Aveexcrenota anna ( DRUCE, 1907 ), 1997

Bálint, Zs., Boyer, P., Dahners, H., Salazar-Escobar, J. & Kertész, K., 2006, Comments On The Systematics And Natural History Of Aveexcrenota, A Genus Of Rare Andean Eumaeine Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 52 (3), pp. 331-352 : 334-339

Aveexcrenota anna ( DRUCE, 1907)

( Figs 1–6 )

Thecla anna DRUCE, 1907: 577 , holotype male: “Interior of Colombia ”, pl. 33, fig. 2 (holotype dorsum, ventrum colour drawings); DRAUDT 1919: 750, “Columbien”, pl. 147, row d, figs “anna ” (reproduction of DRUCE’ s drawings in colour); SALAZAR 1993: 48, “Cordilleras Occidental y Central Colombia ” (fig. 6, male dorsum (Manizales) and ventrum (Riosucio) in half tone).

“ Thecla” anna DRUCE , d’ABRERA 1995: 1118, figs (holotype dorsum, ventrum in colour), 1119 “ Colombia ”.

Aveexcrenota anna (DRUCE) , SALAZAR & JOHNSON, 1997: 7–8, “ Colombia: Caldas, Cerro Aguacatal (Riosucio), Quinchia Risaralda ”, fig. 1a (holotype genital structures), photoplate xv/A (male dorsum, ventrum in colour); SALAZAR 2000: 103, “ Caldas, Villamaría” and “Manizales city”; SALAZAR 2002: 213, “Aguacatal, Caldas, Riosucio”, fig. 2 (female dorsum in half tone).

Aveexcrenota mimianna SALAZAR & JOHNSON, 1997: 8 , holotype male: “ Colombia, Dept. Caldas, Riosucio, Cerro Ingrumá, 2200 m ”, photoplate XIIIA, fig. G (holotype male dorsum and ventrum in half tone); SALAZAR, 2002: 213, “Aguacatal, Caldas, Riosucio”, fig. 2 (female dorsum in half tone), syn. n.

Theritas anna (DRUCE) , ROBBINS, 2004: 120.

Aveexcrenota in Colombia ( Figs 1–4 )

In the material examined by SALAZAR & JOHNSON (1997) there are listed three specimens of Aveexcrenota anna (holotype and two new samples) and two A. mimianna (holotype plus one paratypic male) specimens. They distinguished A. anna and A. mimianna on the basis of the following characters. (1) Size: A. anna is slightly larger than A. mimianna . (2) Dorsal wing coloration: Dorsal wing colour is more aquamarine than green: A. anna (older specimens greener); dorsal ground individual from Amazonas, Peru (PBC): 5 = in dorsal, 6 = in ventral aspects colour is more emerald green in fresh specimens: A. mimianna . (3) Ventral wing pattern: Hind wing ventral black blotches are interspersed most abundantly in the medial and submarginal area in A. anna ; in contrary, on the hind wings blotches are abundant in distocostad on medial and submedial areas from cell Sc + R1 to M2, and appearing to form a line directed mediocostad then curves outwards cell M2, M1 and Sc+R 1 in A. mimianna . (4) Male genital structures: The male genital capsules are differing in shape: A. anna with vinculum is sloped to saccus, while A. mimianna has an angled vinculum; A. anna valva shape is delicate, elongate and sculptured with shorter length to aedeagus and saccus compared to its congener; A. mimianna valva shape is robust, widely parabolic with longer length to aedeagus and saccus compared to its congener.

In our examined material we list 70 male (plus the holotype) individual specimens and two female individuals from Colombia (see Appendix). We came to the following conclusions (1): Within 58 specimens of A. anna from Cali (CHD) fore wing costal length is distributed between 15 and 22 mm with a mean = 20,0 mm and a SD = 1,3 mm. The distribution is skewed to the right with a symmetrical part between 18 and 22 mm and two dwarfs with values of 15 and 16 mm, respectively, lying more than three SD’s below the mean. Therefore, size cannot be a distinguishing character between anna and mimianna . (2) Dorsal wing colour changes according to the angle of the falling light (a) if the angle is steep (more than 45 degrees) the scale structures generate greenish emerald green, (b) if the angle is flat (less than 45 degrees) the scale structures generate aquamarine blue. (3) On the basis of hind wing ventral pattern it is impossible to recognise any distinctive character, therefore this is certainly not diagnostic. The black elements of the hind wing pattern are rather variable, and almost all individuals differ somehow in this respect. (4) The genital valva in size shows intermediate figures comparing the figures of SALAZAR and JOHNSON (1997) regarding the length of aedeagus. We were not able find distinguishing characters. However, we were able to visualize the more robust mimianna habitus by pressing the dissected organ, or see the delicate shape emphasized for anna when the capsule was left untouched floating in glycerol on the microscopic slide.

