Synargis nymphidioides septentrionalis, Callaghan, Curtis J., Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge & Luis-Martinez, Armando, 2007

Callaghan, Curtis J., Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge & Luis-Martinez, Armando, 2007, Descriptions of four new Mexican riodinids (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Zootaxa 1660, pp. 33-43 : 40-41

Synargis nymphidioides septentrionalis ssp. nov.

( Figures 4, 5 , 15 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Forewing length of Holotype 26.2 mm, material examined between 24 and 28 mm (n=6). Wing ground color cream; forewing costa and distal margins reddish brown, discal area cream colored, triangular shaped, the distal side curving to the tornus, and the basal side forming a ragged edge extending distad of the discal cell to inner margin, with a small intrusion of reddish brown scaling into cell M3–Cu1. Hindwing cream colored except for reddish brown base, three submarginal spots above and below M1 and in cell M1–M2, with 2 fainter similar markings at tornus. Fringe dark brown on both wings. Ventral wing ground color cream with dorsal pattern appearing through; marginal spots on hind wings darker. Genitalia as in nominate subspecies. Palpi short, barely appearing in front of the face when viewed dorsally.

Female ( Fig. 5 ). Forewing length 25 mm. Ground color dirty white; forewing margin dark brown curving to tornus, costa from middle of cell to base dark brown. Hindwing white with a black marginal line from apex to tornus, basad three small black spots on the apex and two at the tornus; basad of this a faint dark brown line; fringe variable dark brown and white. Ventral surface white, reflecting dorsal pattern. Palpi long, nearly 3 times that of male.

Types. Holotype male with label: González Cota, Popoctépetl; Veracruz, 15-VI-83 MZFC-42365. Paratypes: 10 Males and 12 females. VERACRUZ: Santiago Tuxtla, VII-1975 T. Escalante MZFC-3071; Dos Amates, VII-1973 T. Escalante MZFC-3072; El Vigía, 16-VIII-1982 L. González Cota MZFC-42366; same locality, IV-1969 (CJC); Tapalapan, L. González Cota 20-VII-1982 MZFC-42360; 5-VIII-1982 MZFC- 42364; 8-VIII-1982 MZFC-42361; 12-VIII-1982 MZFC-42362; 14-VIII-1982 MZFC-42363; 25-VIII-1982 MZFC-3074; females: Barranca de Cayoapa, Tejería, 6-V-1981 Bosque Mesófilo de Montaña- Selva Mediana, 650 msnm, 12:09 H MZFC-3076; Teocelo, Tejería, 6-V-1978 J. Llorente MZFC-42376; Popoctépetl (3) 27-VII-1982 MZFC-3075; MZFC-42370, MZFC-42367, 10 -VIII-1980 MZFC-42368; VII-1981 MZFC- 42369, L. González Cota; Tapalapan L. González Cota 12-VII-1981 MZFC-42373 L. González Cota; El Vigía 20-VII-1984 MZFC-42371; 24-VIII-1987 MZFC-4029 L. González Cota; OAXACA: Puerto Eligio, Santiago Comaltepec 600 m, 12-VIII-1986 A. Luis-J. Llorente MZFC-3073; females: Chalchijapa, Santa María Chimalapa 27-III-1995 MZFC-42375; 31-V-1995 MZFC-42374 J.L. Salinas-M.O. Vences, Bosque Tropical Perennifolio.

The Holotype and paratypes are deposited in the MZFC.

Etymology. The name refers to the northern latitudes where this taxon is found, relative to the nominate subspecies.

Diagnosis: Males of Synargis nymphidioides septentrionalis are easily separated from the nominate subspecies in having a wide yellow triangular area on the forewing instead of a solid brown color with three white spots. The hindwing pattern differs in the less extensive light brown basal area. The female differs in having lighter, less extensive marginal markings.

Distribution and Habits: This subspecies is found from southern Oaxaca on the border with Chiapas to central Veracruz, in very humid areas with up to 2500 mm of precipitation (Chalchijapa, Tapalapan and Popoctépetl). It inhabits principally evergreen tropical forest from sea-level to 250 m, but records exist from cloud forests at 900 m and the transition between this and semi-evergreen forest at 650 m. The nominate subspecies in Costa Rica occurs on the western Pacific slope from sea-level to 1000 m. ( DeVries, 1997), and reaches Mexico in Chiapas (El Aguacero, Ocozocuala, Bonampak, Chajul, in de la Maza, 1987). The habitat of S. n. nymphidioides in Chiapas is dry forest, which contrasts with the wet habitat of S. n. septentrionalis . This taxon is rare, generally encountered in the best preserved areas of the habitat, and appears to be an endemic Mexican butterfly.

The biology of the species is unkown, although DeVries (1997) recorded the nominate subspecies associated with ants and Acacia trees in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Distribution map of new taxa.

FIGURES 1 – 9. 1. Euselasia pontasis, sp. nov., male Holotype. Chincultic, Chiapas, México. 2. Exoplisia azuleja sp. nov., male Holotype. La Calera, Casimiro Castillo, Jalisco, México. 3. Exoplisia azuleja sp. nov., female. 4. Synargis nymphidioides septentrionalis, ssp. nov. male Holotype. Popoctépetl, Veracruz, México. 5. Synargis nymphidioides septentrionalis, ssp. nov. female. 6. Euselasia aurantiaca aurum, ssp. nov., male Holotype. Cueva del Borrego, Omiltemi, Chilpancingo de los Bravos, Guerrero, México. 7. Euselasia aurantiaca aurum, ssp. nov., female. 8. Necyria larunda, reinst. Status, male. 9. Necyria larunda, reinst. Status, female.