Dasyophthalma Westwood, 1851

Penz, Carla Maria, 2009, Phylogeny of Dasyophthalma butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Brassolini), Insecta Mundi 2009 (69), pp. 1-12 : 2-4

GENUS Dasyophthalma Westwood, 1851

Dasyophthalma species are medium size butterflies with slight differences between males and females. Eyes heavily pubescent in both sexes (character 1:1, Fig. 1H ). General color of body scales and setae dark brown dorsally and ventrally. Mid- and hind legs dark brown; segments and tarsal subsegments with light-colored distal edges forming rings that contrast the dark color of the legs ( Fig. 1I , character 14: 1 in Penz 2007). In males, FW anal margin bowed and tornus slightly ( D. rusina , D. geraensis ) or strongly truncated, producing a nearly oval-shaped FW outline ( D. creusa , D. vertebralis ). Dorsal wing background color dark brown. Basal to submedial areas of both wings opaque ( D. creusa , D. vertebralis ) or with strong blue iridescence ( D. rusina , D. geraensis ; character 3, Fig. 1C, E ). Welldeveloped transverse postmedial bands running across both wings (weak on the HW of D. creusa ), varying in color from white, pale yellow, dark yellow, or orange. On the FW, the posterior portion of this band may extend towards the submedial area, reaching the anal margin near the wing base ( D. creusa , D. vertebralis ; character 5:1, Fig. 1A ). In females, the proximal arm of the postmedial band is visible, such that the band is Y-shaped (a clear pattern in D. rusina , Fig. 1F ). Ventral wing background with prominent ripple-pattern. Ventral HW with large eyespots in cells Sc+R1 and Cu1, and sometimes also in cell M1 (character 15, Fig. 1A, E ).

Males with a dorsal androconial patch at the HW Rs-M1 fork (character 13, Fig. 1C ), and a hairpencil at base of HW discal cell that projects over the androconial patch (character 11, Fig. 1C ). This hairpencil being pale yellow ( D. creusa , D. vertebralis ) or brown ( D. rusina , D. geraensis ; character 12, Fig. 1C, G ). The presence of the androconial patch at the fork of HW Rs-M1 is associated with the bowed FW vein 1A+2A, and also the shapes of the FW anal margin and tornus.

Male valva elongate with a long dorsal row of large spines. Overall valva shape is diagnostic of the genus; proximal half broad, straight, relatively flat in ventral view, while the distal half is conspicuously narrow, cylindrical, forming a broad and evenly rounded arch (characters 17 and 18, Fig. 3E, G ). Female sterigma well developed posteriorly, but lacking anterior sclerotization. Corpus bursae lacking signa. Intersegmental sac between sternite 7 and sterigma with conspicuous, broken ribs (character 19, Fig. 3F ), diagnostic of the genus but similar to that seen in Selenophanes Staudinger, 1887 .

Species Groups

Figures

Figure 1. Dasyophthalma adults. Habitus with dorsal side on the left, ventral side on the right. Scale bar next to B = 1cm. A) D. creusa male, Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul. B) D. creusa female, Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul. C) D. verebralis male, Brazil, Espírito Santo. D) D. vertebralis female, [Brazil] East Amazonas. E) D. rusina male, South Brazil. F) D. rusina female, South Brazil. G) D. geraensis male, [Brazil] Minas Gerais. H) Detail of the head of D. rusina. I) Detail of the hindleg of D. rusina. J) Venation pattern of D. rusina, vein thickness is not shown.

Figure 3. Dasyophthalma male genitalia in lateral and ventral views (setae omitted from right side of figure), with detail of the juxta and tegumen + uncus in dorsal view, plus female sterigma and corpus bursae. The line below sterigma represents the shape of the intersegmental sac. Scale bar next to G = 1mm. A) D. creusa male, South Brazil, 01-17 dissected by C.M.Penz. B) D. creusa female, South Brazil, 01-16 dissected by C.M.Penz. C) D. vertebralis male, Brazil, Espírito Santo, 07-170 dissected by C.M.Penz. D) D. vertebralis female, [Brazil] East Amazonas, no date, 07-171 dissected by C.M.Penz. E) D. rusina male, Brazil, Santa Catarina, 01-18 dissected by C.M.Penz. F) D. rusina female (with detail of the intersegmental sac below sterigma), Brazil, Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul, 01-19 dissected by C.M.Penz. G) D. geraensis male, Brazil, Minas Gerais, 07-169 dissected by C.M.Penz.