Porphyrogenes sula (Williams and Bell), 1940

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 : 18

Porphyrogenes sula (Williams and Bell), 1940 , reinstated status

( Fig. 31, 32 )

Ocyba sula Williams and Bell, 1940 . Type locality: San Pedro Sula , Honduras; male holotype ( Fig. 31, 32 ), originally in ANSP, transferred to CMNH.

Description. Male (measured and described from photographs of holotype, Fig. 31, 32 ) - forewing length = 22.5 mm; forewing with costal fold, apex slightly produced, pointed, termen slightly convex with short lobe at tornus, and anal margin slightly convex; hindwing termen nearly straight, tornus produced to short lobe, vein Rs arising nearer end of discal cell than to its base and well distad of CuA 2; dorsum brown, unmarked; forewing overscaled with bright red-brown, heaviest basad, anal margin with sparse tuft proximad; hindwing overscaled with bright red-brown posterior to vein Rs, heaviest basad and caudad, no indication of discal macules; shining proximal gray specular area cephalad including proximal 1/2 of costal cell; short blackish tufts; conspicuous erect red-brown tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent gray-tan tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings red-brown becoming brown cephalad on forewing.

Venter very dark brown, hindwing entirely overscaled with red-brown; forewing vein 2A moderately sinuate, bare and slightly swollen in 2nd 1/4 from base, no distinct groove; shining gray speculum in proximal 1/2 of CuA 2 -2A and in proximal 1/2 of anal cell (continued to tornus as modified brown scales); hindwing with no indication of discal macules; cell 2A-3A with deep paler red-brown groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax blackish with many greenish scales, palpi gray, eyes appear dark, antennae black on dorsum, whitish on venter at least on shaft, ventral thorax and pectus greenish, legs brown proximad, orange-brown distad, dorsal abdomen rubbed, ventral abdomen blackish with greenish scales.

Genitalia - not examined, illustrated with original description ( Williams and Bell 1940, see below).

Female - unknown.

Distribution. This species is definitely known only from the holotype from Honduras ( Williams and Bell 1940). A male reared from Costa Rica (see photographs of ‘ Porphyrogenes Burns 02’ in Janzen and Hallwachs 2008) may also be this species. A female specimen attributed to Porphyrogenes zohra at the BM(NH) from Honduras ( Evans 1952) requires closer scrutiny to determine if it is that species or P. sula .

Diagnosis and discussion. Ocyba sula was apparently named from a single male and that specimen ( Fig. 31, 32 ), formerly in ANSP and now in CMNH, is the holotype. Evans (1952), without justification and apparently based on a perceived similarity of male genitalia, synonymized Ocyba sula with Porphyrogenes zohra zohra . This synonymy has been carried through to the present (e.g., Mielke 2004, 2005). The differences between the taxa, however, are abundant. In the genitalia, P. zohra has a more elongate harpe that is not recurved, a longer saccus, a proportionally larger gnathos, and an aedeagus that is stouter cephalad. The wings of P. zohra also exhibit differences from P. sula in having tan tufts, an even straighter termen of the hindwing, a more extensive swollen area on vein 2A on the ventral forewing, the dorsal overscaling is more orange (less reddish), and the venter is paler. Porphyrogenes sula seems most similar to an unnamed species from Panama (see below).

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.