Nelia nemyroides ( Blanchard, 1852 ) (Satyrus)

Matz, Jess & Brower, Andrew V. Z., 2016, The South Temperate Pronophilina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae): a phylogenetic hypothesis, redescriptions and revisionary notes, Zootaxa 4125 (1), pp. 1-108 : 30-31

Nelia nemyroides ( Blanchard, 1852) (Satyrus)

( Figs. 5 D, E; 14G–I; 25)

Lectotype: (female) MNHN, Paris (photo examined) Type location: Coquimbo province, Chile Other combinations:

Elina nemyroides —D’Abrera 1988, p.792

Distribution. Found in Chile from southern Bío-Bío Province southward to northern Los Lagos Province from December to March at 50 to 2300m ( Fig. 25). Hayward (1958) found specimens in Neuquén and Chubut Provinces, Argentina and Blanchard (1852) notes in the original description (probably in error) that it can be found in Coquimbo Province, 650km north of the northernmost extent of the range.

Diagnosis. Most similar to Nelia calvertii , but generally bolder in color and with the forewing termen more concave. N. calvertii bears additional ocelli on the forewing between M3 and 1A+2A and the postmedian band on the dorsal side of the forewing of the females is wider and more triangular in N. nemyroides . Apical ocellus between M1-M3 on the ventral side of the forewing lacks the daffodil yellow ring present in N. calvertii and may be pupillated. Male genitalia differ most notably in that the pedunculus is longer and U-shaped, saccus is shorter and truncate, and the aedeagus is narrower at the distal end and wider at the proximal end than in N. calvertii .

Redescription. Head: Antennae 7–8 mm with chocolate to dark chocolate scales and white to cream scales at the joints, terminating in a spatulate club. Eyes oval and naked, length approximately 1.1 times width. Palps white at the base, chocolate to dark chocolate brown dorsally, and dark coffee interspersed with white ventrally. Female palps are similar to that of the males, but with more white scales than dark coffee-colored scales on the ventral side. Terminal palp segment cylindrical and about one-fifth the length of the second segment.

Thorax of the males with iridescent black scales and chocolate to dark chocolate piliform scales. Females the same, but with sparse white scales in addition to the iridescent black. Forelegs with three tarsal segments in the males and five in the females, females bearing several rows of spines along the length of the tarsus as in the midlegs and hindlegs. Midlegs and hindlegs of both sexes with four rows of amber spines on the tibia and tarsus.

Forewing ( Fig. 5 D, E): Wingspan 26–28mm. Termen nearly straight to somewhat concave and the distal end of the discal cell sinuate with the cubital end straighter than the radial end. Males with a heavy androconial patch clearly visible on the dorsal side that extends from M1 almost to the inner margin and over most of the discal cell. Fringe scales are dark chocolate layered over cream to white in stripes perpendicular to the termen. Dorsal side chocolate to dark chocolate brown, the males with a barely visible postmedian band in rust red to rust orange just distal to the androconial patch. Females chocolate to dark chocolate brown with a clearly visible triangular postmedian band in rust orange with the widest part along the radials, terminating between CuA2 and the anal vein. The apical ocellus appears on the dorsal side in the females between M1-M3 as a round spot in dark coffee, rarely with one or two pupils appearing at the center in rust red. Ventral side chocolate to dark chocolate brown with a ripple pattern in white and dark chocolate appearing along the costa and over the radial veins, more strongly so at the apex than toward the base. Postmedian band appears in both sexes as in the dorsal side of the females, but with more defined edges that are dark coffee and nearly straight to deckle-edged on both sides. Apical ocellus between M1-M3 appears as a dark coffee to black spot, usually unpupillated, but occasionally with one or two white pupils.

Hindwing ( Fig. 5 D, E): Wing trapezoidal, termen slightly convex and scalloped. Inner margin excavated between anal vein and 1A+2A. Dorsal side similar in color to the forewing with the postmedian band appearing as rust orange to rust red patches in each cell between M1 and CuA2. Fringe scales are as in the forewing and long piliform scales appear at the base and over the discal cell, extending to the median and toward the inner margin. Ventral side dark chocolate to dark coffee with a ripple pattern in tan to white, lavender in the males, from the base to the postmedian band and from the postmedian band to the termen. Postmedian band is tan to chocolate with a ripple pattern in dark chocolate to dark coffee striations. Both borders of the postmedian band are dark chocolate to dark coffee and irregularly scalloped. Within the postmedian band along the costal and median edge is a roughly triangular patch of white to cream scales, the widest part of the triangle along the costa, narrowing toward M3. A small, round, daffodil yellow ocellus appears in each cell between Rs and 1A+2A with two such ocelli sometimes appearing between CuA2-1A+2A. Some hindwing ocelli may be absent or obscured.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 14 G–I): Uncus about 1.2X longer than the tegumen and generally wide, but widest at the median, slightly narrower where it joins with the tegumen, and narrowing gradually toward a blunted acute distal end that hooks slightly toward the valvae. Gnathos narrow, acute, and a little more than half the length of the uncus. Pedunculus long and U-shaped. Saccus truncate and a little less than one-third the length of the gnathos. Valvae acute triangular at the proximal half, the widest part at the median and the proximal end blunt. From the median to the distal end, valvae are nearly even in width, attenuating at the distal one-fourth to a deltoid terminus. Aedeagus widest at the median, narrowing slightly toward a truncate proximal end and narrowing gradually toward a distal end that is approximately one-fifth the width of the median.

Specimens examined. Chile, Coquimbo Province, (MNHN, Paris) Lectotype female; Chile, Bío-Bío Province, (CUIC) 2 males; Chile, Araucanía Province, (OSU) 000093679; Chile, Los Lagos Province, (MTSU) CH 8-2; Chile, unknown province, (BMNH) 809537

Figures

FIGURE 5. Composite habitus images of Elina and Nelia species. The left side of each specimen is the dorsal surface, the right side is the ventral surface. A, B: Elina montrolii (Feisthamel, 1839) male (A) and female (B) (MZUJ); C: Elina vanessoides Blanchard, 1852 male (CUIC); D, E: Nelia nemyroides (Blanchard, 1852) male (D) and female (E) (CUIC); F, G: Nelia calvertii (Elwes, 1903 )) lectotype male (BMNH # 809740) (F), female paralectotype (BMNH # 809739) (G).

FIGURE 14. Male genitalia of Elina and Nelia species. See Fig. 2 for labels of parts. All to the same scale. A – C: Elina vanessoides Blanchard, 1852 (CUIC); D – F: Elina montrolii (Feisthamel, 1839) (CH 25 - 1); G – I: Nelia nemyroides (Blanchard, 1852) (CUIC); J – L: Nelia calvertii (Elwes, 1903) (CUIC).