Calydna caprina Hewitson, 1859: 93
A revision of the new riodinid butterfly genus Pseudotinea (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae)
HALL, JASON P. W.
CALLAGHAN, CURTIS J.
Journal of Natural History
2003
2003-04-30
37
7
821
837
(Hewitson, 1859)
HALL & CALLAGHAN
2003
Hewitson
1859
[519,952,635,660]
Insecta
Riodinidae
Pseudotinea
GBIF
Animalia
Lepidoptera
14
834
Arthropoda
species
caprina
comb. nov.
Calydna caprina Hewitson, 1859: 93. Type locality: Brazil. Syntype WBMNH [examined]. Identification and taxonomy
Average FW length: male 17.5 mm. Pseudotinea caprinais a highly distinctive species known only from males. Its ventral surface is most similar to those of the two other south-east Brazilian species, P. hemisand P. gagarini, but there are no prominently continuous pale or dark transverse bands on the hind wing, and the fore wing ground colour is predominantly a darker brown. Pseudotinea caprinais instantly recognizable on the dorsal surface by the single white postdiscal patch on the fore wing. The male genitalia are perhaps most similar to P. gagarini, but the right-hand aedeagal cornutus is flat instead of rolled, with shorter more closely spaced serrations, and the left-hand one has fewer, larger and more rounded spines. Pseudotinea caprinasuperficially resembles Pachythone robustaLathy( incertae sedissection [four fore wing radial veins]), from Mato Grosso, Brazil, but this species has even distal margins on both wings, with a pointed hind wing, a falcate fore wing apex, and a concave fore wing costa; the white patch on the dorsal fore wing is positioned more distally and slightly closer to the costal margin, and the ventral surface is more uniformly patterned without such large white blotches. The sympatric Lepricornis atricolorButler (Riodinini), has an identical dorsal wing pattern to P. caprinaexcept for variably prominent interneural white rays at the wing bases, but its ventral pattern is the same as that of the dorsal surface and the distal wing margins are not scalloped. Biology Nothing is known about the biology of this very rare species, but the occurrence of several sympatric species with very similar black and white dorsal wing patterns, including species in the genera RiodinaWestwood, MelanisHübnerand LepricornisC. and R. Felder (all Riodinini) (see d’Abrera, 1994), suggests that it may be involved in a mimetic relationship with these species. Pseudotinea caprinais another south-east Brazilendemic that should be considered vulnerable in conservation terms. Distribution This species is currently only known from the Serra do Paranapiacaba regionof eastern Paraná stateand from central Rio de Janeiro statein south-east Brazil(see figure 14). This distribution suggests that it should also be found in mountainous areas such as the Serra do Marin intervening São Paulo stateand perhaps also southern Minas Gerais state. Within Paraná stateit should also be looked for in the Serra Geral further inland, which also extends into northern Santa Catarina stateto the south. Specimens examined
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Paineiras (May), 1 WUFP; Paraná, Castro, 2 W BMNH; no locality data, 1 W BMNH.
[486,687,701,724]
BMNH
Brazil
Brazil
14
834
1
syntype
Brazil
Serra do Paranapiacaba region
Serra do Mar
15
835
1
Parana
[353,927,461,485]
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
15
835
1
Rio de Janeiro
[942,1263,461,485]
BMNH
Brazil
Castro
15
835
1
Parana