In sum, ROBBINS’ unsupported action has merit concluding that the nominal taxon mimianna is a junior subjective synonym of the nominal taxon anna . Therefore, we formalize here the synonymy Thecla anna H. H. DRUCE, 1907 = Aveexcrenota mimianna SALAZAR et JOHNSON, 1997 , subjective junior synonym.

Aveexcrenota in Peru ( Figs 5–6 )

Hitherto, A. anna was exclusively known from a single Peruvian locality where the one male specimen was collected while hilltopping. We examined this specimen and were able to distinguish the following characters in comparison with Colombian individuals: (1) the fore wing cubital veins CuA1 and CuA2 are shorter in the Peruvian specimen than in A. anna resulting a different wing shape; (2) the dorsal hind wing antemarginal area in the Peruvian specimen between veins M3 and 1A+2A is blue, whilst this area in A. anna is black; (3) the presence of the postmedial line on the Peruvian specimen’s fore wing verso is unique, none of our A. anna specimen possesses this conspicuous trait; (4) the yellow-brown blotches on the Peruvian specimen’s hind wing verso are merged, creating a continuous pattern, whilst these blotches in A. anna are not so numerous and isolated; (5) the hind wing vein tails at vein CuA1 and CuA 2 in the Peruvian specimen seems to be acute, while in A. anna they are more rounded, shovel-shaped; (6) and the dorsal structural colour displays different reflectivity in the Peruvian specimen than in A. anna from Columbia; indeed, the Peruvian specimen possesses distinctive qualities ( Fig. 7 a ).

Character evaluation

(1): Different wing shape is often a useful character, especially when longer series are available. This was demonstrated for example for the genus Paraspiculatus JOHNSON et CONSTANTINO, 1997 ( BÁLINT 2002, 2004). (2): The extension of dorsal hind wing black markings is also a helpful character, as it is most probably involved in thermal regulation ( BÁLINT, in prep.). In the case of the genus Thecloxurina JOHNSON, 1992 species discrimination was based on this trait for one obvious case ( BÁLINT & WOJTUSIAK 2003). However this trait most probably cannot be restricted to male individuals for discrimination, as A. anna females obviously possess it (c.f. Fig. 3 ). (3): The quantitative and qualitative aspects of the fore wing postmedial pattern are also important characters for species discrimination as is the case in many large eumaeine hairstreaks (c.f. BÁLINT 2005 b). And, (4), (5): Characters based on hind wing blotch-pattern and tail-shape can be used only if fresh specimens are involved. One of the main characters of the subjective synonym A. mimianna , based on hind wing blotches, turned out to be erroneous and hind wing tails are often broken in museum specimens.

We were informed that specimens originating from eastern Ecuadorian populations (Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe) share certain characters with the Colombian specimens while other characters are identical with the ones found in the Peruvian specimen (K. WILLMOTT, pers. comm.). However, since we were

b = Arcas imperialis (CRAMER, 1775)

not able to study any Ecuadorian material, we were unable to make any conclusion on the taxonomic status of Aveexcrenota south of Colombia.

We hypothesize that the genus can be viewed as (1) monotypic, and its type species A. anna is a polytypic species of relatively wide distribution in the Andes from Colombia to Peru; or (2), polytypic with various populations representing allopatric sister taxa. This remains to be resolved .

Figures

Figs 1–6. Recently collected Aveexcrenota anna (DRUCE, 1907) individuals. 1–2: male individual from Cali, Colombia (CHD), 1= in dorsal, 2= in ventral aspects.3–4: female individual from Caldas, Colombia (CJS), 3 = in dorsal, 4 = ventral aspects (the individual is dissected; see fig. 9). 5–6: male

Figs 7–8. 7 = Spectral reflectance of various eumane lycaenids: a = Aveexcrenota from Colombia (black) and from Peru (red); b = Denivia hemon (CRAMER, 1775) from Peru, San Martin (black) and Loreto (green), Costa Rica, Bugaba (red); c = Thecloxurina chachapoya BÁLINT et WOJTUSIAK, 2003 individuals from Peru, Amazonas, 3000 m (black and red) and Apurímac (green); d = species from genera Aveexcrenota (anna), Denivia (deniva, hemon), Evenus (regalis) and Theritas (paupera, triquetra). 8 = Male hind wing ventral androconia in Eumaeini: a = Theritas mavors HÜBNER, 1818,