Vareuptychia similis (Butler, 1867)

Zacca, Thamara, Casagrande, Mirna M., Mielke, Olaf H. H., Huertas, Blanca, Espeland, Marianne, Freitas, André V. L., Willmott, Keith R., Nakahara, Shinichi & Lamas, Gerardo, 2020, Revalidation of Vareuptychia Forster, 1964, description of Vanima gen. nov., and notes on Euptychia cleophes Godman & Salvin, 1889 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae Satyrinae), Zootaxa 4858 (1), pp. 1-34 : 9-10

Vareuptychia similis (Butler, 1867) comb. rest.

( Figs. 1–4 , 14–18 , 24–25 , 28 )

Euptychia similis Butler, 1867a: 463 ; syntypes: Central Guatemala, Central Valleys. Lectotype male here designated: Guatemala, Central Valleys; NHMUK (examined).— Butler, 1868: 17.— Butler, 1870: 252.— Kirby, 1871: 48.— Godman & Salvin, 1880a: 81, pl. 8. fig. 4.—Godman 1901: 654.—Weymer, 1911: 200.— Gaede, 1931: 465.— DeVries, 1987: 272, pl. 48, figs. 20–21 [misidentification].— D’Abrera, 1988: 773 (female).

Vareuptychia similis ; Forster, 1964: 125, fig. 145 (male genitalia).— Ackery, 1988: 115, tab. 9.— Austin et al., 1996: 33.— Llorente-Bousquets et al., 1996: 45.

Vareuptychia themis ; Lewis, 1973: pl. 65, fig. 11 [misidentification].

Cissia similis ; DeVries, 1987: 272.— Meerman & Boomsma, 1993: 42.— Pozo et al., 2003: 516.— Lamas, 2004: 218.—Luis-Martínez et al., 2004: 349.— Harvey et al., 2005: 226.— Murray & Prowell, 2005: 69.— Hernández-Mejía et al., 2008: 125.— Marín & Uribe, 2009: 25 [misidentification].— Montero-Abril et al., 2009: 173.— Marín et al., 2011: 7, fig. 3 (male).— Luis-Martínez et al., 2011: 23.— Miller et al., 2012: 58.— Nakahara et al., 2012: 359–362, fig. 5 (male genitalia).— Figueroa-Fernandéz et al., 2014: 63.— Luis-Martínez et al., 2016: 216.—Henao-Bañol & Gantiva, 2020: 187.

Cissia similes [sic]; Pozo et al., 2008: 415.

‘Cissia’ similis ; Zacca et al., 2018: 351.

Diagnosis. Vareuptychia similis comb. rest. can be most easily distinguished from its congener by the absence of pupils in ocellus CuA 1 -CuA 2 on the VHW (two pupils in V. themis comb. nov.), by the shape and size of the lamella antevaginalis (smaller and rectangular in V. similis , comb. rest.) ( Fig. 25 , black arrow), and by the position of the paired signa (positioned dorso-laterally in V. similis comb. rest.).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 14–18 ). See ‘Redescription’ section.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 24–25 ). In addition to the characters mentioned in the generic description, the lateral plate reaches the 8 th tergite. Lamella antevaginalis is small, wrinkled and rectangular in ventral view. The paired signa are located dorso-laterally.

Variation. Most of the examined specimens exhibited a grayish brown VW ground color, lighter between the median and marginal lines and with orangey yellow patches on the umbra. However, those yellow patches on the VFW were faded or absent in a few individuals. Ocelli size was also variable on the VHW. In general, individuals of V. similis are consistently larger (FW length: 21–23 mm (n = 10) than those of V. themis comb. nov.: 19–21 mm (n = 8).

