Telchin evalthe tica ( Lamas, 1995 )

García-Díaz, José De Jesús, Espinoza-Sanabria, Bernardo A., Worthy, Robert, González, Jorge M., Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2024, Synopsis of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) of Costa Rica, Zootaxa 5481 (2), pp. 151-202 : 162

6. Telchin evalthe tica ( Lamas, 1995)

( Figs. 3A, 3B , 11A, 11B, 11C , 13C )

Castnia (Xanthocastnia) viryi intermedia Rothschild, 1919 ; Rothschild, 1919. Novit. Zool. 26(1), p. 11.

Xanthocastnia viryi intermedia ; Miller, 1995, in Heppner. Castnioidea: Castniidae : Castniinae , Checklist part 2, Atlas Neo. Lep., p. 136.

Xanthocastnia evalthe viryi ; Lamas, 1995. Revta. Per. Ent. 37, p. 81.

Xanthocastnia evalthe tica Lamas, 1995 ; Lamas, 1995. Revta. Per. Ent. 37, p. 81.

General comments. This taxon was originally described as Castnia (Xanthocastnia) viryi intermedia Rothschild, 1919 , based on a male from Costa Rica ( Rothschild 1919). Miller (1986, 1995) considered intermedia a valid subspecies of Xanthocastnia evalthe ; however, Lamas (1995) proposed the replacement name Xanthocastnia evalthe tica Lamas, 1995 , since the original name was a junior primary homonym of Castnia intermedia Pfeiffer, 1917 . Moraes & Duarte (2014) synonymized Xanthocastnia with Telchin Hübner.

García-Díaz (2023) studied Telchin evalthe viryi (Boisduval, [1875]) in Mexico mentioning that T. e. tica is its closest relative due to their similar phenotypes. In general, Telchin evalthe is a species markedly differentiated morphologically from other species in the genus, mainly by its ventral wing pattern. In T. e. tica, as in T. e. viryi , males and females have a blackish base-color on the dorsal surface; on the forewing, there is a diagonal yellowishcreamy band that runs from the costa to the anal angle; on the hindwing, there is a yellow discal band that runs from the costa to the anal angle, where it joins a submarginal band of orange-red spots. This subspecies shows a marked sexual dimorphism due to the presence of a yellowish diagonal band in the subapical region of the female forewing.

The taxonomic status of this species is unclear, thus an extensive review including a larger number of specimens from different countries and regions is necessary ( González et al. 2010; González & Domagała 2019; García-Díaz 2023).

Ecology and behavior. Very little is known about the ecology and behavior of Telchin evalthe and up to now there is no relevant information on T. evalthe tica . García-Díaz (2023) pointed out that the probably closely related T. e. viryi has diurnal habits and flies in open sunny places such as walking trails, paths, or watercourses; males are fast fliers, territorial, and perch on dry branches or leaves on trees; females have a slower, heavier flight. Due to their close relationship, T. e. tica might exhibit behavior similar to T. e. viryi . In Sarapiquí, Octavio Ruiz (pers. comm.) once observed a male T. e. tica perching on a leaf of a Calyptrogyne H. Wendl., 1859 palm ( Arecaceae ), at night (20:34 hrs). On another occasion, during the morning, he observed a male perching on a plant, to later fly away into the forest. iNaturalist (2023) has several observations of both sexes of this subspecies which were made between 10–16 hrs in Costa Rica.

Some authors have suggested that T. evalthe could be associated with bromeliads ( Bromeliaceae ) or heliconias ( Heliconia spp. , Heliconiaceae ), based on potential host plants in areas where the species have been seen or collected ( Moss 1945; Miller 1986; González & Cock, 2004; González et al. 2010; González et al. 2017; González & Domagała 2019; Aya et al. 2022; García-Díaz 2023), but so far, no hosts have been confirmed for the species. García-Díaz (2023) mentioned that heliconias do not appear to be a host for T. e. viryi since there are many species of this plant family widely distributed, which would directly impact the distribution of the castniid, a situation also observed with T. a. futilis , but this is just simple speculation. To learn more about the ecology and behavior of T. e. tica, more fieldwork is needed.

Distribution and biogeography. Telchin evalthe is distributed from Mexico to South America, however, not much is known about the geographical limits of its currently known subspecies. Telchin evalthe viryi is found in Mexico, while T. e. tica has been cited for Costa Rica and Panama ( González & Domagała 2019; García-Díaz 2022a). In Costa Rica, this subspecies has been recorded on both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes. Based on Morrone et al. (2022), in Costa Rica, it flies in three biogeographical provinces: Puntarenas-Chiriquí, Guatuso-Talamanca, and Pacific Lowlands. The subspecies has been sighted/collected in Alajuela: San Carlos, San Ramón; Cartago: Oreamuno; Guanacaste: La Cruz; Heredia: Sarapiquí; Limón: Pococí; Puntarenas: Coto Brus, Garabito, Golfito, Osa; San José: Moravia, Vázquez de Coronado.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A–B: Telchin evalthe tica; A: ♂, San José, P. B. Carrillo, La Montura, 1050m, 23mayo 1981, I. A. Chacón, INBIOCRI001055993, MNCR-A1055993 (MNCR); B: ♀, Alajuela, Reserva de San Ramón, Río San Lorencito, 23mayo1986, I. A. Chacón, INBIOCRI001056104, MNCR-A1056104 (MNCR); C–D: Telchin licus microsticta; C: ♂, San José, P. N. Braulio Carrillo, Est. Carrillo, 730m, 20mayo85, Abelardo Chacón, INBIOCRI001055981, MNCR-A1055981 (MNCR); D: ♀, Casacode, 7 abril 97, I. Chacón (MNCR). Scale bar = 2cm.

FIGURE 11. A–C: Telchin evalthe tica; A: ♂, Pococí, Limón, 03-IV-2008 (photo: Steven Daniel); B: ♂, Coto Brus, Puntarenas, 27-V-2022 (photo: Randall Jiménez); C: ♀, Golfito, Puntarenas, 12-VII-2008 (photo: Gernot Kunz); D–E: Telchin licus microsticta; D: ♀, Alajuela, San Ramón, 22-IV-2020 (photo: Gustavo Orozco); E: ♂, San Carlos, Alajuela, 29-V-2023 (photo: Colin Allen); F–G: Telchin atymnius drucei; F: ♂, Golfito, Puntarenas, 18-I-2022 (photo: Heiner Ziegler); G: ♀, Puriscal, San José, 31-VIII-2022 (photo: Kirby Wolfe); H–I: Telchin atymnius futilis; H: ♂, Pococí, Limón, 16-I-2020 (photo: Alexandre Terrigeol); I: ♀, Sarapiquí, Heredia, 26-II-2022 (photo: Kyle Horner).

FIGURE 13. Distribution maps of the genus Telchin in Costa Rica. A: T. atymnius futilis; B: T. atymnius drucei; C: T. evalthe tica; D: T. licus microsticta.