Pheles plaumanni Dolibaina & Dias

Dias, Fernando Maia Silva, Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Mielke, Carlos Guilherme Costa, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik & Casagrande, Mirna Martins, 2015, Description of two new species of Pheles Herrich – Schäffer, [1853] and notes on the taxonomic position of two species hitherto included in the genus (Riodinidae: Riodininae), Zootaxa 3981 (2), pp. 275-283 : 276-277

Pheles plaumanni Dolibaina & Dias sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 , 21–22 , 33 , 37 )

Diagnosis. Although superficially similar, this species can be distinguished from species of the genus with dark brown ground color and an oblique whitish subapical band (namely, P. at ricolor (Butler, 1871), P. strigosa (Staudinger, 1876) and P. melanchroia (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)) by the subapical whitish band, which is directed to the tornus and never reaches M3–CuA 1 in the new species, while directed to the outer margin, reaching M3–CuA 1 in other species; as well as the presence of two parallel white lines along the compound eye; by the brown color of the third segment of the labial palpus; and the presence of two ventral whitish lines along the abdomen. Only P. a t r i c ol or is known to occur sympatrically with the new species. The male and female genitalia, are distinguished from P. a t r i c o l o r by the shape of the ventral lobe of the valve being longer and narrower; and the lateral lobes of the posterior projection of the transtilla, posteriorly projected in the new species, and laterally projected in P. a t r i c ol o r. Female genitalia is similar to P. at r i c o l o r, but with larger signa and a longer bursa copulatrix with the signa in the second third of the bursa copulatrix while in the middle of the bursa copulatrix in P. atricolor .

Description. Head: frontoclypeus dark brown, with a pair of white lines along the compound eyes margins; vertex dark brown; postgena orange; compound eyes hairy; antenna covered with long and dense dark brown scales, roughly three fifths the length of the costal margin of the forewing; club reddish, about one third the length of the antenna; labial palpus anteriorly projected, dorsally visible; first and second segments orange, third dark brown; first segment curved, half the size of the second, more or less straight and long, third short and rounded.

Thorax: mostly dark brown; forelegs dark brown; meso and metathoracic legs bluish white.

Forewing length: HT: 11.9mm; AL: 12.4mm.

Forewing, upperside: triangular; costal margin slightly concave from the base to the end of R1; apex rounded; external margin curved; tornus angular; inner margin straight; dark brown ground color, with bluish white lines radiating from the base of the wings between veins and inside the discal cell; lines more clearly near the base of the wings and in M3–CuA2 and the discal cell; and a white subapical oblique band in R3+4– M3; fringe dark brown. Female as in male, but with the wing larger, external margin more curved and with the bluish white lines weaker.

Hindwing, upperside: roughly rounded; costal margin slightly curved; apex slightly angled; external margin curved; tornus rounded; inner margin slightly curved; dark brown ground color with bluish white lines radiating from the base of the wings between veins in all spaces and the discal cell, two lines in CuA2–2A; area between 2A and inner margin dull brown; fringe dark brown. Female as in male, but with the wing larger, external margin more curved and with the bluish white lines weaker.

Forewing, underside: similar to the upper side, but bluish white lines stronger; with an additional line between the costal margin and Sc in the base of the wing; fringe dark brown. Female as in male, but bluish white lines weaker.

Hindwing, underside: similar to the upper side, but bluish white lines more developed, with an additional line between 2A and inner margin; veins distally covered by whitish scales, this is conspicuous from M2 to 2A; fringe dark brown. Female as in male, but bluish white lines weaker.

Abdomen: dorsally dark brown; pleura dark brown, ventrally with a pair of lateral bluish white lines; orange scales on the last abdominal segment.

Male genitalia: tegumen squared, roughly two times larger than uncus; uncus posteriorly rounded; lateral triangular membranous area between tegumen and uncus; gnathos “c” shaped, ventral projection pointed, slightly longer than the dorsal projection; ventral arm of the tegumen projecting ventrally from the middle of the structure, then, after a right angle, projecting anteriorly to the saccus, which is strap–like; valve deeply indented by membrane, with a long and developed ventral lobe and a dorsal, long and thin obliquely projected arm; transtilla projecting posteriorly from the valvae to a single bridge with paired lateral projections; aedeagus curved ventrally, posteriorly tapering to a point; fultura inferior attached to the anterior end of the aedeagus, projecting posteriorly between the valvae to a large, rounded scobinate patch.

Female genitalia: papila analis setose, “d” shaped, with an anterior sclerotized bar; sterigma narrow laterally, but larger medially, with a small medial semi–conical projection; ostium bursae at the end of the medial conical projection of the sterigma; bursa copulatrix gradually widening from the ostium to the end of the corpus bursae, with no clear distinction between the ductus and the corpus bursa; two ventral and parallel signa, in the second third of the bursa copulatrix, as two inwardly pointed conical sclerotizations.

