Euriphellus Austin, 2008

Austin, George T., 2008, Hesperiidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Taxonomic comments on “ night ” skippers, with descriptions of new genera and species (Lepidoptera: Eudaminae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (29), pp. 1-36 : 15-16

GENUS Euriphellus Austin , new genus

Type species: Papilio euribates Stoll, 1782

Description. Male: large in size (FW length = 28-30 mm), forewing prominently produced apically, with short (36% of forewing length) and broad costal fold, this fringed with dense pale gray-brown hair-like scales and having dense white hair-like scales within, termen nearly straight; hindwing rounded with short lobe at tornus, more or less pointed at 2A; dorsal surface largely tawny-brown, venter less tawny, forewing with three large yellow-orange discal partially translucent macules and 2-3 translucent subapical macules of same color; dorsal hindwing with small area of shiny scales basad anterior to Sc+R 1; palpi robust, more or less quadrate in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view, third segment extending slightly beyond scaling of second segment; antennae 51% of forewing length recurved to long apiculus of about club length, nudum of 36-38 segments; legs with dense hair-like scales on posterior edge, mid-tibia without spines and with single pair of spurs, hind tibia with two pairs of spurs; ventral hindwing with relatively shallow groove lined with small hair-like scales of ground color expanding in width towards termen along 2A, recumbent hair-like scales above this on dorsal surface.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 112 ): tegumen robust, bulbous caudad in dorsal view; uncus robust, narrowing gradually caudad from tegumen in dorsal view, undivided; gnathos well developed, undivided; vinculum strongly angled from plane of tegumen; saccus robust, curved sharply dorsad; valva elongate, cephalic portion more or less rectangular, harpe with prominent serrated dorsal crest that bends variably inward; aedeagus moderately robust, shorter than valva; cornuti of apparently three series of spikes.

Female: larger than male (FW length = 30-32 mm), wings less produced, duller and paler red-brown in color, forewing macules paler than on male with additional macule at costa anterior to discal cell macule, often a small macule in anterior part of CuA

2

-2A.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 115 ): lamella postvaginalis with broadly rounded lateral lobes separated by Vshaped notch on caudal edge; lamella antevaginalis with broad lateral plates, caudal margin dentate and armed with central spines and lateral hooks; antrum sclerotized leading to membranous curved tube entering side of broad ductus bursae anterior of its caudal end with weakly sclerotized oval plate just caudad of this junction, constricted slightly just before joining with bulbous corpus bursae.

Distribution. Euriphellus occurs from southern Central America to southern Brazil ( Draudt 1921 - 1924, Williams and Bell 1934, Evans 1952, de Jong 1983, Cock and Alston-Smith 1990, Lamas 1994, Murray 1996, Robbins et al. 1996).

Etymology. The name of this genus is a combination of parts of the specific name of its single included species and the name of its previous genus.

Diagnosis and discussion. Papilio euribates was another species that showed both superficial and genital characters at odds with the overall close similarities among most species of Dyscophellus (sensu Evans 1952). Unlike Dyscophellus , Euriphellus has broad macules on the forewings of both sexes, the forewings of males are prominently produced, and the hindwing is short and rounded. Females are generally similar to the male in wing shape and markings. The palpi are more quadrate than are those of Dyscophellus ; the costal fold is nearly of the same proportional length, but much broader, and there are more segments to the nudum (31-35 on Dyscophellus ). Euriphellus differs from Nicephellus (see above) by its large macules, short and broad costal fold, differently shaped palpi with a protruding third segment, longer antennal club in relation to apiculus length, and more segments to the nudum. The genitalia of Euriphellus are distinctive. On the male, the vinculum is severely angled cephalad (erect on Dyscophellus and Nicephellus ), the saccus is robust and bent upward (thin and slightly curved on Dyscophellus and Nicephellus ), the tegumen is bulbous caudad (not so on Dyscophellus and Nicephellus ), there are no caudal processes of the tegumen (as on Dyscophellus and unlike Nicephellus ), the uncus is robust and broad in dorsal view (thin on Dyscophellus , tapering on Nicephellus ), and the gnathos is well developed (generally weakly developed on Dyscophellus ). Female genitalia are similar to those of Dyscophellus and Nicephellus in some respects, but the genital plate is quite different with its broadly lobate and deeply notched lamella postvaginalis (not lobate and shallowly notched on both Dyscophellus and Nicephellus ), and without prominent striations across the membranous area similar to Nicephellus (with prominent cross striations on Dyscophellus ), and the broad and hooked lamella antevaginalis without a central lobe (less broad, not hooked on Dyscophellus and Nicephellus ; with a central lobe on Dyscophellus ). Euriphellus , however, appears to be allied to Dyscophellus ; similarities exist in some pattern elements; in the general form of the harpe, aedeagus, and cornutus of the male; and in the morphology of the female genitalia cephalad of the genital plate.

Figures

Figure 111-114. Male genitalia of Salatis, Euriphellus, Sarmientoia, and Nicephellus (from BRAZIL: Rondônia). Structures shown are lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of tegumen, uncus, gnathos, and associated structures; lateral internal view of right valva; lateral view of aedeagus and associated structures; and ventral view of transtilla and juxta. 111) Salatis salatis (GTA #3487). 112) E. euribates euribates (GTA #1801), including flattened view of caudal end of valva. 113) Sarmientoia similis (GTA #7226), including flattened view of caudal end of valva, lateral view of juxta, and dorsal view of cephalad end of aedeagus. 114) N. nicephorus (GTA #3137), including dorsal and flattened views of caudal end of valva and lateral view of juxta.

Figure 115-116. Female genitalia (ventral view) of Euriphellus and Nicephellus (from BRAZIL: Rondônia). 115) E. euribates euribates (GTA #7221). 116) N. nicephorus (GTA #4309).