Blepolenis batea (Hübner, 1821), Hubner, 1821

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 : 8

Blepolenis batea (Hübner, 1821)

Type species

Fig. 1 E–K, 2D–F

Diagnosis. Forewing length of male 3.88–4.61 cm (mean = 4.34, n = 15), and female 3.99–4.8 cm (mean = 4.62, n = 7). Very similar to B. catharinae , but males can be easily distinguished from that species by the presence of a dorsal hair pencil in the hind wing discal cell. In males and females, postmedial border of dorsal forewing orange area less jagged than in B. catharinae . Dorsal hind wing orange area usually smaller than in B. catharinae . General ventral coloration more vivid than in B. catharinae (fresh specimens of both species were compared), making the ventral forewing brown submarginal band darker and better defined. Females are similar to, and difficult to separate from, those of B. catharinae . Female ventral forewing brown submarginal band usually solid color, without the ripple pattern usually visible in B. catharinae .

Genitalia. Both the male and female genitalia are similar in size those of B. catharinae . Male specimens (six dissections) varied in the width of the distal half of the valva, and also the number of subterminal spines at the dorsal edge ( Fig. 2 E). The ventral outline of the valva in lateral view was consistent across specimens ( Fig. 2 D). Female sterigma with long lateral arms, main plate short and with a shorter midline lobe than B. bassus (three dissections). Corpus bursa oval shaped, with paired signa, and constricted at the meeting point with the narrow ductus bursa ( Fig. 2 F).

Distribution. Brazil, Atlantic forest, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul; Paraguay ( Kochalka et al. 1996, Casagrande 2004); Uruguay ( Betancur-Viglione 2009).

Variation and subspecies. The local and geographical color variation within B. batea gave rise to the description of several subspecies and forms, and three valid subspecies are currently recognized (see Casagrande 2004): nominal B. batea batea (type locality: Brazil), B. batea didymaon ( Brazil) , and B. batea praegrandis (Fruhstorfer, 1907) ( Paraguay) . The account for B. batea in Fruhstorfer (1912) is detailed and includes comments on type specimens, and from that work it seems that the original description of B. batea by Hübner (1821) corresponds to a dorsally pale-orange colored specimen in which the delimitation between the dorsal forewing brown edge and orange base is approximately straight. This is the phenotype illustrated by D’Abrera (1987) and Fig. 1 K (Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro), and according to our samples it seems to be a less common phenotype than that in Fig. 1 E. Although wing color and shape differences between Fig. 1 K and 1E seem extreme, we have examined specimens with intermediate phenotypes from several locations including Nova Friburgo itself, and also Serra do Caraça (Minas Gerais), and São Paulo, and there are no obvious differences between male genitalia of these forms. From this we conclude that, as currently understood, B. batea batea shows a broad range of color variation, and subspecific definition within B. batea is therefore problematic. Although one specimen from Paraguay (Caazapá, P. N. Caaguazú) examined from a photograph matches the defining characters given by Fruhstorfer (1912) for B. b. praegrandis , we found that such characters fit within the range of variation observed for B. batea batea in Brazil (photographs of a Paraguayan specimen were provided by S. Rios, specimen from the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay collection). Therefore, the status of this subspecies should be verified by examination of a series of specimens. Fruhstorfer (1912) noted that the width of the dorsal forewing dark brown area is narrowest at the northern part of the species distribution, progressively becoming broader towards southern localities in Brazil (and probably Uruguay). We confirmed his assessment, and southern specimens with little or no orange color distal from the dorsal forewing discal cell correspond to the described B. batea didymaon ( Fig. 1 H and I). Nonetheless, we feel that the local and clinal variation in color pattern in B. batea calls the recognition of discrete subspecies into question.

Natural history notes. The early stages of B. batea have not been described. André Freitas (pers. comm.) observed females of this species ovipositing on an unidentified grass, and notes that adults can be locally common on forest edges bordered by wet to flooded grassland in higher altitude localities. Reported host plants include Gramineae and Arecaceae (see Beccaloni et al. 2008).

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.