Ocaria clepsydra
Creators: name: Faynel, Christophe
name: Busby, Robert C.
name: Dolibaina, Diego R.
name: Huertas, Blanca
name: Fåhraeus, Christer
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lycaenidae
Ocaria
Ocaria clepsydra

description: Ocaria clepsydra (H. H. Druce)
(Figures 1, 8–9, 17, 21, 28, 34)
Diagnosis. Ocaria clepsydra is characterized by: (1) significant amount of submarginal white suffusion on the ventral surface of both wings; (2) white scales forming a contiguous band on the VFW; (3) VHW white band displaced basally in the apex where it reaches the postmedian line; and (4) dorsal color in both males and females of a lighter shade of blue than other members of the arpoxais group (Fig. 17).
Type material. The description of Thecla clepsydra H.H. Druce was based on at least one male from Bogotá, Colombia, deposited at the British Museum, currently, NHMUK. A syntype bearing the following labels is deposited at the NHMUK: SYN-TYPE // Type // Bogota // T. clepsydra ♂ TYPE. H. H. Druce. // B.M. TYPE No. Rh. 711 // Thecla clepsydra H. H. Druce, 1907 SYNTYPE // NHMUK010432777.
Radissima torresi Le Crom & Johnson was described from a male with very worn wings from Cerro Aguacatal, Quinchia, Risaralda, Colombia (currently Riosucio, Caldas, Colombia), deposited at ICN-MHN with the following labels: J.-F. LECROM Cerro Aguacatal Quinchia, Risaral. 15/v/93 1600m leg: J. Salazar // L. 10 // 67 68 // HOLOTIPO // Radissima torresi Le Crom & Johnson, 1993 // ICN-L 11132.
Distribution. This Andean species flies from western Venezuela to southern Peru at an altitude ranging from 1100 to 2100m (Fig. 28).
Remarks. Draudt (1924) regarded O. clepsydra as a junior synonym of O. arpoxais, a classification challenged by Comstock & Huntington (1959). d’Abrera (1995) and Robbins (2004a) treated O. clepsydra as a valid species. Ocaria clepsydra possesses traits easily diagnosable that differentiate it from other members of the arpoxais species group. In the original description, the author says it recalls O. aholiba. While there is some dorsal similarity on the wings, the ventral surface of the wings of O. clepsydra is much closer to O. arpoxais and O. cinerea. We viewed images of the type of Radissima torresi, a specimen in poor condition with very rubbed ventral wings. The DFW blue area limit is well-rounded and not pointed like in O. arpoxais, O. cinerea and the new species. Also, the DHW black margins are wide and the placement of the CuA 2 –2A element in the VHW postmedian line is downward. Finally, the contiguous white submarginal suffusion across both VFW and VHW is consistent with O. clepsydra, and confirms its status as a junior synonym of O. clepsydra (Robbins 2004a).
Natural history. Males of O. clepsydra have been observed setting up mating territories on a mid-mountain hilltop in Rodriguez de Mendoza (Faynel, pers. obs.). They were flying at a height of 3–4 m at 0920 hours. Females of O. clepsydra have also been found on flowers in western Ecuador between 1375–1700m (Busby, pers. obs.). Lamas et al. (2021) report one male “attracted to fish/urine bait above San Pedro ” in the Cosñipata valley, Peru.
Material examined. VENEZUELA. 1♂, Sierra de Merida, 3000m, 4.vi.1898, Briceno leg., NHMUK015203054 * (NHMUK). COLOMBIA. Antioquia. 1♂, Fredonia, Cerro Bravo, 2500m, 5°55’60”N, 75°42’00”W, 31.viii.2018, C. Prieto leg., CP Lep 1429* (RCCP). Cundinamarca. 1♂, Cerro Quinini, 2000m, 14.vi.1998, J.F. Le Crom leg. (JFLC); 1♂, Bogotá, SYNTYPE Thecla clepsydra, NHMUK 010432777* (NHMUK). Caldas. 1♂, Miraflores, 15.ii.1998, J. A. Salazar leg. (JFLC); 1♂, Cerro Botero, Quinchia, 30.viii.1994, Reinel leg. (JFLC); 1♂, 15.xi.1998, Salazar leg. (JFLC); 1♂, Riosucio, Cerro Clavijo, 1500m, 05°21’40’’N, 75°40’26’’W, xii.1998, J. A. Salazar leg. SM-5691 (IAVH); 1♂, Riosucio, Cerro Sinifaná, 1850m, 23.xii.1998, J. A. Salazar leg., CF-LYC-1121* (CF). Cauca. 