Libytheana motya (Hübner [1823])

Kawahara, Akito Y., 2013, <strong> Systematic revision and review of the extant and fossil snout butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Libytheinae) </ strong>, Zootaxa 3631 (1), pp. 1-74 : 56-57

Libytheana motya (Hübner [1823])

( Figs. 12 , 24, 37, 49, 67, 157–160)

Hecaërge motya Hübner [1823] , imprint 1819–[1827]: 350 [pl. 137] Figs. 1 , 2 [female].

Libythea motya Boisduval & Le Conte [1835] , imprint 1829–[1837]: pl. 64, Figs. 1 , 2 . [adults].

Hypatus bachmanii Scudder 1889b: 760 [in part].

Libythea (Hypatus) carinenta motya Fruhstorfer 1898: 170 .

Libythea (Hypatus) carinenta var. motya: Pagenstecher 1901: 15 .

Hecaerge motya Hering 1921: 285 [justified emendation].

Libethea [sic] motya Wolcott 1923: 144 .

Libythea bachmanii motya McDunnough 1938: 23 .

Libythea bachmanni Tietz 1972: 128 [in part].

Libytheana carinenta motya Scott 1986: 345 , pl. 59, Figs. 274 a–c.

Diagnosis. Libytheana motya is most similar to L. terena by sharing a long labial palpus, and a hindwing CuA 2 vein that extends beyond 1A + 2A by more than 1 mm. Libytheana motya can be readily distinguished from L. terena by its white-yellow and brown hindwing dorsum, which is orange and brown in L. terena .

Type Specimens Examined. The holotype of this species could not be examined, and may not be available. A neotype may need to be designated once it is certain that original types no longer exist.

Other Specimens Examined. (67♂, 38♀): CUBA [Uncertain State] : 2♂, 2♀ ( BMNH) ; 1♀ ( MGCL) ; 2♀ ( AMNH) ; 7♂, 3♀ ( CMNH) ; 3♂, 1♀ ( USNM) ; 1♂, 1♀, B. Neumögen ( USNM) ; 2♂, 1♀, Brother Robert ( CUIC) ; 2♂, Poey ( CMNH) ; 1♀, V. S. Villalba ( CMNH) . Granma: Pastelillo : 1♂, 5-VII-1926 ( AMNH) . Guantanamo: 1♂, 1908 ( AMNH) ; 1♂, 5-X-1909 ( AMNH) ; 1♂ ( BMNH) ; 1♂, 1♀, 10-VII-1914, C. T. Ramsden ( CMNH) ; 1♀, 10- XII-1914 ( CMNH) . Guantanamo Bay , US Naval Base : 1♀, 11-X-1972, R. A. Anderson ( MGCL) . Baracoa : 1♂ ( USNM) . Cerro : 2♂, 1♀, 29-VI-1933, G. S. Villaba ( CMNH) ; 1♂, 27-VII-1933 ( USNM) . San Carlos: 2♂, 5-X- 1909 ( AMNH) . La Habana: 1♂, 1♀, 28-VI-1923 ( CUIC) ; 1♂, 23-VII-1924 ( USNM) ; 1♀, 5-VIII-1935 ( CMNH) . Isle of Pines [Isla de la Juventud]: Columbia : 1♀, 10-VII ( USNM) . La Playa: 2♀, 5-VII-1933, V. S. Villalba ( CMNH) . Saliones : 1♂, Brother Robert ( CUIC) . Matanzas: 3♂ ( USNM) ; 1♂, VII, Schaus and Barnes ( USNM) . Pinar del Rio: 1♂, 2♀, 15-VII-1925 ( CMNH) . El Palenque, 1♀, 11-XI-1950 ( AMNH) . Guanajay : 1♂, Palmer and Riley ( USNM) . Rangel : 2♂, 2♀, Brother Robert ( CUIC) ; 1♂, 7-VI-1935 ( CMNH) ; 1♂, 25-VII-1935 ( CMNH) . 7 km north of Viñales : 1♂, 11-X-1903 ( USNM) ; 1♂, 16-22-VIII-1913 ( AMNH) . Santiago de Cuba: 5♂, 5♀ ( AMNH) ; 1♂, 1♀, ( MGCL) ; 1♂, 1885 ( MGCL) ; 1♂, 1♀, 11-X-1903 ( USNM) ; 1♂, 14-XI-1905 ( USNM) ; 1♂, 7- VII-1930, O. Querci ( CUIC) . Loma del Gato , Sierra Maestra Oriente, 850 m : 3♂, 3♀, Brother Clement ( CUIC) . Sardinero : 11♂, 28-I-1904 ( USNM) . ‘ Cuba’ : 2♀ ( MGCL) .

Distribution. Most records are from Cuba, but adults also have been collected in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico ( Smith et al. 1994). There are also records from Guatemala ( Shields 1985b) and Texas ( Heitzman and Heitzman 1972), but these are probably storm-carried strays from the main population in the Caribbean.

Biology. The life history of this species remains unknown, but the larva probably feeds on Celtis sp. given the specificity of other Libytheinae to this plant genus.

Remarks. There has been much confusion regarding the true identity of Libythea motya . According to Calhoun (2004), most publications have incorrectly attributed the original description to plate 64 in Boisduval & Le Conte (1829 –[1837]), although Hübner ([1823], imprint 1819–[1827]) was the first to describe this species. Calhoun determined that Boisduval and Le Conte’s figures of L. motya are synonymous with both the adults of Libytheana motya and the immature stages of Libytheana carinenta . The immature stages used to describe carinenta are synonymized in this paper, since Calhoun did not formally do so in his publication.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogeny of snout butterflies based on morphology (after Kawahara 2009). Numbers above and below each rectangle refer to the characters and states in Kawahara (2009). A dark rectangle indicates a unique character state change (synapomorphy), a white rectangle indicates homoplasy. Large numbers indicate branch support (Bremer Support/jackknife). Due to limited space, outgroups are not shown in this figure.

FIGURES 2−13. Lateral view of the male eighth abdominal tergum of Libythea and Libytheana with scales and hairs removed. 2. Libythea celtis; 3. Libythea collenettei; 4. Libythea geoffroyi; 5. Libythea labdaca; 6. Libythea laius; 7. Libythea lepita; 8. Libythea myrrha; 9. Libythea narina; 10. Libytheana carinenta; 11. Libytheana fulvescens; 12. Libytheana motya; 13. Libytheana terena.