Porphyrogenes pausias ( Hewitson, 1867 )

Austin, George T. & Mielke, Olaf H. H., 2008, Hesperiidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Porphyrogenes Watson (Lepidoptera: Pyrginae: Eudamini), with descriptions of new species from Central and South America, Insecta Mundi 2008 (44), pp. 1-56 : 8-10

Porphyrogenes pausias ( Hewitson, 1867)

( Fig. 9-12 , 61-64 , 118 , 138 , 155 )

Eudamus pausias Hewitson, 1867 . Type locality: Amazonas [ Brazil]; male type (herein designated the lectotype, Fig. 9, 10 ) in BM(NH).

Description. Male ( Fig. 9, 10 , 61, 62 ) - mean forewing length = 18.1 mm (17.3-19.0 mm, n = 6; from Rondônia, Brazil); forewing with costal fold, apex slightly produced, pointed, termen and anal margin convex; hindwing termen convex, tornus without lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and distad of CuA 2 ( Fig. 118 ); dorsum brown, unmarked; forewing overscaled with dark orangebrown, heaviest basad, anal margin with sparse tuft proximad; hindwing overscaled with dark orangebrown posterior to vein Rs; shining gray-brown speculum in proximal 1/2 of Sc+R 1 -Rs and proximal 1/2 of costal cell; small pale tan recumbent tuft near base of Sc+R 1 -Rs, another small semierect pale tan tuft arising from near base of discal cell and curving forward, both covering very base of speculum in Sc+R 1 - Rs ( Fig. 118 ); conspicuous erect dark orange-brown tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent dark gray tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings dark brown.

Venter similar to dorsum, but duller; forewing vein 2A moderately sinuate, bare and slightly swollen in second 1/4 (from base), conspicuous groove anteriorly ( Fig. 118 ), shining gray-brown speculum in proximal 1/4 of CuA 2 -2A (continued to just beyond end of bared portion of vein as modified dark gray scales, these scales continued into base of CuA 1 -CuA 2) and in proximal 1/4 of anal cell (continued to end of bared portion of vein by modified dark gray scales and then to tornus as modified brown scales); hindwing with no indication of discal macules; cell 2A-3A with deep groove just caudad of 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax dark orange-brown, palpi yellow-orange, eyes red, antennae black with some yellow distad on venter and yellow beneath apiculus, nudum gray, 25 (n = 3) segments, ventral thorax and pectus dark orange-brown, legs ochreous-brown, dorsal abdomen brown, gray at segments, dark orange-brown overscaling, ventral abdomen gray, gray-brown, or brown with scattered ochreous scales.

Genitalia ( Fig. 138 ) - tegumen broad and short in lateral view, very broad and short in dorsal view, long, thin, and slightly curved dorso-caudal oriented process from each side of caudal end, tuft double and moderately dense; uncus thin and curved in lateral view, broadly divided in dorsal view, arms widely spaced, thin and of moderate length, ventral process of uncus long and very thin; gnathos shorter than uncus, terminal ends rounded in ventral view, abruptly upturned in lateral view; combined ventral arms from tegumen and dorsal arms from saccus curved; saccus moderately broad, oriented ventro-cephalad; valva with costa-ampulla quadrate, harpe long and thin, curving upward at almost 90 o angle and slightly inward to blunt and spiculose caudal end oriented dorsad; aedeagus longer than valva, very broad with tapered caudal end; cornuti as cluster of curved and thin spikes.

Female ( Fig. 11, 12 , 63, 64 ) - forewing length = 18.7 mm (n = 1; from Rondônia); forewing apex slightly produced, pointed, termen convex, anal margin slightly concave; hindwing termen convex, not produced to obvious tornal lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and opposite the origin of CuA 2; dorsum brown, forewing overscaled with tawny, heaviest basad, white transparent quadrate macules in M 3 -CuA 1 (distad of origin of M 3) and CuA 1 -CuA 2 (centered under origin of CuA 2); hindwing overscaled with tawny posterior to vein Rs; conspicuous erect tawny tuft along vein 2A; fringes on both wings dark brown.

Venter similar to dorsum, but duller; forewing vein 2A slightly sinuate, shining tan speculum in proximal 1/2 of CuA 2 -2A and in entire anal cell; hindwing with vague dark brown discal macules; cell 2A- 3A with deep groove just caudad of 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax dark orange-brown, palpi pale yellow-orange, eyes black, antennae missing; ventral thorax and pectus ochreous, legs ochreous; dorsal abdomen brown, ventral abdomen ochre.

Genitalia ( Fig. 155 ) - sterigma broad, lamella postvaginalis heavily sclerotized only as thin band on caudal edge, this sinuate with V-shaped central indentation; lamella antevaginalis not well developed, large lateral lobes; ductus bursae very short with sclerotized plate on one side, not readily separable from small globular corpus bursae.