1♂, Santa Rosa, Rio Villalobos, 1000m, 01°22’42’’N, 76°31’55’’W, viii.1994, J. A. Salazar leg., SM-5709 (IAVH); 1♂, Popayan, Cerro La tetilla, 2°33’23’’N, 76°40’05’’W, 1–14.vii.2013, Prieto leg. (CF); 2♂, same locality, 1800m, 25.i.2019, E. Burbano leg., CP Lep 1729* & CP Lep 1729* (RCCP); 1♂, same locality, 1850m, 24.vii.2018, C. Prieto leg., CP Lep 1293* (RCCP). Quindio. 1♂, Circasia, Vda. Membrilla, El Silencio, 1700m, 8–10.vi.1999, D. Tobar leg. (JFLC). Risaraldas. 1♂ Quinchia, Cerro Batero, 30.viii.1994, C. Reinel leg. (JFLC). Valle del Cauca. 1♂, Cali, San Antonio, 2100m, 14.ix.2004, C. Prieto leg. (RCCP). ECUADOR. Carchi. 1♂, Chical, 1391m, 0° 57.7’ N, 78° 12.2’ W, 19.viii.2016, I. Aldas & R. C. Busby leg. (RCB). Pichincha. 1♂, 5 km Nanegal-Garcia Moreno Rd, 1375–1700m, 0° 09.2’ N, 78° 39.4’ W, 16.vi.2010, 3–4.vii.2010, 12.v.2014, I. Aldas & R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, same locality, 1.vi.2010, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♀, same locality, 27.v.2014, I. Aldas & R. C. Busby leg., illustrated on Fig. 9 (RCB). Tungurahua. 1♂, Banos, 1850m, i.2002, i.2002, I. Aldas & R. C. Busby leg. (RCB). Napo. 1♂, 10 km El Chaco-El Reventador Rd, 1800–1950m, 0° 16.5’ S. 77° 45.6’ W, 21.ii.2008, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, same locality, 1800–1900m, 0° 16.5’ S, 77° 45.6’ W, 14.i.2007, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, same locality, Cascabel, 1500m, 0° 11.9’ S, 77° 43.5’ W, 8.ix.2010, I. Aldas & R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♀, 10 km El Chaco-El Reventador Rd, 1800–1950m, 0° 16.5’ S. 77° 45.6’ W, 2.i.2012, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB). Pastaza. 1♂, km 25 Puyo-Tena, xii.2016, Delassisse leg., CF-LYC-1325*, gen. prep. K. Florczyk CFCF014 (CF). Morona Santiago. 1♂, 14 km. W. of Macas, Rio Abanico, 1600m, 25.ix.1998, 27.ix.1998, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); Nueva Tarqui, 1150m, 28.ix.2000, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, Rio Abanico, 1600m, 2° 15.0 S, 78° 12.1 W, 12.ix.2000, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, 1 km E. Rio Abanico, 1600m, 2º 15.4’S, 78° 11.7 W, 15.x.2002, 21.ix.2003, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, Morona (Las Antenas), Chupianza Chico, 20.2 S 83°, 2° 43.9’ S, 15.i.2021, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB); 1♂, 2 km N of San Isidro, 1250–1450m, 2° 11.9’ S, 78° 09.4’ W, 19.ix.2012, 30.ix.2012, 30.ix.2012, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB). Zamora Chinchipe. 1♂, Zamora, ridge W. of town, 1450m, 4 04.5’ S, 78° 58.1’ W, 18.v.2000, 18.v.2000, 18.ix.2000, 24.ix.2001, 6.x.2002, 6.x.2002, 11.v.2004, 10.x.2007, 10.x.2007, R. C. Busby leg. (RCB). PERU. Cajamarca. 1♂, Tabaconas, Tabaconas river, 2000m, 1912, A. E. & F. Pratt leg. (MNHN). Amazonas. 1♀, Numparque, Rio Marañon, 1000m, x.2006, AMC383 (AMC); 1♂, Rodríguez de Mendonza, 1915m, 6°23’S 77°27’W, 25.vii.2023, C. Faynel leg., Poste 9h17, CF-LYC-2017 (CF); 2♂, same locality, 2085m, 20.vi.2022 & 27.vi.2022, L. Lopez-Calderon leg. (CF); 1♂, same locality, 2135m, 19.xi.2023, C. Lopez-Calderon leg. (CF); 1♂, same locality, 2000m, 11.vi.2023, A. Lopez-Calderon leg. (CF). San Martin. Nueva Cajamarca, 900m, 5°57’S, 77°19’W, vi.2020, C. M. Zevallos leg., RCCFXPL4C01* (CF). Huánuco. 1♂, Tingo Maria, Rio Huattaga (CF). Puno. 2♂, Sandia, Caserio de Pichari, 850m, 25.ix.2010, William leg., CFC18767*, illustrated on Fig. 8, CFC19048* (FILS).
description: Published as part of Faynel, Christophe, Busby, Robert C., Dolibaina, Diego R., Huertas, Blanca & Fåhraeus, Christer, 2025, A review of the Ocaria arpoxais species group (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) with the description of a new species previously confused with O. cinerea (Lathy), pp. 47-67 in Zootaxa 5618 (1) on pages 54-57, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5618.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/15217247