Biological comments. two females were collected in the morning, while one male and one female were collected in the afternoon, between 1300h and 1500h, while perching and feeding in Asteraceae flowers.

Distribution. This species is only known from two localities in the State of Paraná and one in the State of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil.

Etymology. This species is named after Fritz Plaumann (1902 – 1994), the collector of the holotype and the allotype, an entomologist who emigrated to Brazil from East Prussia.

Type material. Holotype with the following labels: / HOLOTYPUS / Brasilien [ Brazil, Santa Catarina, Seara] Nova Teutonia 27° 11’ B. 52° 23’ L Fritz Plaumann [leg.] 300 – 500 m III–1960 / DZ 28.363 / HOLOTYPUS Pheles plaumanni Dolibaina & Dias det. 2015 / ( DZUP). Allotype with the following labels: / ALLOTYPUS / Brasilien [ Brazil, Santa Catarina, Seara] Nova Teutonia 27° 11’ S, 52° 23’ L Fritz Plaumann [leg.] 300 – 500 m III– 1960 / DZ 28.344 / ALLOTYPUS Pheles plaumanni Dolibaina & Dias det. 2015 / ( DZUP). Paratypes (2 males and 3 females): BRAZIL – Paraná: Fernandes Pinheiro, 1 male, 4–IV–1910, W. J. Kaye leg. ( MGCL); Quatro Barras (Morro do Anhangava), 1 male and 1 female, 25.III.2009, D. R. Dolibaina leg., (DZ 21.010*, DZ 28.291); Turvo (Britador), 2 females, 1000m, 3.IV.2010, D. R. Dolibaina leg. (DZ 21.017*, DD).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 20. Species belonging to Pheles Herrich – Schäffer, [1853], Pachythone Bates, 1868 and Melanis Hübner, [1819], dorsal and ventral. 1 – 4. Pheles plaumanni sp. nov. 1 – 2. Male holotype, Nova Teutônia, Seara, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ 28.363). 3 – 4. Female allotype, Nova Teutônia, Seara, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ 28.344). 5 – 12. Pheles atricolor atricolor. 5 – 8. Typical phenotype pattern from Atlantic ombrophilous dense forest and Araucaria moist forest. 5 – 6. Male, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ 28.294). 7 – 8. Female, Cedro, Antonina, Paraná, Brazil (DZ 28.312). 9 – 12. Phenotype pattern from Cerrado and Atlantic semideciduous forest. 9 – 10. Male, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil (DZ 26.412). 11 – 12. Female, Fazenda Água Limpa, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil (DZ 28.316). 13 – 14. Pheles obscura sp. nov. female holotype, Piên, Paraná, Brazil (DZ 30.136). 15 – 16. Pachythone bicolor comb. nov. male, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ 28.362). 17 – 20. Melanis caatingensis comb. nov. 17 – 18. Male paratype, Brejo Santo, Ceará, Brazil (DZ 31.899). 19 – 20. Female paratype, Brejo Santo, Ceará, Brazil (DZ 31.938).

FIGURES 21 – 32. Male head of some species belonging to Pheles Herrich – Schäffer, [1853], Pachythone Bates, 1868 and Melanis Hübner, [1819], frontal and lateral. 21 – 22. Pheles plaumanni sp. nov. 23 – 26. Pheles atricolor atricolor. 23 – 24. Typical phenotype pattern from Atlantic ombrophilous dense forest and Araucaria moist forest. 25 – 26. Phenotype pattern from Cerrado and Atlantic semideciduous forest. 27 – 28. Pheles obscura sp. nov. 29 – 30. Pachythone bicolor comb. nov. 31 – 32. Melanis caatingensis comb. nov.

FIGURES 33 – 36. Male genitalia of some species belonging to Pheles Herrich – Schäffer, [1853], Pachythone Bates, 1868 and Melanis Hübner, [1819]. 33. Pheles plaumanni sp. nov., paratype (DZ 21.010). 34. Pheles atricolor atricolor. 35. Pachythone bicolor comb. nov. 36. Melanis caatingensis comb. nov., paratype (DZ 21.059).

FIGURES 37 – 40. Female genitalia of some species belonging to Pheles Herrich – Schäffer, [1853] and Melanis Hübner, [1819]. 37. Pheles plaumanni sp. nov., paratype (DZ 21.017). 38. Pheles atricolor atricolor. 39. Pheles obscura sp. nov., holotype. 40. Melanis caatingensis comb. nov., paratype (DZ 28.358).