Porphyrogenes sororcula ( Mabille and Boullet, 1912 )

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 : 13-14

Porphyrogenes sororcula ( Mabille and Boullet, 1912)

( Fig. 19-22 , 71-74 , 121 , 140 , 156 )

Physalea sororcula Mabille and Boullet, 1912 . Type locality: French Guiana; female [holo] type ( Fig. 19, 20 ) in MNHN.

Bungalotis immaculata Skinner, 1920 , new synonymy. Type locality: Chanchmayo [Chanchamayo, Junin], Peru; male [holo] type ( Fig. 21, 22 ) originally in ANSP ( Gillham and Ehrlich 1954), transferred to CMNH.

Description. Male ( Fig. 21, 22 , 71, 72 ) - mean forewing length = 23.3 mm (22.6-23.9 mm, n = 10; from Rondônia, Brazil); forewing with costal fold, apex pointed, not produced, termen convex, anal margin straight; hindwing termen convex, tornus produced to very short lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and distad of CuA 2 ( Fig. 121 ); dorsum brown, unmarked; forewing overscaled with tawny, heaviest basad, anal margin with very sparse tuft proximad; hindwing overscaled with tawny posterior to vein Rs, vague indication of brown discal macules on some individuals; shining gray speculum in anterior discal cell (as small oval area), proximal 1/4 of Sc+R 1 -Rs, and proximal 2/3 of costal cell; long gray-brown recumbent tuft near base of Sc+R 1 -Rs, slightly larger semierect pale tan tuft arising from base of discal cell, angled anteriorly, latter covering speculum in discal cell, both covering speculum at the base of Sc+R 1 -Rs ( Fig. 121 ); conspicuous erect tawny tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent tawny-brown tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings pale ochre.

Venter similar to dorsum; tawny color duller; forewing slightly darker along outer margin, forewing vein 2A strongly sinuate, bare and broadly swollen in central 1/2, this conspicuously in groove surrounded by highly modified tan scales on both sides of most of bare portion of 2A, appearing as doubled vein without magnification ( Fig. 121 ); shining gray speculum at very base of CuA 2 -2A (continued to end of bared portion of vein as modified dark gray scales) and in proximal 3/4 of anal cell (continued to tornus as modified gray-brown scales); vague to relatively prominent indication of dark discal macules; cell 2A-3A with deep groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax tawny, palpi ochreous, eyes red, antennae largely ochreous-yellow, narrowly black on dorsum, nudum ochre, 27 (n = 1), 28 (n = 1), 29 (n = 1), or 30 (n = 2) segments, ventral thorax and pectus tawny, legs orange, dorsal abdomen dark brown, pale gray at segments, overscaled with tawny, ventral abdomen dark gray or brown to ochreous-brown, often paler at segments.

Genitalia ( Fig. 140 ) - tegumen broad in lateral view, broad and quadrate in dorsal view, long and thin dorso-caudal oriented process from each side of caudal end, tuft paired and dense; uncus slightly decurved in lateral view, broadly divided in dorsal view, arms very widely spaced and very short, ventral process of uncus thin; gnathos slightly shorter than uncus, terminal ends rounded in ventral view; combined ventral arms from tegumen and dorsal arms from saccus curved; saccus broad, oriented dorso-cephalad; valva with costa-ampulla broadly rounded, curving ventro-caudad to harpe, harpe long, narrow, curving evenly but slightly upward to blunt caudal end, entire dorsal ridge finely serrated; aedeagus much shorter than valva, broad with blunt caudal end; cornuti as two clusters of short, robust, and curved spikes.

Female ( Fig. 19, 20 , 73, 74 ) - forewing length = 25.8 mm (n = 1; from Amazonas, Brazil); forewing apex pointed, termen convex, anal margin slightly concave in 3rd 1/4 from base; hindwing termen convex, concave just anterior to short tornal lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and distad of CuA 2; dorsum brown; forewing overscaled with tawny, heaviest basad, two large white translucent macules, that in M 3 -CuA 1 with proximal edge below origin of M 3, broadest cephalad, constricted caudad, larger in CuA 1 - CuA 2 distad of origin of CuA 1, nearly square but with distal edge convex; hindwing overscaled with tawny posterior to vein M 1, vague indication of brown discal macules; conspicuous erect tawny tuft on dorsum of vein 2A; fringes on both wings brown.

Venter brown, duller than on dorsum; forewing lightly overscaled with gray especially basad, becoming tawny caudad extending to vein 2A, forewing vein 2A slightly sinuate, modified tan scales in proximal 1/8 of CuA 2 -2A and in entire anal cell; hindwing tawny-brown, vague dark brown discal macules from mid-cell Rs-M 1 to vein 2A; cell 2A-3A with groove just caudad of vein 2A, margined broadly on both sides by tan.

Dorsal head and thorax tawny, eyes red, palpi tan, antennae missing, ventral thorax tawny, pectus tan, legs brown proximad, yellow-orange distad, color of abdomen not noted.

