg., ex-pupa, 07-SRNP-42040* (USNM) . COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca. 1♀, Mesitos del Colegio, 1200m, 23.xi.1997, J.F. Le Crom leg., JFDA-372 * (JFLC) .

iNaturalist data. HONDURAS. Puerto Cortés. 1♀, May 2021 (Maldonado Howard 2021).

Diagnosis and description. T. ortalus forms a clade with T. praxioides sp. nov. and T. praxis on the ML tree (Fig. 1). T. ortalus is distinct from T. praxioides sp. nov. by: (1) DFW male scent patch a little more flattened; (2) wider male VFW brown margins; (3) VHW postmedian line more distant from the antemarginal line; (4) 5.11% mean genetic divergence (Table 3). T. ortalus is distinguished from T. praxis by: (1) bigger male DFW scent patch; (2) DFW blue area more extended towards the apex; (3) smaller red-orange cubital spot on VHW; (4) 5.84% mean genetic divergence (Table 3). As mentioned in the original description, the female of T. ortalus “has a greenish cast over the base of the wings”, while it is dorsally all brown in T. praxioides sp. nov. and T. praxis . Male genitalia (Fig. 64). Two males dissected. Similar to T. praxis but with the dorsal support of the brush organs a little further from the saccus. Penis straight. Eighth tergite long with W-shaped anterior border. Female genitalia (Fig. 77). One female dissected. Similar to T. praxis but with two thorn-shaped signa observed in the middle of the bursa (black arrow on Fig. 77). Papillae anales with two sclerotized half capsules facing each other and located on the membrane in between the papillae. Eighth tergite subrectangular.

Biology. This species has been bred on Loranthaceae in Mexico (LPMX398-07) and two pupae were found in Costa Rica (MHMYL12462-16 & MHMXO500-08). Struthanthus sp., Oryctanthus alveolatus (both Loranthaceae) are cited as food plant records in Costa Rica and Colombia respectively (Heredia & Robbins 2016).

Sympatry. T. ortalus and T. praxis are sympatric in Costa Rica and Colombia while T. ortalus is allopatric with T. praxioides sp. nov. (Fig. 86).

Known distribution (Fig. 86). Mexico. Honduras. Costa Rica. Colombia (west of the Cordillera Oriental).