Distribution and phenology. Porphyrogenes pausias is known from scattered records for Suriname, Guyana, and the Amazonian drainage of Peru and Brazil ( Hewitson 1867, Draudt 1922, Evans 1952, de Jong 1983). The records for the vicinity of Cacaulândia are for July (3 records), October (2), and November (1). An additional male was examined from Marabá, Pará, Brazil (January, GTA #7586). Only one female was encountered: BRAZIL: Rondônia; 62 km south of Ariquemes, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 4-16 November 1997, at MV and UV lights (GTA #8885).

Diagnosis and discussion. The male specimen ( Fig. 9, 10 ) in the BM(NH) is here designated as the lectotype of Eudamus pausias . That specimen bears two labels: / Type H. T. H. 223 / and / Amazons Hewitson coll. 79-69. Eudamus pausias , 1. Amaz. /. This action serves to define the species within a genus of many superficially very similar species.

On P. pausias , the modified scales of the ventral forewing extend into the base of cell CuA 1 -CuA 2, a character that has not been observed on other species of Porphyrogenes . The identification of this species caused some consternation. Evans (1952) mentioned a single tuft on the dorsal hindwing although there are clearly two small tufts that may appear as one with a cursory examination. The tuft in the discal cell angles forward to overlap the tuft in Sc+R 1 -Rs. Specimens from Rondônia, however, are comparable with photographs of the type in the BM(NH). The illustrated genitalia ( Evans 1952) indicate a much longer harpe than observed on specimens from Rondônia. The individual illustrated as P. pausias by Draudt (1922) does not show the tuft of the dorsal hindwing or the speculum on the ventral forewing.

The female from Rondônia is assigned here to P. pausias based upon its size, venation, and sympatry with unequivocal males. It is not P. despecta (see above), a species as yet not recorded in central Rondônia. Females associated with that species and with P. spanda have longer and more pointed forewings and different venation. A female associated with another small species, P. sparta , likewise has different venation.

Figures

Figure 1-18. Types and associated specimens of Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 1) Porphyrogenes boliva Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 2) same, vs. 3) Phareas ferruginea Plötz, 1883, lectotype male, ds. 4) same, vs. 5) Augiades despecta Butler, 1870, lectotype female, ds. 6) same, vs. 7) Telegonus omphale Butler, 1871, lectotype male, ds. 8) same, vs. 9) Eudamus pausias Hewitson, 1867, lectotype male, ds. 10) same, vs. 11) Porphyrogenes pausias, female associated with lectotype, ds. 12) same, vs. 13) Telegonus probus Möschler, 1877, lectotype female, ds. 14) same, vs. 15) Porphyrogenes suva Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 16) same, vs. 17) Telemiades vulpecula Plötz, 1882, lectotype male, ds. 18) same, vs.

Figure 51-64. Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 51) P. boliva, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 17 August 1993, ds. 52) same, vs. 53) P. ferruginea, male, ECUADOR: La Selva, ds. 54) same, vs. 55) P. despecta, male, [BRAZIL], Pará, no date, ds. 56) same, vs. 57) P. omphale, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 18 November 1992, ds. 58) same, vs. 59) P. omphale, female, PANAMA: Panamá Prov.; Distrito de El Llano, Cordillera de San Blas, north of El Llano, ca. 330m, 9 May 1978, ds. 60) same, vs. 61) P. pausias, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; linha C-10, 5 km S of Cacaulândia, 13 November 1994, ds. 62) same, vs. 63) P. pausias, female, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 16 April 1997, ds. 64) same, vs.

Figure 115-123. Venation and some secondary sexual characters of male Porphyrogenes. Shown is ventral surface including modification of vein 2A and extent of speculum on ventral forewing (irregular line in CuA 2 -2A and anal cell) and origins of veins on hindwing. Insert is of anterior portion of dorsal hindwing showing hair-like tufts. 115) P. boliva, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #1616); 116) P. ferruginea, BRAZIL: Amazonas (GTA #4184); 117) P. despecta, BRAZIL: Pará (GTA #7587); 118) P. pausias, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #4212); 119) P. omphale, BRAZIL:Rondônia (no number); 120) P. probus (GTA #6700); 121) P. sororcula, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #8879); 122) P. spanda, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3225); 123) P. stresa, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3927).

Figure 134-139. Male genitalia of Porphyrogenes; shown are lateral view of uncus, gnathos, tegumen, and saccus; dorsal view of uncus and tegumen; ventral view of uncus and gnathos; juxta; lateral view (with extended vesica) and often dorsal view of aedeagus; internal lateral view of right valva (inset shows the flattened harpe). 134) P. boliva, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3499); 135) P. ferruginea, BRAZIL: Amazonas (GTA #4184); 136) P. despecta, BRAZIL:Pará (GTA #7587); 137) P. omphale, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3229); 138) P. pausias, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #4212); 139) P. probus, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #6700).

Figure 154-159. Female genitalia of Porphyrogenes (ventral view). 154) P. omphale, PANAMA (GTA #8908); 155) P. pausias, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #8885); 156) P. sororcula, BRAZIL: Amazonas (GTA #4426); 157) P. probus, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #4425); 158) P. vulpecula, BRAZIL: Amazonas (GTA #13796); 159) P. spanda, VENEZUELA (GTA #13797).