Metron, Godman, 1900

Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik, Casagrande, Mirna Martins & Grishin, Nick V., 2024, A new species of Metron Godman, 1900 (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) from the western Amazon, with a unique hindwing color pattern in Hesperiina, its phylogenetic placement, and an illustrated key for the genus, Zootaxa 5448 (4), pp. 581-590 : 587-588

Key to species and subspecies of Metron

( Fig. 18 )

1a. Labial palpus ventrally orange; ventral hindwing white spot at the base of the wing absent; ventral hindwing white area below vein 3A present....................................................................................... 2

1b. Labial palpus ventrally greenish; ventral hindwing white spot at the base of the wing absent; ventral hindwing white area below vein 3A absent....................................................................................... 3

1c. Labial palpus ventrally cream to yellowish; ventral hindwing white spot at the base of the wing present; ventral hindwing white area below vein 3A absent.............................................................................. 5

2a. Procoxae and ventral abdomen white; forewing discal cell white spot present; ventral forewing subapical large white patch present; center of the dorsal hindwing white; ventral hindwing crossed by a wide white band from base to outer margin; ventral hindwing proximal half of the anal fold white.................................................... mentor sp. nov.

2b. Procoxae and ventral abdomen orange; forewing discal cell white spot absent; ventral forewing subapical large white patch absent; center of the dorsal hindwing uniform dark brown to yellowish; ventral hindwing crossed by a cream band from the costal margin to CuA 2; ventral hindwing anal fold uniformly dark brown............................... chrysograstra

- Male dorsal forewing postdiscal spots CuA 1 –CuA 2 and CuA 2 –2A absent; ventral hindwing cream band narrow; abdomen ventrally orange, dark brown line present; female forewing subapical spots well-marked; forewing postdiscal semihyaline spot CuA 1 –CuA 2 wider than long; ventral abdomen orangish........................................... c. chrysograstra

- Male dorsal forewing postdiscal spots CuA 1 –CuA 2 and CuA 2 –2A shorter than wide; ventral hindwing cream band wide; abdomen ventrally orange, dark brown line absent; female forewing subapical spots well-marked; forewing postdiscal semihyaline spot CuA 1 –CuA 2 about as long as wide; ventral abdomen orangish............................................. c. gades

- Male dorsal forewing postdiscal spots CuA 1 –CuA 2 and CuA 2 –2A longer than wide; ventral hindwing cream band wide; abdomen ventrally yellowish, dark brown line absent; female forewing subapical spots reduced to absent; forewing postdiscal semihyaline spot CuA 1 –CuA 2 longer than wide; ventral abdomen yellowish to cream..................... c. hypodesma

3a. Male dorsal forewing spots absent; both sexes ventral hindwing whitish to cream band absent; female dorsal forewing spots opaque.......................................................................................... noctis

3b. Male dorsal forewing spots present; both sexes ventral hindwing whitish to cream band present (absent in some specimens of M. voramus ); female dorsal forewing spots semihyaline....................................................... 4

4a. Male dorsal forewing spots orange; center of the dorsal hindwing orange; female forewing spots semihyaline....... voranus

4b. Male dorsal forewing spots yellow; center of the dorsal hindwing faint yellow; female unknown.............. hypochlora

- Male dorsal forewing spots reduced; hindwing fringe dark brown to cream; abdomen ventrally whitish....... h. hypochlora

- Male dorsal forewing spots well-developed; hindwing fringe yellowish; abdomen ventrally yellowish............ h. tomba

5a. Dorsal hindwing, distal margin of the yellow discal band curved; ventral hindwing white band never exceeds Sc+Rs anteriorly....................................................................................... fasciata

5b. Dorsal hindwing, distal margin of the yellow discal band angled; ventral hindwing white band reaches costal margin...... 6

6a. Ventral hindwing white spot at the base of the wing never exceeds vein Sc+Rs anteriorly; ventral hindwing white spot on lower distal discal cell present............................................................................ oropa

6b. Ventral hindwing white spot at the base of the wing exceeds vein Sc+Rs anteriorly; ventral hindwing white spot on lower distal discal cell absent................................................................................... zimra

Figures

FIGURE 18. Illustrated key for species of Metron in both sexes. Abbreviation: VHW = ventral hind wing. Notes: a) the female of Metron h. hypochlora (Draudt, 1923) and M. hypochlora tomba Evans, 1955 remain unknown or most probably are unrecognized; b) part of the diagnostic characters indicated may not be positively verified in old or damaged/descaled specimens; c) the illustrated key reflects the more suitable arrangements of diagnostic characters, which does not necessarily correspond to the phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus. Specimens illustrated: Metron mentor sp. nov.: ♂, holotype (OM46.697); ♀, allotype (OM70.959). Metron c. chrysogastra: ♂, El Rodeo, Colón, Costa Rica (OM40.363); ♀, Orotina, Costa Rica (OM28.738). Metron chrysograstra gades Evans, 1955: ♂, Rio El Afluente, Rioja, San Martin, Peru (OM81.870); ♀, Cochabamba, Bolivia (OM14.865). Metron chrysogastra hypodesma (Plötz, 1882): ♂ (OM49.656) and ♀ (OM49.688), Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil. Metron noctis (Kaye, 1914): ♂, San Inacio, Misiones, Argentina (OM41.416); ♀, Tinalândia, Alluriquin, Pichincha, Ecuador (OM52.689). Metron voranus (Mabille, 1891): (without band) ♂, Urupema, Santa Catarina, Brazil (DZ62.559); ♀, Tibagi, Paraná, Brazil (DZ62.560); (with band, ventral only): ♂, P.N. Itatiaia, Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DZ62.561); ♀, Barreira de Piquete, São Paulo, Brazil (DZ62.562). Metron hypochlora hypochlora (Draudt, 1923): ♂, Salvación, Madre de Díos, Peru (OM76.160). Metron hypochlora tomba Evans, 1955: ♂, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil (DZ62.299). Metron fasciata (Möschler, 1877): ♂, Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil (DZ62.558); ♀, Soure, Ilha de Marajó, Pará, Brazil (DZ62.557). Metron oropa (Hewitson, 1877): ♂, Alto da Serra, Morretes, Paraná, Brazil (OM22.038); ♀, Tirol das Torres, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil (OM65.552). Metron zimra (Hewitson, 1877): ♂, Rio Pequeno, Antonina, Paraná, Brazil (OM60.921); ♀, Parati, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (OM91.734).