Genitalia ( Fig. 156 ) - caudal edge of lamella postvaginalis with narrow and shallow V-shaped indentation centrally; lamella antevaginalis broad cephalad curving caudad to pair of broadly triangular and closely spaced processes on caudal edge; ductus bursae membranous, relatively long and broad, joining oval corpus bursae on right side.

Distribution and phenology. Porphyrogenes sororcula and its synonym P. immaculata had been reported from French Guiana, Peru, and Bolivia ( Mabille and Boullet 1912, Skinner 1920, Draudt 1922, Evans 1952, Lamas 2003). Second only to P. omphale , this is the most abundant Porphyrogenes in central Rondônia. It had been misidentified as P. vulpecula ( Austin et al. 1993) and has been recorded in April (1 record), June (4), July (2), August (4), October (3), November (7), and December (1). The female examined is from: BRAZIL: Amazonas; Tefé (Ega), Rio Solimões, ex coll. Le Moult (SRS #4426, now at MGCL)

Diagnosis and discussion. This species was described from a female in MNHN, the [holo] type ( Fig. 19, 20 ). Draudt (1922) said that the female of P. sororcula (one examined from French Guiana) resembled P. vulpecula . Porphyrogenes sororcula had not been associated satisfactorily with an accompanying male (e.g., Evans 1952). The taxon described as Bungalotis immaculata by Skinner (1920) appears to represent the male of P. sororcula , exhibiting nearly identical color and pattern (except for the macules on the forewing) and is here associated with the latter taxon.

The single male type of Bungalotis immaculata in CMNH is the [holo] type ( Fig. 21, 22 ). Bell (1946) sunk the name P. immaculata as a synonym of P. vulpecula , which Evans (1952) treated it as a subspecies of P. vulpecula apparently based upon the doubled appearance of vein 2A on the ventral hindwing. This vein is indeed similar on the two taxa, but the male of P. vulpecula is browner (and duller) on the wings, body, palpi, and legs; has a prominently produced costa near the base of the hindwing proximad (evenly curved on P. sororcula ); has a more sinuate vein 2A on the forewing; the speculum extends further distad on the ventral forewing of P. vulpecula , especially in the anal cell, and the relative positions of the origins of veins Rs and CuA 2 on the hindwing differ from those on P. sororcula . The harpe of P. sororcula tapers gradually and is not broadly expanded in the middle as shown by Evans (1952) for P. vulpecula . Evans (1952) stated that P. sororcula (as P. immaculata ) was larger and brighter than P. vulpecula ; the types of the two are nearly identical in size and P. immaculata is brighter red-brown. The identity of the male that Evans (1952) associated with P. sororcula is unknown (but see below). The described venation does not match that of the male phenotype associated here and the harpe of that male’s genitalia (as illustrated by Evans 1952) is considerably shorter. Likewise, the apparent female of P. vulpecula is duller than that of P. sororcula and, although the genitalia of the two species are generally similar, they differ in detail.

Figures

Figure 19-36. Types and associated specimens of Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 19) Physalea sororcula Mabille & Boullet, 1912, [holo]type female, ds. 20) same, vs. 21) Bungalotis immaculata Skinner, 1920, [holo]type male, ds. 22) same, vs. 23) Porphyrogenes spanda Evans, 1952 [holo]type male, ds. 24) same, vs. 25) Porphyrogenes spanda, 1952, female associated with [holo]type, ds. 26) same, vs. 27) Porphyrogenes zohra stresa Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 28) same, vs. 29) Telegonus zohra Möschler, 1879, [holo]type male, ds. 30) same, vs. 31) Ocyba sula Williams & Bell, 1940, holotype male, ds. 32) same, vs. 33) Porphyrogenes glavia Evans, 1952, [holo]type male, ds. 34) same, vs. 35) Porphyrogenes sparta Evans, 1952 [holo]type male, ds. 36) same, vs.

Figure 65-82. Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 65) P. probus, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 12 August 1993, ds. 66) same, vs. 67) P. probus, female, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, ex larva, emerged 25 November 1991, ds. 68) same, vs. 69) P. vulpecula, female, BRAZIL: Rio Purus, Hyatanahan (=Husteneã), no date, ds. 70) same, vs. 71) P. sororcula, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 17 July 1994, ds. 72) same, vs. 73) P. sororcula, female, BRAZIL: Amazonas, Tefé (Ega), Rio Solimões, no date, ds. 74) same, vs. 75) P. spanda, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 22 November 1992, ds. 76) same, vs. 77) P. spanda, female, VENEZUELA: Delta Amacuro (Terr.), Rio Acure, no date, ds. 78) same, vs. 79) P. stresa, male, BRAZIL: Rondônia; Fazenda Rancho Grande, 21 July 1994, ds. 80) same, vs. 81) P. zohra, male, VENEZUELA: Barinas, Rio Caparo Res. Sta, 32 km east of El Caton, 3-5 February 1978, ds. 82) 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 140-145. 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). 140) P. sororcula, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3493); 141) P. spanda (also including posterior view of harpe), BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3225); 142) P. stresa (also including posterior view of harpe), BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3927); 143) P. zohra (also including posterior view of harpe), HONDURAS (GTA #8903); 144) P. convexus, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #2760); 145) P. splendidus (also including interior view of left valva), holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4182).

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).