Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
42(4), 1988, 276-280

A NEW EUPTYCHIA SPECIES FROMNORTHWESTERN MEXICO (SA TYRIDAE)LEE D. MILLER AND JACQUELINE Y. MILLER
Allyn Museum of Entomology of the Florida Museum of Natural History,
3621 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Florida 34234
ABSTRACT. A new euptychiine satyr, Euptychia rubrofasciata, is described basedon 15 males and 4 females from NW Mexico, and compared with other similarly redsuffused species. A possible Selaginella food plant association is discussed, and a mimetic
assemblage involving satyrids is suggested.
Additional key words:

Euptychiini, Euptychia rubrofasciata, mimicry, Selaginella.

Mexican and northern Central American euptychiine Satyridae areunusual in that several species are strongly laved with red on the uppersurface. This condition is shown in such diverse species as Euptychia
fetna Butler, Megisto rubricata (W. H. Edwards), a few species ofCyllopsis (L. Miller 1974) and Paramacera (L. Miller 1972), Cissia
pellonia (Godman & Salvin), and C. cleophes (Godman & Salvin). These
red-patterned elements are rare in Euptychiini, and they are almost
unknown in members of the tribe outside Mexico and northern CentralAmerica. Recently, Douglas Mullins showed us a series of a red-patterned species from Sonora, Mexico, that is totally unlike any other inthis complex of "look alikes". Later, James Brock and Jerry Powell sent
additional specimens. This insect is the most ornate of the Mexican redlaved euptychiines, and is undescribed. A name for it is required forBrock and Mullins's forthcoming book on the butterflies of Sonora.
Euptychia rubrofasciata L. & J. Miller, new species(Figs. 1-9)
Male (Figs. 1, 2). Head clothed with fuscous dorsal setae and somewhat paler hairs
ventrad; area immediately behind eye narrowly white. Eyes rich brown, only slightly
hirsute. Antennae plain brown above, light brown and narrowly ringed on shaft, darkbrown beneath; tip black. Palpi clothed with long fuscous ventral setae and short lateralwhite hairs. Thorax and abdomen clothed with short fuscous dorsal and gray-brownventral hairs. Legs clad with short gray-brown hairs.
Upper surface of forewing fuscous, grayer and paler distad of cell, with a darker fuscous
submarginal shade and a Single smooth, dark fuscous marginal line; wing laved withbrick-red in posterior part of cell and just posteriad of cell, and with a darker red fascia
from end of cell to middle of CUc2A, a blackish fuscous subapical black ocellus in M lM" and a smaller one in M,-M 3 , each with a single silver pupil and narrow, dull ocherous
ring. Upper surface of hind wing also fuscous, slightly paler subapically, with submarginal
darker fuscous shade and a double dark fuscous marginal line. Wing laved with brickred just outside and posteriad of cell, a red fascia outside cell from apex to near innerangle, blackish fuscous ocelli in Rs-M j (large and diffuse), Mj-M, (very small, almost apoint and occasionally absent), and a well-defined, quite large ocellus in Cul-Cu" allocelli consisting of a white pupil and a narrow, dull ocherous iris.
Under surface of forewing light gray-brown slightly shaded with red in and justposteriad of cell, with three brick-red fascia from near costa to inner margin, one acrossVOLUME 42, NUMBER 4277

FIGS. 1-4. Euptychia rubrofasciata. 1,2, Holotype 5, upper (1) and under (2) surfaces.
3, 4, Para type 'i', upper (3) and under (4) surfaces. Scale line represents 10 mm.
cell, one just outside cell, and one beyond ocelli, the last two connected by brick-red
streaks between veins from Mo to 2A; ocelli as on upper surface, but black with silver
pupils and ocherous then fuscous rings surrounding both (not individual rings). Undersurface of hind wing likewise gray-brown with three reddish fascia as described for forewing, and dark brown double marginal lines; six black ocelli with silver pupils and ocherous
and fuscous rings from Sc+ R, to Cu2 -2A, the ones in Rs-M, and Cu,-Cu 2 large andprominent, the one in Cu 2 -2A of moderate size, the others quite small; ocelli in anterior
three cells with rings coalesced.
Forewing length of holotype 517.6 mm, of the 145 para types 17.3 to 19.2 mm, averaging
IS.0 mm.
Male genitalia (Figs. 5-S) simple and lightly sclerotized; no superuncus as in mostEuptychia (comparative illustrations in Forster 1964:S1); uncus only slightly curved ventrad; brachia represented by only a very narrow sclerotized ring completely surrounding
anus; valvae relatively unadorned, curved dorsad; penis short and straight with no obviousadornment.
Female (Figs. 3, 4). Head, thorax, abdomen, and appendages as in 5, except thorax
and abdomen below somewhat tanner.
Upper surface of forewing somewhat lighter than that of 5 and more extensively lavedwith reddish fulvous, rusty fascia across cell and just beyond it, reddish streaks between
veins from M3 to 2A, a fuscous submarginal fascia and double marginal fuscous lines;
blackish-brown coalesced ocelli with silver pupils in M,-M 2 (large and prominent) andM.-Mo (very small) with coalesced narrow ocherous and fuscous rings. Hindwing above
with similar ground color, red shading slightly more extensive than in 5, and white-

278

JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY-----~~::.-. ~.
:;~~.
' ..~.'~". .........".~,•. <7:'tl~.: ...:.:.':;~'.:.: .. : ·· ··:·.. :~· ::~38FIGS. 5-9.
Genitalia of Euptychia rubrofasciata. 5-8, Holotype <3. 5, Uncus, tegumen,saccus, and associated structures, left lateral view. 6, Right valva, internal view. 7, Penis,dorsal view. 8, Left lateral view. 9, Paratype >', ventral view, genit. prep. M-7336-6 (J.
Y. Miller). Scale line represents 0.5 mm.

