Johnsonita catadupa ( Hewitson, 1869 ) Bálint, 2003

Bálint, Zsolt, Boyer, Pierre, Cerdeña, José, Larico, Jackie Farfán, Brudecka, Jadwiga Lorenc-, Prieto, Carlos & Pyrcz, Tomasz W., 2021, Contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical Lycaenidae: taxonomy of Johnsonita Salazar & Constantino, 1995 with descriptions of seven new species (Theclinae Eumaeini), Zootaxa 4963 (1), pp. 11-57 : 21-22

Johnsonita catadupa ( Hewitson, 1869) Bálint, 2003

( Figs 5 , 17E–F , 20G–I , 23B , 27 , 30 )

Thecla catadupa – Hewitson 1869: 117; Draudt 1919 -1921: 757; d’Abrera 1995: 1138.

Radissima catadupa (Hewitson) – Johnson 1992: 174 (lectotype designation).

Johnsonita catadupa (Hewitson) – Bálint 2003: 249 (new combination); Robbins 2004b: 120. Type material ( Fig. 27 ). The species was described on the basis of an unstated number of male specimens from Ecuador. Johnson (1992) designated the lectotype from the Hewitson collection. This specimen has the following labels: (1) “ Ecuador [//] Hewitson Coll. [//] 79—69. [//] Thecla [//] Catadupa Hew. [//] (3.) ” (white label, handwritten and printed in black), (2) “Type” (white confetti–like label with red frame, printed); (3) “B.M. TYPE [//] No. Rh. 595 ” (white label, printed and handwritten in black); (4) “B.M.(N.H) [//] Rhopalocera [//] Slide No. [//] V. 1540 ” (white label, printed in red and handwritten in black); (5) “ Genitalia by [//] K. Johnson ‘83 ” (white label, handwritten); (6) “ LECTOTYPE [//] SYNTYPE (m#) [//] Thecla [//] catadupa [//] Hewitson [//] London, VI. 26 [//] Zs. Bálint, 2000” (red label with black frame, handwritten and printed in black); (7) “BMNH(E) # 266559”(white label, printed).

Material examined (n=4, two dissections). ECUADOR: South region, Loja, before 1996, coll. A. Jasiński ( CEP – MZUJ: male); Loja, Zambi , 2000–2300 m, 25.II.1996, P. Boyer ( CB: male); Loja, Yangana, VII.1997. ( CEP – MZUJ: male, gen. prep. 383/ J. Lorenc) . PERU: Dept. Amazonas, Molinopampa, Tingo Ocol , 2400–2500 m, 5.VII.1998., T. Pyrcz ( CEP – MZUJ: female; gen. prep. 384/ J. Lorenc) .

Description. Wings. FW costa length: 12–15 mm (n=3, CEP – MZUJ specimens), costa apical area and outer margin not straight resulting somewhat rounded apex; male dorsal wingsurface blue colouration bright azure; dorsal FW surface black border inner margin reaching vein M3 erection; HW dorsal surface discal area structurally coloured; ventral FW submedial and medial pattern running parallel, HW medial pattern composed of light ruptive dashes supplemented distally with dark spots, submarginal line indistinct and inner margin medial area with brown scaling. Genitalia. Male valva with rounded costal margin flip and pointed valval terminus (slightly longer than total valval length). Female ductus with parallel edges, without lower plate, upper plate symmetric with slightly sclerotized frame pointed in both sides. Androconia present in FW along Cubital 2 vein as narrow patch in medial area.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished from all the congeners by the dorsal wing colouration, because it is the most vivid blue in the genus (all the other species are darker or duller), and also by the complete lack of gleaming scales on ventral wing surface.

Distribution. ECUADOR (Loja), PERU (Amazonas) ( Fig. 30 ); spatial: recorded between 2000–2500 m a.s.l; temporal: recorded in February and July.

Note. The placement of the nominal taxon T. catadupa in Radissima Johnson, 1992 (type species: Sithon umbratus Geyer, 1837 , by original designation) is erroneous and based on the superficial similarity of wing shape and ventral wing surface pattern. The genus Radissima lacks the characteristically incurved inner margin behind the HW tornus and the postmedian pattern composed of dashed lines (cf. specimen documentation in d’Abrera 1995: 1137). It was placed in synonymy of Paiwarria Kaye, 1904 by Robbins (2004b), but the justification of such action was not presented.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Johnsonita catadupa (Hewitson, 1869) imagines (left column: recto, right column: verso). A– B: male (Ecuador: Loja), C– D: female (Peru: Amazonas) (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale bar: 10 mm).

FIGURE 17. Johnsonita genitalia armatures, entire male organs in lateral (left column) and ventral (right column) views.A–B: J. auda, Ecuador, Morona-Santiago, 9 de Octubre-Macas; C–D: J. carpia, Ecuador, Napo, Res. Yanayacu; E–F: J. catadupa, Ecuador, Loja, Yangana; G–H: J. chlamydem, Peru, Pasco, Oxapampa, La Antena (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale as indicated).

FIGURE 20. Entire Johnsonita female organs in lateral (left column), ductus in lateral (central column) and ventral (right column) views. A–C: J. auda, Venezuela, Edo. Barinas, Minas de San Isidro; D–F: J. carpia, Ecuador, Prov. Carchi, Res. Forest Golondrinas; G–I: J. catadupa, Peru, Dept. Amazonas, Molinopampa, Tingo Ocol (CEP–MZUJ specimens) (scale as indicated).

FIGURE 23. Johnsonita mail trait ventral forewing subcubital scent patch indicated by arrow. A: J. carpia, B: J. catadupa, C: J. chlamydem, D: J. ianusca, E: J. johnsoni, F: J. pardoa, G: J. turquisca, H: J. zubkova.

FIGURE 27. Thecla catadupa Hewitson, 1869. NHMUK lectotype specimen and labels (scale bar: 10 mm).

FIGURE 30. Johnsonita distributions based on museum material examinded. J. assula = red circle, J. carpia = yellow trinagle, J. catadupa = blue diamond, J. chalamydem = brown triangle, J. ianusca = green square, J. oxalida = purple diamond.