Ecology and distribution. This species is distributed widely from Mexico to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, at altitudes up to 1700 m ( Fig. 28 ). Two historical specimens were found at the NHMUK, labeled as having been collected at Nouveau Chantier, an agricultural camp in Saint Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana. This could be interpreted as a historical occurrence of V. similis in this country or a result of mislabeling of specimens, since intensive surveys over the last 30 years have been made in this country (M. Benmesbah, pers. comm.) with no modern record of this species. A further historical specimen in the NHMUK supposedly from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, is also presumed mislabeled. Several recent expeditions to that region conducted by members of ‘Laboratório de Estudos de Lepidoptera Neotropical, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil’ and ‘Laboratório de Ecologia e Sistemática de Borboletas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil)’ have not recorded this species, which is otherwise unknown from anywhere in the Amazon basin. Vareuptychia similis comb. nov. is multivoltine and apparently flies all year ( Figueroa-Fernández et al. 2014; Miller et al. 2012; plus examined material). It is found in dry forests in association with xerophytic shrubland, secondary vegetation, pastures and riparian areas ( Harvey et al. 2005; Montero-Abril et al. 2009; Figueroa-Fernández et al. 2014). It has been recorded feeding on decaying fruits, such as graviola ( Annonaceae ), sapote ( Sapotaceae ) and mango ( Anacardiaceae ) ( Hernández-Mejía et al. 2008). Harvey et al. (2005) reported this species flying among Hyparrhenia rufa (Ness) Stapf , Brachiaria brizantha Hochst Stapf and B. decumbens Stapf grasses ( Poaceae ) in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and suggested that V. similis might use them as host plants. Apart from that report, there are no other records of the host plants or immature stages.

Type material, lectotype designation and taxonomic history. Euptychia similis Butler, 1867 was described based on at least two specimens, one from Central Valleys, Guatemala and the other from an undetermined locality in Nicaragua; Butler did not provide any illustration for this species. Three years later, Butler (1870) stated that the syntype of E. similis from Nicaragua was, in fact, a distinct species from E. similis which he named E. undina (illustrated as E. similis in Butler (1867b , pl. 12, fig. 10)) (see further discussion below under Vareuptychia themis comb. nov.). Two syntypes of E. similis were found in the Godman & Salvin collection at the NHMUK. The male specimen from Guatemala is herein designated as the lectotype of Euptychia similis to fix the identity of the name. This lectotype has the following labels (separated by oblique bars): /Type H.T./ Central Guatemala S & G/ Centr[al]. Valleys, Guatemala, F[rederick]. D[ucane]. G[odman]. & O[sbert]. S[alvin]./ ♂ / Godman-Salvin Coll. 1904.–1. B[iologia]. C[entrali]. A[mericana]. Lep[idoptera]. Rhop[alocera]. Euptychia similis Butl[er ]./ B. M. TYPE No. Rh. 3202 Euptychia similis ♂ Butl [er]./ Type. Sp. figured/ BMNH(E) 982888/; and two other labels will be added later: / Lectotype / Lectotype Euptychia similis Butler, 1867 . T. Zacca det. 2020/. NHMUK. The other specimen will be labelled as paralectotype.

Vareuptychia similis has been misidentified as Cissia themis in several collections (e.g. NHMUK, DZUP, ZMHU) and literature ( Lewis 1973; DeVries 1987; Marín & Uribe 2009), as also noticed by Nakahara et al. (2012).

Examined material. 308 males and 74 females (14 specimens dissected)—see Supporting Information (S2).

Figures

FIGURE 28. Map showing the distribution of Vareuptychia similis comb. rest.

FIGURES 1–8. Species of Vareuptychia stat. rest., dorsal and ventral: 1–4. Vareuptychia similis comb. rest.: 1–2. male (Guerrero, Mexico), 3–4. female (San Jerónimo, Guatemala); 5–8. Vareuptychia themis comb. nov.: 5–6. male (San Mateo, Costa Rica), 7–8. female (Ilopango, El Salvador). Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 14–23. Male genitalia of species of Vareuptychia stat. rest.: 14–18. Vareuptychia similis comb. rest. (BMNH#1420973): 14. lateral, 15. dorsal; 16. ventral; 17. aedeagus, dorsal; 18. aedeagus, lateral; 19–23. Vareuptychia themis comb. nov. (BMNH#1420750): 19. lateral; 20. dorsal; 21. ventral; 22. aedeagus, dorsal; 23. aedeagus, lateral. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 24–27. Female genitalia of species of Vareuptychia stat. rest.: 24–25. Vareuptychia similis comb. rest. (DZUP 27.891): 24. lateral, 25. ventral; 26–27. Vareuptychia themis comb. nov. (DZUP 27.897): 26. lateral; 27. ventral. Scale bar = 1 mm.