Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949

Siewert, Ricardo Russo, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik & Casagrande, Mirna Martins, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Telemiades Hübner, [1819] (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Eudaminae), with descriptions of fourteen new species, Zootaxa 4721 (1), pp. 1-111 : 77-78

Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949

( Figs 136–139 , 178 , 205 , 218 )

Eudamus nicomedes Plötz, 1881 . Stett. ent. Ztg. 43: 99; Brazil; praeocc. (Möschler, 1879).— Godman, 1907. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (7)20: 135.

Telemiades nicomedes ; Mabille & Boullet, 1912. Ann. Sc. nat., Zool., Paris, (9)16: 119, 121.

Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949 . Amer. Mus. Novit. 1385: 8, fig. 5 (male gen.); male holotype, 9–XI–1939, Neudorf [Vila Nova, Joinville], Santa Catarina, Brazil; AMNH.

Telemiades nicomedes brazus ; Evans, 1953. Cat. Amer. Hesp. 3, p. 27, pl. 27 (male gen.); syn.: nicomedes Plötz. —K. Brown & Mielke, 1967. Jour. Lep. Soc. 21: 164.—Bridges, 1983. Lep. Hesp. 1, p. 18, 81; 2, p. 36; syn.: nicomedes Plötz. —K. Brown, 1987. An. Prim. Simp. Pantanal, Brasília, p. 167.—Bridges, 1988. Cat. Hesp. 1, p. 28; 2, p. 60.— Canals, 2003. Marip. Misiones, p. 457.

(no genus) nicomedes ; Beattie, 1976. Rhop. Direct., p. 212.

(no genus) brazus ; Beattie, 1976. Rhop. Direct., p. 99.

Telemiades meris brazus ; Mielke & Casagrande, 1998. Revta bras. Zool. 14: 990.— Mielke, 2004. Hesperioidea, p. 56, in Lamas (ed.). Checklist: Part 4A, Hesperioidea–Papilionoidea, in Heppner (ed.). Atlas Neotrop. Lep. 5A; syn.: nicomedes (Plötz) .— Mielke, 2005. Cat. Amer. Hesperioidea 3, p. 747; syn.: nicomedes (Plötz) .—Giovenardi et al., 2013. Rev. colomb. Ent. 39 (2), Supl., p. 16.—Piovesan & Orlandin, 2016, in Orlandin et al .. Borb. Marip. S. Catarina, p. 80.

Type material. Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949 was described based on the male [holo]type from Neudorf [Vila Nova, Joinville], Santa Catarina, Brazil, and on the male paratype from Massaranduba–Blumenau , Santa Catarina, Brazil. The male holotype is deposited at the AMNH with the following labels: / HOLOTYPE / Neudorf Sta Catharina XI–19 –139 Brazil / Telemiades brazus Bell Holotype ♂ / G1944/.

Diagnosis. FW length: males 18–20 mm (n=28) and females 20–23 mm (n=6). Telemiades brazus resembles T. squanda and T. trenda but is distinguished by the morphological pattern of the genitalia. Males with same morphological pattern of the genitalia of T. meris , but is distinguished by the developed distal portion of valva, and by the shape of elevation in the inner portion of valva (horizontal in T. brazus ). Also, T. brazus is larger than T. meris .

Variation. Some specimens varies in its ground color, from light to dark brown.

Distribution. Telemiades brazus occurs in forested areas of Atlantic Forest of Paraguay, Argentina, and in the Brazilian States of Mato Grosso, Minais Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.

Taxonomic discussion. Plötz (1881) described Eudamus nicomedes based on an unknown number of specimens from Brazil. However, the name is pre–occupied by Telegonus nicomedes Möschler, 1879 , now a species of Telemiades . Bell (1949) described Telemiades brazus and later Evans (1953) treated it as a subspecies of Telemiades nicomedes (Möschler, 1879) . In the same work, Evans (1953) synonymized Eudamus nicomedes Plötz, 1881 with T. nicomedes brazus . The unpublished figure of Eudamus nicomedes Plötz, 1881 confirms its synonymy with Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949 .

Mielke & Casagrande (1998) analyzed the holotype of Telemiades meris (Plötz, 1886) and based on the similarity of the morphology of the male genitalia, considered T. brazus as a subspecies of T. meris . However, the external morphological differences between both species are constant. In addition, Li et al. (2019) justified its reinstated species status by molecular data.

Examined material. No data: 2 males and 2 females, NHMUK 010242091*, NHMUK 010242093, NHMUK 010242092, NHMUK 010242094 (NHMUK); 2 females, 20/308, 62/063 (MNRJ).

