Penaincisalia jadwigae Bálint, Boyer & Pyrcz, 2022

Bálint, Zsolt, Boyer, Pierre, Farfán, Jackie, Cerdeña, José & Pyrcz, Tomasz W., 2022, A new high-altitude species of Penaincisalia Johnson, 1990 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from the Peruvian Andes, Zootaxa 5154 (1), pp. 49-59 : 50-51

Penaincisalia jadwigae Bálint, Boyer & Pyrcz , sp. n.

( Figures 1–8 )

Systematic placement. Ordo: Lepidoptera , family: Lycaenidae , subfamily: Theclinae , tribe: Eumaeini , genus: Penaincisalia Johnson, 1990 (type species: Thecla culminicola Staudinger, 1894 , original designation)

Type material. Holotype male, set dorsally, in perfect condition ( Figs 1–2 ) with label “ Pierre Boyer Leg [//] Route 26B pk112, [//] 4510–4600m [//] (Huancavelica) [//] PEROU [//] 27/9/2021 ” (white label, printed, letters in black frames), at present in PBC, to be deposited in MUSM . Paratypes (n = 9): with holotype data (no. 1: PBC female (“ allotype ”); nos 2–5: PBC males), same data as the holotype, but “leg. T. Pyrcz” (nos 6–8: CEP-MZUJ male, no. 9: HNHM male) .

Diagnosis. The new species is most similar to P. perezi Bálint, 2001 , which has an almost identical size and orange dorsal wing surface colouration, but specimens can most readily be recognized by the following three characters: (1) male dorsal wing-surface shows slight violet iridescence, visible at a shallow angle ( P. perezi : has strong iridescence visible at a wider angle); (2) hindwing black border is obsolete in the tornal area (in P. perezi : running parallel with outer margin and clearly visible in the tornal area), and (3) ventral forewing ground colour is grey ( P. perezi : orange).

Description. Male ( Figs 1–2 , 5–6 ). Head, thorax and abdomen black dorsally; thorax and abdomen with greyish pubescence ventrally; antennae 0.6 times the length of the forewing costa, clubs black. Forewing: length 10,5–11 mm (n=6), measured from the base of cubital vein to vein R3 terminus, and triangular in shape. Ground colour on the dorsal surface golden orange with violet iridescence (depending on the direction of illuminating light); margins with very thin (<2 mm) black border running parallel with outer margin in both wings, becoming more extensive at the apex of the forewing and fading towards the hindwing tornus, fringes chequered. Forewing androconia present in the form of a light grey coloured, trapezoidal scent pad in the apical part of the discal area, and a minute light grey scent patch in the base of vein M3. Forewing ventral surface greyish brown with a faint discoidal patch and black, sharp and slightly ruptured postmedian line and a somewhat lighter ash grey patterned submarginal area; hindwing basal and medial band black, interrupted by lighter variegate scaling, but obsolete; the submarginal line appearing as continuous intercellular black arrowhead marks bordered distally by lighter ash grey crescent pattern, with some slight variation in their intensity. Genitalia: tegumen and uncus large when viewed seen from lateral and dorsal sides; gnathos straight with pointed apex when seen from lateral but curved when seen from ventral side; valve slender, as long as tegumen, with slightly bent upper and lower margins, distal apex conical-shaped extending half way along the valva; vinculum slender but well sclerotized; saccus membranous and short (shorter than valva conical apical part); aedeagus robust but slender, two times the length of the valva, with two apical cornuti. ( Fig. 5–6 ). Female ( Figs 3–4 , 7–8 ). Similar in markings to the male but without androconia and a more rounded wing-shape ( Figs 3–4 ). Genitalia: ductus bursae composed of sclerotized anterior and posterior parts divided by a dorsally membranous region; anterior ductus bursae two times shorter than posterior ductus-bursae, with convergent edges in dorso-ventral view; posterior ductus bursae widely open ventrally from the middle and dorsally composed by two sclerotized lamellae with blunt apices divided by a membranous central area; bursa with ductus length and arrowhead signa typical of genus ( Figs 7–8 ).

Distribution (known only from type data). Geographic: Huancavelica, Peru ( Fig. 9 ). Altitudinal: 4510–4620m. Temporal: end of September.

Etymology. Named after Jadwiga Lorenc-Brudecka, an entomologist from the Nature Education Centre, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland), who has taken part in many Lepidoptera projects, especially those dedicated to the family Lycaenidae .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Type localities of Penaincisalia species with male orange dorsal colouration. Penaincisalia alina Bálint, 2019 (Apurímac: Abancay Pass), P. aurulenta Johnson, 1990 (Ancash: Caraz), P. jadwigae sp. n. (Huancavelica), P. perezi Bálint, 2001 (Ancash: Parque Nacional Huascarán, Quebrada Demanda) and P. sp. (Apurímac: Abancay Pass).

FIGURE 1–4. Penaincisalia jadwigae sp. n. type material. 1 = holotype dorsum, 2 = ditto, ventrum, 3 = paratype no. 1. (allotype) female dorsum, 4 = ditto, ventrum. All specimens under same magnification. Scale: holotype fore wing costa length 11 mm.

FIGURE 5–6. Male genitalia capsula and aedeagus of Penaincisalia jadwigae sp. n. in lateral (5) and ventral view (aedeagus excluded) (6). Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 7–8. Female genitalia of Penaincisalia jadwigae sp. n. in lateral (7) and ventral view (8). Scale bar: 1 mm.