Porphyrogenes spanda Evans, 1952

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 : 14-16

Porphyrogenes spanda Evans, 1952

( Fig. 23-26 , 75-78 , 122 , 141 , 159 )

Porphyrogenes spanda Evans, 1952 . Type locality: Pará [ Brazil]; male [holo] type ( Fig. 23, 24 ) in BM(NH).

Description. Male ( Fig. 23, 24 , 75, 76 ) - forewing length = 19.2 mm, 19.3 mm (from Rondônia, Brazil); forewing with costal fold, apex pointed, weakly produced, termen and anal margin slightly convex; hindwing termen convex, tornus produced to very short lobe; vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and well distad of CuA 2 ( Fig. 122 ); dorsum brown, overscaled with tawny-brown except at forewing apex and along hindwing costa anterior to vein Rs, unmarked, forewing anal margin with inconspicuous tuft on proximal 1/2; hindwing with shining gray speculum in anterior base of discal cell, proximal 1/4 of Sc+R 1 -Rs, and proximal 3/4 of costal cell; short ochreous-tan recumbent tuft near base of Sc+R 1 -Rs, another short but semierect ochreous-tan tuft arising from near base of discal cell curving anteriorly, former covering speculum in discal cell, both covering base of speculum in Sc+R 1 -Rs ( Fig. 122 ); conspicuous erect tawny-brown tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent pale ochreoustan tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings dark gray mixed with some paler scales.

Venter nearly uniform medium tawny-brown; forewing vein 2A weakly curved (not sinuate), bare and moderately swollen in second 1/4 (from base), no obvious groove ( Fig. 122 ), shining gray speculum in proximal 1/2 of CuA 2 -2A and in proximal 3/4 of anal cell (continued to tornus as modified dark gray scales); hindwing with no indication of discal macules; tornus blackish; cell 2A-3A with deep groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax tawny-brown, palpi ochreous-gray, eyes red, antennae black, yellow on venter distad, nudum red-brown, 24 (n = 2) segments, ventral thorax grayish, pectus medium tan, legs ochreous-brown, dorsal abdomen dark brown, gray at segments, overscaled with tawny-brown, ventral abdomen pale brown.

Genitalia ( Fig. 141 ) - tegumen narrow in lateral view, short and broad in dorsal view, very long, thin, and slightly curving dorso-caudal oriented process from each side of caudal end, tuft single and dense; uncus long and strongly decurved in lateral view, narrowly divided in U-shape in dorsal view, arms closely spaced, thin and long, ventral process of uncus broad; gnathos shorter than uncus, thin, narrow lobes in ventral view; combined ventral arms from tegumen and dorsal arms from saccus curved; saccus narrow, oriented slightly ventrad; valva with costa-ampulla more or less trapezoidal, curving ventrocaudad to harpe, harpe moderately broad and long, curving somewhat upward and inward to slightly spiculose and blunt caudal end, this spatulate in caudal view; aedeagus shorter than valva, broad (especially in dorsal view) with two processes from caudal end; cornuti as two rows of relatively robust and slightly curved spikes.

Female ( Fig. 25, 26 , 77, 78 ) - forewing length = 19.7 mm, 21.1 mm (from Venezuela); forewing apex somewhat pointed, not produced termen convex anteriorly, slightly concave posteriorly, anal margin slightly concave; hindwing termen nearly straight produced to very short tornal lobe, vein Rs arising nearer to end of discal cell than to its base and well distad of CuA 2; dorsum dark brown; forewing overscaled with tawny-olive barely paler than ground color, heaviest basad, two large pale yellow translucent macules more or less quadrate, that in M 3 -CuA 1 distad of origin of M 3, that in CuA 1 -CuA 2 larger with proximal edge under origin of CuA 1; hindwing overscaled with tawny-olive barely paler than ground color posterior to vein Rs, faint indication of brown discal macules; erect brownish olive tuft on dorsum of vein 2A; fringes on both wings gray-brown.

Venter brown; forewing overscaled with gray especially basad, forewing vein 2A weakly sinuate, modified tan scales in entire anal cell; hindwing overscaled with gray, dark brown discal macules vague; tornal area blackish; cell 2A-3A with groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax tawny-olive, some greenish scaling between eyes, eyes blackish, palpi gray, antennae black on dorsum, pale yellow on venter, nudum red-brown, 27 (n = 1) segments, ventral thorax rubbed, pectus gray with greenish scales, legs gray-brown proximad, orange distad, dorsal abdomen dark brown, ventral abdomen tannish gray with greenish scales cephalad.

Genitalia ( Fig. 159 ) - caudal edge of lamella postvaginalis with narrow and shallow central U-shaped indentation centrally; lamella antevaginalis with quadrate central portion and broad, mostly membranous, lateral plates; ductus bursae broad, very short; corpus bursae elongate, relatively narrow.

Distribution and phenology. Porphyrogenes spanda has been reported from Guyana and the Amazon River drainage in Brazil from Pará and Santarem ( Evans 1952); two females (at MGCL) were examined from Venezuela (Rio Acure, no date, GTA #13919; Rio Corrao, March, GTA #13797). The two records for central Rondônia (see also Austin et al. 1993) in November and December extend this distribution southward.

Diagnosis and discussion. This is a small species with a plain brown and tawny dorsum and a plain brown venter. The only other small Porphyrogenes known from central Rondônia, P. pausias , is redder and has more rounded wings. Evans (1952) identified the female of P. spanda (as described above) as being browner than the male with quadrate macules on the forewing that are not oblique. Two additional females examined from Venezuela are comparable with that female ( Fig. 25, 26 , 77, 78 ). Their identity needs to be verified.

Four males from Pará, Brazil are at the BM(NH) ( Evans 1952). One of these ( Fig. 23, 24 ) is the

[holo] type of Porphyrogenes spanda .

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).