Dasyophthalma rusina (Godart, 1824)

Penz, Carla Maria, 2009, Phylogeny of Dasyophthalma butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Brassolini), Insecta Mundi 2009 (69), pp. 1-12 : 5-6

Dasyophthalma rusina (Godart, 1824)

( Fig. 1 E-F, H-J, 3E-F)

Type species of the genus by original designation.

Type locality. Brazil.

Diagnosis. Transverse postmedial bands have different colors on FW and HW. FW postmedial band pale or darker yellow. HW band completely or mostly white, extended to anal margin or fading at cell Cu2. HW blue iridescence more conspicuous in males than in females. Male genitalia indistinguishable from D. geraensis . In females only, dorsal FW postmedial band with a proximal branch, ventral HW with a small eyespot in cell M1, and ventral HW postmedial band interrupted by eyespot in cell Cu1.

Distribution. Brazil, from Bahia to Santa Catarina (D’Abrera 1987, Brown 1992, Brown and Freitas 2000, Uehara-Prado et al. 2004).

Remarks. d’Araújo e Silva et al. (1968) reported immature stages of D. rusina on “palmito” ( Euterpe edulis , Arecaceae ) and Bambusa sp. (Gramineae) , and Brown (1992) found it on “bamboos” and “palms”, but a larval description was not provided by these authors. The fifth instar larva of D. rusina rusina was found to feed on the palm Geonoma schottiana (Arecaeae) , and both larva and pupa were described by Casagrande and Mielke (2000). Casagrande (2004) listed three subspecies of D. rusina ; nominal D. r. rusina from ‘Brazil’, D. r. delanira Hewitson, 1862 from ‘Brazil’, and D. r. principesa Stichel, 1904 from Espírito Santo, Brazil. In the Lista Oficial da Fauna Brasileira ameaçada de extinção, D. delanira is considered a separate species from D. rusina , and it is listed as critically endangered (http:// www.biodiversitas.org.br/f_ameaca/p_fauna.asp, consulted on 26 January, 2009). This butterfly inhabits high altitude areas (~ 1200 m) in the vicinities of Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro State, and its taxonomic status should be verified.

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.