VOLUME 42, NUMBER 4279

pupilled fuscous ocelli in Rs-M, (large), M3 -Cu, (very small, not present in all specimens),
Cu,-Cu, (large), and Cu,-2A (small and absent in one specimen), each with ocherous
and fuscous rings; red-brown submarginal fascia, two fuscous marginal lines.
Under surface of forewing somewhat less gray than in ~ with similar markings except
ocelli. Under surface of hindwing also less gray than in ~, but marked similarly withlarger ocelli and more prominent ocherous rings.
Forewing length of the 4 I' paratypes 17.6 to 20.0 mm, averaging 19.2 mm.
Female genitalia (Fig. 9) very lightly sclerotized with 8th segment heavily clothed inscales; papillae anales densely setose with 6-10 elongated setae posteriad; sterigma simple,lamella postvaginalis membranous with numerous folds, and lamella antevaginalis indicated by a lightly sclerotized plate; ductus bursae and corpus bursae membranous andstrongly folded; attachment of ductus semina lis near atrium.
Described from 15 males and 4 females from the Sierra Madre Occidental of Sonora
and Chihuahua, Mexico.
Holotype ~ (Figs. 1, 2). MEXICO: Sonora, 13 mi (21 km) E El Novillo, 12 August[19]85 0. P. Brock); ~ genitalia preparation M-7341-v (Lee D. Miller).
Paratypes. All MEXICO: Sonora, 8 ~, 1 1', same data as holotype, 1 I' (Figs. 3, 4), Rte.
16, 10 mi (16.1 km) E Trinidad, "Cypress" Canyon, 7 August [19]86 (D. D. M[ullins]); 2~, 2 1', San Nicholas-Yecora Rd., 4.1-10.3 mi (5.6-16.5 km) E Santa Rosa, 7.viii.l986 0.
P. Brock) (1 with I' genitalia preparation M-7346-v 0. Y. Miller); 3 ~, creek at 3000 ft(909 m), 6 mi (9.6 km) W Yecora, 31.vii.l984 0. P. Brock); Chihuahua, S[ierra] Madre
Occid[ental], Yepachic Rd., Canyon Rio Tomochic (oak/ grass hillside), 31 July [19]84 (D.
D. M[ullins]); Sinaloa, 1 ~, 2 mi (3.2 km) SW Potrerillos, 4200' (1280 m) viii. 7 /8.[19]86
0. Brown & J. Powell).
Disposition of type-series. Holotype ~, 2 ~ and 1 I' paratypes in Allyn Museum ofEntomology; 1 ~ paratype in collection of California Insect Survey; remaining 11 ~ and3 I' paratypes to be returned to J. P. Brock and D. D. Mullins for eventual distribution
to other collections.
Etymology. The name refers to the unique brick-red fascia on both surfaces of allwings.
Discussion. That this insect proved to be a member of Euptychia came as a surprise.
It is the largest known Euptychia, and superficially more closely resembles Cissia. However, the ~ genitalia are unmistakably Euptychia, the abbreviated brachia fused with thetegumen. The I' genitalia are simple and very lightly sclerotized, this also in keeping withthe apomorphic condition for Euptychia.
The only published life history information about Euptychia sensu lato is that by Singeret al. (1971) who found the white congener, E. westwoodi, feeding as a larva on thelycopsid Selaginella. Those authors suggested that Selaginella might have "rather potent
biochemical defenses," since few herbivores attack them, and that these defenses might
convey some protection to Euptychia. These toxic chemical defenses have yet to be proven
0. Beckner pers. comm.), but seem reasonable. The Mexican E. fetna feeds also on
Selaginella 0. Llorente and others pers. comm.). Euptychia westwoodi appears to be ina mimetic complex involving lycaenids and riodinids (Singer et al. 1971:1342).
We suggest that E. rubrofasciata also feeds as a larva on Selaginella. This is supported
by Brock (pers. comm.), who writes " ... nearly all the Euptychia were found on a shady[canyon] wall loaded with a Selaginella species." He further mentioned that he identified
the Selaginella because it was so abundant and conspicuous at the spot where the newspecies was most abundant. Mullins (pers. comm.) independently confirms this habitatpreference.
Assuming the above food plant and its toxicity to predators, the present new species
and E. fetna may be Muellerian mimics, and the other red-laved euptychiines (andperhaps other butterflies) could be Batesian mimics of them.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank D. D. Mullins for sending the first specimens of this insect for description,
and J. P. Brock and J. A. Powell for additional ones. Thanks are due J. Llorente for

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JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY

discussions concerning E. fetna and to J. Beckner for discussions about the properties ofSelaginella.
LITERA TURE CITEDFORSTER, W. 1964. Beitriige zur Kenntnis der Insecktenfauna Boliviens XIX. Lepidoptera III Satyridae. Veroff. Zoo\. Staatssamml. Munchen 8:51-188.
MILLER, L. D. 1972. Revision of the Euptychiini. 1. Introduction and Paramacera
Butler. Bull. Allyn Mus. 8, 18 pp.
- - - 1974. Revision of the Euptychiini. 2. Cyllopsis R. Felder. Bull. Allyn Mus. 20,98 pp.
SINGER, M. c., P. R. EHRLICH & L. E. GILBERT. 1971. Butterfly feeding on lycopsid.
Science 172:1341-1342.

Received for publication 19 May 1988; accepted 30 June 1988.