Porphyrogenes spadix Austin and Mielke, 2008

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 : 24

Porphyrogenes spadix Austin and Mielke , new species

( Fig. 91, 92 , 128 , 147 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 91, 92 ) - mean forewing length = 24.2 mm (23.7-24.9 mm, n = 5; from Rondônia, Brazil); forewing with costal fold, apex pointed, slightly produced, termen and anal margin slightly convex; hindwing termen slightly convex except slightly concave before short tornal lobe, vein Rs arising mid-base and end of discal cell and basad of CuA 2 ( Fig. 128 ); dorsum brown; forewing overscaled with deep red-brown, heaviest basad, anal margin with sparse tuft proximad; hindwing overscaled with deep red-brown posterior to vein Rs to within 2 mm of margin; shining relatively dark gray speculum in anterior discal cell, proximal 1/3 of Sc+R 1 -Rs, and proximal 2/3 of costal cell; medium gray recumbent tuft of moderate length near base of Sc+R 1 -Rs, similar semierect tuft arising from near base of discal cell covering speculum in discal cell and, with anterior tuft, covering speculum in Sc+R 1 -Rs ( Fig. 128 ); conspicuous, erect, deep red-brown tuft along anterior edge of vein 2A, recumbent dark gray tuft from posterior edge of 2A; fringes on both wings dark brown tipped with pale gray.

Venter nearly uniform purple-brown; forewing vein 2A weakly sinuate, but otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 128 ); shining medium gray speculum in proximal 1/4 of CuA 2 -2A (continued to 2/3 distance to termen as modified dark gray scales) and in proximal 1/3 of anal cell (continued to tornus as modified dark gray grading to brown scales); hindwing with no indication of discal macules; cell 2A-3A with deep groove just caudad of vein 2A.

Dorsal head and thorax deep red-brown, palpi charcoal-gray, eyes red, antennae black, yellow on venter and beneath apiculus, nudum red brown, 30 (n = 2) segments, ventral thorax charcoal-gray with some green scales, pectus medium tan, legs orange-brown proximad, yellow-orange distad, dorsal abdomen dark brown, vaguely gray at segments, overscaled with deep red-brown, especially anteriorly, ventral abdomen dark gray-brown, last segment ochreous.

Genitalia ( Fig. 147 ) - tegumen relatively narrow in lateral view, broad and quadrate in dorsal view, long and very thin dorso-caudal oriented process from each side of caudal end, tuft double and sparse; uncus short, narrow in lateral view with caudal end blunt, divided in dorsal view, arms widely separated, thin and moderately long, ventral process of uncus narrowly triangular; gnathos shorter than uncus, strongly upcurved distad in lateral view, terminal ends rounded in ventral view; combined ventral arms from tegumen and dorsal arms from saccus evenly curved; saccus broad, oriented nearly directly cephalad; valva with costa/ampulla broadly triangular, harpe long, gradually turned upward and slightly inward, becoming broader caudad, caudal end oriented nearly dorsad with series of prominent teeth; aedeagus slightly longer than valva, more or less tubular, caudal end blunt with flaps oriented dorsad on both sides; cornuti of about 12 slightly curved, long, and robust spikes in two clusters.

Female - unknown.

Types. Holotype male with the following labels: white, printed - / BRASIL: Rondonia / 62 km S Ariquemes / linea C- 20, 7 km E / B-65, Fazenda / Rancho Grande / 14 August 1993 / leg. G. T. Austin / (associated with Eciton / buchelli - 1500-1530) /; white, printed and handprinted - / Genitalia Vial / GTA - 3894 /; white, printed - / G. T. Austin colln. / MGCL Accession / # 2004-5 /; red, printed - / HOLOTYPE / Porphyrogenes spadix / Austin & Mielke /. Deposited at the Departamento de Zoologia , Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil . Paratypes (all males, deposited at MGCL) - same location as holotype , 14 June 1993 ( GTA #3587 ) , 16 June 1993 ( GTA #3489 ) , 11 Aug. 1997 ( GTA #8875 ) ; 24 Oct. 1997 ( GTA #9168 ) , 4-16 Nov. 1997 ( GTA #8878 ) .

Type locality. BRAZIL: Rondônia; 62 kilometers south of Ariquemes, Linha C-20, 7 kilometers (by road) east of route B-65, Fazenda Rancho Grande , elevation 180 m. This is approximately 5 kilometers northeast of Cacaulândia in typical lowland tropical rainforest .

Etymology. The name means “chestnut-brown” referring to the deep red-brown dorsal color on this species.

Distribution and phenology. Porphyrogenes spadix is known only from the types taken in June, August, October, and November.

Diagnosis and discussion. Porphyrogenes spadix is immediately identified by its deep red-brown color in comparison with the more tawny dorsa of most Porphyrogenes . The configuration of the harpe is reminiscent of P. convexus with its broadened caudal end, but other structures of the genitalia are very different.

Figures

Figure 83-100. Porphyrogenes (ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface). 83) undescribed species, male, COSTA RICA: Ciudad Colon, Finca Hamadryas, 15 September 1998, ds. 84) same, vs. 85) P. convexus, holotype male, data in text; 86) same, vs. 87) P. splendidus, holotype male, data in text, ds. 88) same, vs. 89) P. simulator, holotype male, data in text, ds. 90) same, vs. 91) P. spadix, holotype male, data in text, ds. 92) same, vs. 93) P. sparus, holotype male, data in text, ds. 94) same, vs. 95) P. specularis, holotype male, data in text, ds. 96) same, vs. 97) P. spina, holotype male, data in text, ds. 98) same, vs. 99) P. sporta, holotype male, data in text, ds. 100) same, vs.

Figure 124-128. 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 -2A and anal 2 cell) and origins of veins on hindwing. Insert is of anterior portion of dorsal hindwing showing hair-like tufts. 124) P. zohra, HONDURAS (GTA #8903); 125) P. convexus, holotype, BRAZIL:Rondônia (GTA #2760); 126) P. splendidus, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4182); 127) P. simulator, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4181); 128) P. spadix, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3894).

Figure 146-151. 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). 146) P. simulator, holotype, BOLIVIA (GTA #4181); 147) P. spadix, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3894); 148) P. sparus (also including anterior view of harpe), holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3928); 149) P. specularis, holotype, BRAZIL: Rondônia (GTA #3589); 150) P. spina, holotype, PANAMA (GTA #8905); 151) P. sporta, holotype, COLOMBIA (GTA #4180).