Philaethria dido panamensis Constantino & Salazar

Constantino, Luis Miguel & Salazar, Julian A., 2010, A review of the Philaethria dido species complex (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) and description of three new sibling species from Colombia and Venezuela, Zootaxa 2720, pp. 1-27 : 8

Philaethria dido panamensis Constantino & Salazar , n. ssp.

( Fig. 5 )

Diagnosis. P. dido panamensis is recognized from P. dido dido by the reduced red medial postdiscal band on the ventral surface of the hind wings and by the extended silver reflection over the FW green post medial area, the FW green medial area and the HW green discal area on the ventral surface of the wings.

Description. Forewing length 49–51 mm. Dorsal forewing ground color black with green-lemon bands like in P. dido . Ventral surface of the hind wings with submarginal band red in color. Medial post discal band red and narrow (wide in P. dido dido ), with scattered white scales (brown in P. diatonica ). Post cellular spot 4 and 5 between veins Cu2 -M3 of the same size (larger in P. diatonica ). Inner post discal band on the ventral surface of the hind wing black. The forewing anal cell bar is black. The submarginal band completely filled with red without white. The discal green area on the ventral surface has a silver reflection very extended all over the discal area. Both sexes similar, but females much larger in size with a fore wing length of 50–52 mm.

Type material. Holotype male: PANAMA: Veraguas, Serrania de Tabasará, 500 m, 3 August 1994, L. M. Constantino leg. Deposited in MHNUC. Allotype female: PANAMA: Chirquí, Cerro Azul, 800 m, 3 August 1994, L.M. Constantino leg. ( MHNUC).

Paratypes: 1 male, PANAMA: Veraguas, Guabal, 10 January 1988, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 3 males, Bocas del Toro: Kusapin, Chiriqui Grande, 50 m, 14 Feb. 2005, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 4 males, 1 female, Veraguas: Santa Fe, 820 m, 26 May 1981, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 2 males, 2 females, Alto de Piedra, Santa Fe, Cordillera Central, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 2 males, Colon: Donoso, Coclesito 25 August 1988, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 3 males, 1 female, Panamá: Ancon, Summit Garden, Pacific slope, 4 July 1976, Donald Seitz leg. ( FDLC); 1 male, Isla Majé, Chepo, 18 June 1989, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC); 2 males, San Blas: Armila, Tubala, 18 March 2006, F. Delgado leg. ( FDLC)

Haploid chromosome number: n=88 (voucher specimen fig.5) from Panama (Cerro Azul, Chiriqui) and Serrania de Tabasará, Veraguas.

Etymology: The name refers to the country of Panama, where this subspecies is found.

Distribution and habitat. P. dido panamensis occurs along streams and forest edges in rain forest habitats in Panama, in both slopes, Pacific and Caribbean, in the province of Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, Veraguas, along the Cordillera Central, San Blas, and Colon, between 100–800 m above sea level. This is the first confirmed record of P. dido in Central America. P. dido panamensis flies sympatrically with P. diatonica in Panama and Costa Rica (province of Puntarenas)

Figures

FIGURES 2 - 11. 2. P. dido dido 3 Rio Amazonas, Colombia, 3. P. dido chocoensis 3 Rio Anchicayá, W. Colombia, 4. P. dido dido 3 Bajo Rio Caura, Bolivar, Venezuela, 5. P. dido panamensis, ssp. nov., 3 Holotype. Pácora, Chiriquí, Panama, 6. P. diatonica 3 ACG Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 7. P. diatonica Ƥ Metates, Oaxaca, Mexico, 8. P. constantinoi 3 Chocó, W. Colombia, 9. P. constantinoi Ƥ Chocó, W. Colombia, 10. P. wernickei 3 S ao Paulo, Brazil, 11. P. pygmalion pygmalion 3 Araracuara, Amazonas, Colombia.