BRAZIL: Mato Grosso— Chapada dos Guimarães, 1 male, H.H. Smith leg., NHMUK 010242090 ( NHMUK). Bahia— Amargosa, 6–8–IV–2002, 1 female, O.–C. Mielke leg., OM 56.124 ( DZUP–OM); Camacan, Reserva Serra Bonita , 15°23’S, 39°33’W, 3–10–XII–2016, 1 male, Mielke, Carneiro, Dias, Dolibaina & Santos leg., DZ 34.042 ( DZUP). Espírito Santo— Conceição da Barra, 17–X–1968, 1 male, C. & C. T. Elias leg., DZ 26.239 ( DZUP); Linhares, 28–III–1970, 1 male, 20–IX–1972, 1 male, 5–X–1972, 1 female, 19–24–VIII–1974, 1 male, 25–30–VI–1977, 1 male, C. Elias leg., DZ 26.241, DZ 26.247, DZ 26.238, DZ 4.663*, DZ 26.245 ( DZUP). Minas Gerais— no specific locality, 1 male, H. Rogers leg., NHMUK 010242089 ( NHMUK); Ibirité, 800 m, 11–III–1993, 1 male, Mielke & Machado leg., OM 37.587 * ( DZUP–OM); Paracatu, 16–VI–1972, 1 male, Mielke & Brown leg., DZ 26.249 ( DZUP). Rio de Janeiro— no specific locality, 3 males, NHMUK 010242095 *, NHMUK 010242096 *, 010242097* ( NHMUK); Duque de Caxias, Imbariê, 100 m, 2–II–1965, 3 males, Ebert leg., DZ 26.236, DZ 26.240, OM 29.537 ( DZUP and DZUP–OM); 150 m, 16–VII–1960, 1 male, Ebert leg., ex–coll. Ebert, DZ 26.243 ( DZUP); 100 m, VIII–1966, 2 males, Ebert leg., DZ 26.246, DZ 26.250 ( DZUP); Serra dos Órgãos, 20–VII–1969, 1 male, Ebert leg., ex–coll. Ebert, DZ 26.235 ( DZUP); Niterói, 7–IX–1942, 1 male, OM 11.479 * ( DZUP–OM); Rio de Janeiro, 1 female, ex–coll. J. Arp, 58/593 ( MNRJ); VIII–IX–1884, 1 female, P. Germain leg., NHMUK 010242177 ( NHMUK); 9–IX–1939, 1 male, D’Almeida leg., DZ 36.134 ( DZUP); 21–III–1966, 1 male, D’Almeida leg., DZ 36.133 ( DZUP); 500 m, 7–X–1956, 1 male, Ebert leg., ex–coll. Ebert, DZ 26.242 ( DZUP); Alto da Gávea, 27– VII–1940, 1 female, Gagarin leg., OM 7.354 ( DZUP–OM); Corcovado , VII–1932, 1 female, ex–coll. L. Travassos ( IOC); XII–1923, 1 male, ex–coll. L. Travassos ( IOC); Covanca de Jacarepaguá , 20–III–1960, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 3.253 * ( DZUP–OM); 28–IV–1963, 1 female, Mielke leg., OM 4.986 ( DZUP–OM); Morro do Sumaré , 7–V–1965, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 6.689 ( DZUP–OM); 10–IX–1965, 2 males, Mielke leg., OM 7.444 , OM 7.445 * ( DZUP–OM); Gávea , 1 female, 62/062 ( MNRJ); Sítio Gondoia , 1 male, E.May leg., ex–coll. E. May, 62/099 ( MNRJ). Paraná— Antonina, Rio Pequeno , 20 m, 29–IV–2003, 1 male, Mielke & Casagrande leg., OM 60.235 ( DZUP–OM); Guaratuba, Limeira , 10 m, 15–IV–2000, 1 female, Mielke leg., OM 51.530 * ( DZUP–OM); Morretes, 5-IV-2001, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 53.109 ( DZUP-OM); Morro Alto , 400 m, 14–IV–2000, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 51.686 ( DZUP–OM); São Pedro do Ivaí, RPPN Barbacena , 23° 49’ 45’’S, 51° 55’ 49’’ W, 2–X–2012, 1 female, Exc. LABLEP, DZ 36.135 ( DZUP). Santa Catarina— Joinville, 1 male and 1 female, ex–coll. J. Arp, 57/664, 57/668 ( MNRJ); 1 female, Schmidt leg., 20/640 ( MNRJ); II–1938, 1 male, B. Pohl leg. ( MZUSP); 26–II– 1974, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 29.403 ( DZUP–OM); 10–200 m, 9–III–1974, 1 male, 22–II–1977, 1 male, Mielke & Miers leg., OM 29.711 , OM 39.453 * ( DZUP–OM); 8–XI–1986, 1 male, Mielke leg., OM 29.837 ( DZUP–OM); São Bento do Sul, Rio Vermelho , 850 m, 6–III–1973, 1 male, Rank leg., DZ 26.237 ( DZUP); Seara, Nova Teutônia, 400–700 m, 1–II–1977, 1 male, Plaumann & Mielke leg., OM 39.561 * ( DZUP–OM). Rio Grande do Sul— Viamão, Saint Hilaire, 26–III–2004, 1 male, Silva leg., DZ 26.248* ( DZUP) .

PARAGUAY: no specific locality— 1 male, P. Germain leg., NHMUK 010242176 * ( NHMUK) . Paraguari— Sapucai , 1 male and 1 female, W. Foster leg., NHMUK 010242098 *, NHMUK 010242099 ( NHMUK); 26–XI–1904 , 1 male and 1 female, W. Foster leg., NHMUK 010242100 *, NHMUK 010242101 ( NHMUK) .

Figures

FIGURE 218. Geographical distribution of Telemiades from the “meris group”.

FIGURES 132–139. Species of Telemiades from the ‘meris group’, dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views. 132–135. Telemiades meris (Plötz, 1886). 132–133. Male from Reserva Yacutinga, Almirante Brown, General Belgrano, Misiones, Argentina (DZ 26.228—DZUP). 134–135. Female from Tambopata, Peru (MHNL). 136–139. Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949. 136–137. Male from Joinvile, Santa Catarina, Brazil (OM 29.403—OM). 138–139. Female from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DZ 7.354—DZUP).

FIGURES 177–178. Male genitalia of Telemiades from the “meris group”. 177. Telemiades meris (Plötz, 1886) (OM 38.845— OM). 178. Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949 (OM 39.453—OM).

FIGURES 204–205. Female genitalia of Telemiades from the “meris group”. 204. Telemiades meris (Plötz, 1886) (MHNL). 205. Telemiades brazus Bell, 1949 (OM 51.530—OM).