Eryphanis automedon (Cramer, 1775)

Penz, Carla M., 2008, Phylogenetic Revision of Eryphanis Boisduval, with a Description of a New Species from Ecuador (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (35), pp. 1-25 : 9

Eryphanis automedon (Cramer, 1775)

( Fig. 1A , 2A , 4A , 5A , 6A )

Type species of Eryphanis Boisduval by original designation.

Type locality. Surinam .

Diagnosis. Both sexes similar to E. lycomedon . Males can be distinguished from E. lycomedon by the localized dorsal night blue to purple iridescent patches on both FW and HD, and HW margin usually lacking a pale brown outline dorsally, plus the valva with a narrow tip and subterminal swelling. The narrow valva tip can be often seen in pinned specimens without preparation, thus facilitating identification. Females nearly indistinguishable from E. lycomedon , but the following trend was observed. In E. automedon females the dorsal FW iridescence sometimes forms a pale blue sheen that extends into discal cell, the dorsal HW pale brown outline is vestigial or absent. The HW iridescence is usually more extended distally within the Cu1 and Cu2 cells, and the projection at vein Cu1 is sometimes less pronounced than in E. lycomedon . Old, faded E. automedon females from locations overlapping with E. lycomedon can only be confidently distinguished from the latter by the sterigma through dissection.

Annotated redescription. Male. FW length 55-59 mm (n=8). Dorsal FW and HW with conspicuous and localized night blue to purple iridescent patches, depending on the locality. FW iridescent patches extend from submedial to postmedial areas. HW always with an iridescent patch (variable in size, and subtle in old specimens), never a sheen. Dorsal FW submarginal line faint, diffuse, continuous. Dorsal HW marginal outline absent. HW with a projection at vein Cu1 that extends beyond anal margin. FW and HW main ventral color varying from faded brown in Brazilian and Peruvian specimens, to faded caramel color in Colombian, Bolivian, and Paraguayan specimens. Ventral HW white postmedial transverse band vestigial or absent. Ventral HW eyespot in cell Cu1 contained within cell. Uncus elongate, slender; valva with subterminal swelling; and gnathos slender, sharply pointed, with few or no spines.

Female. FW length 59-60 mm (n=3). Wing color pattern different from male. Dorsal sky-blue iridescent patches on medial areas of FW and HW, slightly larger on HW. Dorsal FW iridescent patch expanded inside discal cell in some specimens. Dorsal FW discal cell often with a pair of faint brown stripes near the distal end. FW submarginal line faded orange, conspicuous, continuous, nearly straight. Submarginal branch of FW submarginal line starts at M1, and postmedial branch starts at wing margin or below the R stem and joins the submarginal branch in cell M2. Dorsal HW iridescence more extended distally than in E. lycomedon , and marginal outline absent or vestigial. Ventral surface of wings as in male. Posterior edge of sterigma with conspicuous oblique ribs, and sterigma projections with two blunt points.

Distribution. Venezuela to the Guianas and Brazil (northern and eastern), and Colombia to Paraguay; ranging from sea level (e.g., Obidos, Brazil) to ca. 1,000 m (e.g., Cali, Colombia) ( Casagrande 2004, Appendix 1).

Remarks. Six dissected males from five countries (Appendix 1) show consistent genitalic morphology, but varied in their iridescence hue (more purple or more blue), and the size of the HW iridescent patch (extremely small in a male from Bolivia, and some males from Trinidad, French Guiana, and Brazil; not illustrated). Casagrande (2004) recognized seven subspecies, but here I elevate E. lycomedon C. Felder and R. Felder, 1862 to full species (see below). The subspecies of E. automedon should be reassessed by examination of type specimens (see comments below on E. automedon novicia Stichel, 1904 ). In females of both E. automedon and E. lycomedon the HW projection at vein Cu1 varies in size (e.g., it is short in Paraguayan specimens, Fig. 2A ; it is long in Peruvian specimens, not illustrated). The life history of E. automedon has been described by Dias (1979) based on specimens from Minas Gerais, Brazil [as E. polyxena ].

Figures

Figure 1. Eryphanis adult males, dorsal side on the left, ventral side on the right. Scale bar next to A = 1cm. A) E. automedon, Colombia, Cali. B) E. lycomedon, Colombia, Cali. C) E. reevesii, Brazil, São Paulo, Pinhal. D) E. bubocula, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Rio San Lorenzo. E) E. aesacus, [Mexico], Catemaco. F) E. gerhardi, Bolivia. G) E. zolzivora, Bolivia. H) E. greeneyi, Ecuador, Napo, Yanayacu Biological Station, HOLOTYPE. I) E. opimus, Colombia, Cali.

Figure 2. Eryphanis adult females, dorsal side on the left, ventral side on the right. Scale bar next to A = 1cm. A) E. automedon, Paraguay, Pedro Juan Caballero. B) E. lycomedon, Colombia, Cali. C) E. reevesii, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo. D) E. bubocula, Costa Rica, Cartago, Tapanti. E) E. aesacus, Mexico, Oaxaca, Tuxtepec.F) E. gerhardi,Brazil, Rondonia, Jaru.G) E.zolzivora, Bolivia, Cochabamba. H) E. greeneyi,Ecuador, Napo, Yanayacu Biological Station, PARATYPE.

Figure 4. Eryphanis male genitalia in lateral view, with separate drawings of the phallus. Scale bar next to A = 1mm. Note that the phallus was not removed from the genitalic capsule, and the drawing angles are thus not homogeneous across species. A) E. automedon, Colombia, Cali. B) E. lycomedon, Colombia, Cali. C) E. reevesii, Brazil, São Paulo, Pinhal. D) E. bubocula, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Rio San Lorenzo. E) E. aesacus, Mexico, San Luis Potosi. F) E. gerhardi, Bolivia, Cochabamba. G) E. zolzivora, Bolivia, Cochabamba. H) E. greeneyi, Ecuador, near Baños, PARATYPE. I) E. opimus, Colombia, Cali.

Figure 5. Eryphanis male genitalia in ventral view, with separate drawings of the juxta and dorsal view of tegumen+uncus. Scale bar next to A = 1mm. A) E. automedon, Colombia, Cali. B) E. lycomedon, Colombia, Cali. C) E. reevesii, Brazil, São Paulo, Pinhal. D) E. bubocula, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Rio San Lorenzo. E) E. aesacus, Mexico, San Luis Potosi. F) E. gerhardi, Bolivia, Cochabamba. G) E. zolzivora, Bolivia, Cochabamba. H) E. greeneyi, Ecuador, near Baños, PARATYPE. I) E. opimus, Colombia, Cali.

Figure 6. Eryphanis female sterigma and corpus bursa. Ribs of the intersegmental sac were omitted. Scale bars next to F = 1mm, note that sterigma and corpus bursa are in different magnifications. A) E. automedon, Peru, Puerto Maldonado. B) E. lycomedon, Costa Rica, Puntarenas. C) E. reevesii, Brazil, São Paulo, Pinhal. D) E. bubocula, Costa Rica, Cartago, Tapanti. E) E. aesacus,Mexico. F) E. gerhardi, Brazil, Rondonia, Jaru. G) E. zolzivora, Bolivia, Cochabamba. H) E. greeneyi, Ecuador, Napo, Yanayacu Biological Station, PARATYPE.