Exoplisia azuleja, 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 : 39-40

Exoplisia azuleja sp. nov.

Figures 2, 3 , 13 , 15

Description. Male. ( Fig. 2 ) Forewing length of Holotype 16.0 mm. Forewing costa straight, slightly curved at apex which is slightly falcate, distal margin slightly convex, inner margin straight; hindwing apex rounded, distal margin curves to a point at anal angle; inner margin with long scales. Dorsal wing ground color dark blue-grey. Discal cell of forewing with four short black lines, which continue below cell slightly offset to 2A, three small, faint elongated marks past the end of the cell, in cells Cu1-Cu2, Cu2-Cu3, and Cu3-M1; a sub-marginal row of faint black marks between the veins alternating with a short silver line at the end of each vein, and bordered basad by an irregular patch of dark scaling. Fringe white interspersed with black marks at end of veins. Hindwing with black line at end of discal cell, and an additional line and two internal spots which continue offset in the cells above and below; distad of these a limbal row of unconnected indistinct short black lines between costa and inner margin; a submarginal row of black spots alternating with silver marks on the veins and each marked basad with a small crescent; fringe solid white. Ventral surface ground color blue-grey with a metallic gloss. Forewing dark grey below M3, inner margin lighter, hindwing with discal area lighter than sub margin. Both wings with black marks reflecting dorsal maculation.

Head, thorax, abdomen dark blue-grey dorsad, ventrad pubescent, tip of abdomen with yellow scales around terminalia; antennae brown, ventrad with white scales between sections; orbit, frontoclypeus, labial palpi blue-grey, forelegs very pubescent, other legs with coxa pubescent. Genitalia ( Fig. 13 ) with uncus straight across tip, tegumen deeply notched cephalad; vinculum thin, uniform, strongly curved not fused to tegumen, valvae flat with rounded tips, transtilla high, peaked with two pointed caudad processes; aedeagus thin, attached to long projection of pedicel with fully developed scobinate patch on the tip.

Female. ( Fig. 3 ) Forewing length of specimen measured 14.3 mm. Ground color dorsal forewing light grey-brown, maculation as on male, marginal silver lines on veins reduced. Ventral surface lighter. Head, thorax, abdomen dorsally brown, ventrad with white - light brown scaling. Genitalia ( Fig. 14 ). Ostium bursae with an irregular highly sclerotized, asymmetrical ventral plate, ductus seminalis exits at base of ostium bursae; ductus bursae bent to left when viewed ventrally; invaginated signae in corpus bursae large, rounded.

Types. Holotype male with label reading: La Calera, Casimiro Castillo; Jalisco 600 m 13-xi-1990 I. Vargas MZFC-80565, and a red type label reading “ Exoplisia azuleja ”. Paratypes: 62 males and 31 females: Male: 1 same locality data as Holotype, 24-IV-1989, MZFC-74974, A. Luis-V. Bedoy BTS; 50 males: La Calera, Casimiro Castillo 650 m 12-III-1996 A. Luis-J.L. Salinas; 650 m, BTS y s/húmeda; females: A. Luis-V. Bedoy (1) 24-IV-1989 500-600, (3) J. Llorente-A. Luis 15-IX-1990 600, (4) J. Llorente-A. Luis 13-XI-1990; (1) J. Llorente 13-XI-1990; (1) I. Vargas 13-XI-1990; (3) A. Luis 13-XI-1990; (4) J. Llorente-A. Luis 14-XI- 1990; (1) I. Vargas 15-XI-1990; (4) A. Luis-J.L. Salinas 12-III-1996; (7) A. Luis-J.L. Salinas 14-III-1996 todos en 650 m, BTS y s/húmeda; (1) J. Llorente-A. Luis 15-IX-1990 600 s/flor, A. Luis 22-VI-1991 650 s/ flor; MICHOACÁN: 10 males; Caleta de Campo, Lázaro Cárdenas; L. González Cota; 12-III-1996; 30 m; s/ húmeda; COLIMA: 2 males; El Salto; I. Vargas; 3- I-1996; BTC; MZFC-58243; Punta de Agua de Camatlán, 2 km NE, I. Vargas, 1- I-1996, BTC, MZFC-58297, 1 female MZFC-58247.

The Holotype and paratypes are deposited in the MZFC.

Other material examined: 267 males: JALISCO: La Calera, Casimiro Castillo 600-650 m, BTS: (22) A. Luis-V. Bedoy 24-IV-1989; (6) J. Llorente-A. Luis 22-VIII-1990; (1) I. Vargas 15-IX-1990; (7) A. Luis 15- IX-1990; (6) I. Vargas 13-XI-1990; (10) A. Luis 13-XI-1990; (4) A. Luis 14-XI-1990; (4) J. Llorente 14-XI- 1990; (4) I. Vargas 14-XI-1990; (8) A. Luis 14-XI-1990; (4) I. Vargas 15-XI-1990; (5) A. Luis 15-XI-1990; (1) A. Luis 22-VI-1991; (1) A. Luis 16-XI-1992; (3) A. Luis 16-XI-1992; (120) A. Luis-J.L. Salinas 12-III- 1996; (62) A. Luis-J.L. Salinas 14-III-1996.

Etymology. The name refers to the grey-blue ventral surface of the wings.

Diagnosis. This species is closest to Exoplisia cadmeis (Hewitson) from western South America, with the same general pattern of wing maculation. However, E. cadmeis is larger, darker dorsally with heavier markings and the male lacks the orange scales on the tip of the abdomen. The ventral wing surface of E. cadmeis males has a brighter blue reflection and heavier maculation. The male genitalia of the two species are similar in form. However, in E cadmeis , the scobinate patch is folded over caudad, instead of rounded, and the pedicel is much longer extending well beyond the tips of the valvae. The female of E. cadmeis has a more prominent row of marginal spots and heavier maculation. The female genitalia of E. cadmeis , likewise, has the irregular sclerotized ventral flange on the ostium bursae, but this is rounder and the beginning of the ductus bursae is not as strongly sclerotized as in E. azuleja .

It is odd that this prominent and common butterfly was not described previously. Perhaps this is due to its inhabiting the west of the country where not as much collecting has been done ( Vargas et al., 1998, 1999; Warren et al., 1998).

Distribution and Habits. This species is found in medium height forest in Michoacán, Jalisco and Colima, in humid riverine areas during the late afternoon. Both males and females are commonly encountered drinking at wet sand with wings outspread, similar to males of other riodinids, i.e., Rhetus Swainson, 1829 and Lasaia Bates, 1868 . The difference is that adults of E. azuleja prefer areas shaded by trees and bushes, rather than in direct sunlight. They are rarely observed in open areas or during the hottest hours of the day.

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.

FIGURES 10 – 14. 10. Euselasia pontasis, sp. nov., male genitalia. 11. Euselasia aurantiacus aurum, sp. nov., male genitalia. 12. Necyria larunda, reinst. Status, male genitalia. 13. Exoplisia azuleja sp. nov., male genitalia. 14. Exoplisia azuleja sp. nov., female genitalia.