Blepolenis bassus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867)

Penz, Carla M., Mohammadi, Neda & Wahlberg, Niklas, 2011, Neotropical Blepolenis butterflies: wing pattern elements, phylogeny, and Pleistocene diversification (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), Zootaxa 2897, pp. 1-17 : 7-8

Blepolenis bassus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867)

Fig. 1 A–D, 2A–C

Diagnosis. Forewing length of male 3.61–3.89 cm (mean = 3.77, n = 5), and female 4.09–4.32 cm (mean = 4.2, n = 3). Dorsal forewing basal to medial areas pale yellow, notably lighter in color than B. batea and B. catharinae , and usually outlined distally by an orange tinge. Ventral forewing brown postmedial band often thinner than those of B. batea and B. catharinae ; this band is thicker from M1 to the middle of the Cu1 cell, becoming thinner and with a zigzag pattern from there to 1A+2A (the zigzag pattern corresponds to the edge of the yellow area on the dorsal surface). Dorsal hind wing yellow area pale such that the underside pattern is visible dorsally, brown band form the postmedial to marginal area narrower than in B. batea and B. catharinae , usually interspersed by pale yellow spots. Females similar to males except for the better defined dorsal marginal and submarginal pale yellow spots on both wings.

Genitalia. Given the smaller size of this species, both the male and female genitalia are proportionately smaller than those of B. batea and B. catharinae . Male specimens (three dissections, two without locality data) varied in the width of the distal half of the valva, and also the number of subterminal spines at the dorsal edge ( Fig. 2 A, B). Female sterigma with long lateral arms, and a longer and narrower midline lobe than those in B. batea and B. catharinae (but only one female was dissected). Corpus bursa oval shaped, with paired signa, and constricted at the meeting point with the narrow ductus bursa ( Fig. 2 C).

Distribution. Brazil, Atlantic forest, São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul.

Variation and subspecies. Some variation in wing color has been identified, such as the size of the pale yellow spots at the dorsal hind wing margin (see males in Fig. 1 A and D, and females in Fig. 1 B and C). As noted by Fruhstorfer (1912) the association of wing color with subspecific forms seems arbitrary. This probably led to Casagrande’s (2004) proposal that B. bassus luteipenis (Butler, 1874) be considered a synonym of the nominal subspecies. We note that two females from Campos do Jordão, São Paulo state ( Fig. 1 C), appear to be darker orange in color, and with larger pale yellow spots at the dorsal hind wing margin than those from more southern localities ( Fig. 1 B). Mirna Casagrande (pers. comm.) notes that females of B. bassus may vary in color within the same population.

Natural history notes. Fruhstorfer (1912) indicated that B. bassus is commonly found with B. batea , and that unlike the latter, B. bassus “ventures even in the greatest heat of the day on to sunny grass-lands with scattered bushes.” Andre Freitas (pers. comm.) observed B. bassus ovipositing on grass in Capão Bonito (Fazenda Intervales), São Paulo state, but the early stages of B. bassus remain unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Adult Blepolenis butterflies of both sexes in dorsal (D) and ventral (V) views, including dissection or collection numbers as listed in Appendix 1. A, Blepolenis bassus male D & V, Brazil, 08 - 41. B, B. bassus female D & V, São Bento [do Sul], [Rio Grande do Sul], 01 - 32. C, B. bassus female D, Campos do Jordão-Lagoinha, [São Paulo] MZSP 13714. D, B. bassus male D, Murtinho, E. Parana, MZSP 13711. E, B. batea male D & V, Santa Catarina, 08 - 38. F, B. batea female D & V, Santa Catarina. G, B. batea male D & V, Itatiba, São Paulo, MZSP 13719. H, B. batea male D, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 06 - 15. I, B. batea male D, Porto Alegre, MZSP 13709. J, B. batea male D, S. Paulo, 09 - 04, MZSP 13718. K, B. batea male D, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, 01 - 33. L, B. catharinae male D, no locality, specimen from the Fruhstorfer Collection, B. M. [N. H.] 1937 - 285. M, B. catharinae male D & V, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. N, B. catharinae female D & V, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. O, B. catharinae male D, no locality, 09 - 15, MZSP 13710. P, B. catharinae male V, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.

FIGURE 2. Blepolenis male and female genitalia, including dissection numbers as listed in Appendix 1. Male genitalia is illustrated in lateral and ventral views (setae omitted from right side of figure to emphasize the shape), an outline of the tegumen is given in dorsal view, and outlines of the distal portion of the valva in lateral view show the variation in the dorsal, subterminal spines. The ventral view of female sterigma includes most, but not all the length of the lateral arms. All drawings in the same scale except for corpus bursa; scale bars 1 mm, appearing under A and C. A, Blepolenis bassus male, Murtinho, Paraná, 09 - 14. B, B. bassus male valvae, top figure is the left valva of the specimen in A; bottom left, Brazil, 01 - 31; bottom right, Brazil, 08 - 41. C, B. bassus female (the irregular signa are an artifact of preparation), São Bento [do Sul], [Rio Grande do Sul], 01 - 32. D, B. batea male, Serra do Caraça, Minas Gerais, 09 - 05. E, B. batea male valvae, top to bottom, left to right: Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, 01 - 33; S. Paulo, 09 - 04; Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 06 - 15; Nova Teutônia, Santa Catarina, 08 - 42. F, B. batea female, Santa Catarina, 06 - 16. G, B. catharinae male, Lagoa do Peri, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, 09 - 01. H, no data, 09 - 15. I, Lagoa do Peri, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, 09 - 02.