New taxa of butterflies supported by genomic analysis
Creators: name: Zhang, Jing
name: Cong, Qian
name: Shen, Jinhui
name: Song, Leina
name: Grishin, Nick V.
Publisher: name: The International Lepidoptera Survey
Year: 2024
Subjects: taxonomy, classification, genomics, phylogeny, biodiversity.

description: Continuing with the genomic analysis of butterflies, we present a taxonomic update. As a result of this work, 3 genera, 6 subgenera, 16 species, and 2 subspecies are described as new. New genera and subgenera are (type species in parenthesis): Systasia Grishin, gen. n. (Hesperia zampa W. H. Edwards, 1876) and Asysta Grishin, gen. n. (Systasea microsticta Dyar, 1923) in Pyrgini Burmeister, 1878 and Alyco Grishin, gen. n. (Styriodes quota Evans, 1955) in Moncina A. Warren, 2008; Ocynthus Grishin, subgen. n. (Ocybadistes hypomeloma Lower, 1911) of Potanthus Scudder, 1872, Arrhona Grishin, subgen. n. (Padraona tranquilla Swinhoe, 1905) and Comba Grishin, subgen. n. (Hesperia wama Plötz, 1885) of Kobrona Evans, 1935, Telines Grishin, subgen. n. (Pamphila eurotas C. Felder, 1860) of Arrhenes Mabille, 1904, Kolba Grishin, subgen. n. (Telicota kolbei Ribbe, 1899) of Sabera Swinhoe, 1908, and Sarala Grishin, subgen. n. (Parnara sarala Nicéville, 1889) of Acerbas Nicéville, 1895, all in Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809. New species and subspecies are (type localities in parenthesis): Catocyclotis secuza Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cuzco), Catocyclotis serio Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Catocyclotis luteonaevia Grishin, sp. n. (Bolivia: La Paz), Synargis gohia Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Bahia), and Synargis maxidifa Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Loreto) in Riodinidae Grote, 1895 (1827); Bungalotis corentus Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Pichincha), Bungalotis amydros Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Pichincha), Salatis minimaculatis Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Loreto), Pellicia (Mictris) rio Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Clytius mattus Grishin, sp. n. (USA: Texas, Hidalgo Co.), Perus (Menuda) tinctus Grishin, sp. n. (deduced as South America), Timochares fuscifasciata Grishin, sp. n. (USA: Texas, Hidalgo Co.), Quasimellana duranga Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Durango), Stinga azteca Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: México), Vistigma (Vistigma) shnoba Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Madre de Dios), Vertica (Brasta) asta Grishin, sp. n. (Colombia: Valle del Cauca) in Hesperiidae; Synargis flavicauda cosita Grishin, ssp. n. (Guyana) in Riodinidae and Notamblyscirtes durango seaza Grishin, ssp. n. (USA: Arizona, Santa Cruz Co.) in Hesperiidae, as all other taxa below. Suniana Evans, 1934 is a subgenus of Potanthus Scudder, 1872. The following species are transferred between genera to form new combinations: Camptopleura polax (Evans, 1953), comb. nov. (not Cycloglypha Mabille, 1903), Potanthus hypomeloma (Lower, 1911), comb. nov. (not Ocybadistes Heron, 1894), Kobrona tranquilla (Swinhoe, 1905), comb. nov. (not Arrhenes Mabille, 1904), Arrhenes eurotas (C. Felder, 1860), comb. nov. and Arrhenes eurychlora (Lower, 1908), comb. nov. (not Telicota Moore, 1881), Sabera kolbei (Ribbe, 1899), comb. nov. (not Mimene Joicey & Talbot, 1917), and Vistigma (Vistigma) meesi (de Jong, 1983), comb. nov. (not Phlebodes Hübner, 1819). The following are species-level taxa, not subspecies or synonyms: Salatis pelignus (Hewitson, 1867), stat. rest. (not Salatis salatis (Stoll, 1782)), Pellicia (Mictris) cambyses Hewitson, 1878, stat. rest. (not Pellicia (Mictris) crispus Herrich-Schäffer, 1870), Clytius unifascia (Mabille, 1889), comb. nov. (not Staphylus azteca (Scudder, 1872) or Clytius clytius (Godman & Salvin, 1897)), Clytius semitincta (Dyar, 1924), stat. rest. (not Clytius clytius), Timochares sanda Evans, 1953, stat. nov. (not Timochares trifasciata (Hewitson, 1868)) and Sabera tenebricosa (Mabille, 1904), comb. nov., stat. rest. (not Sabera kolbei (Ribbe, 1899)). The following taxa are new junior subjective synonyms: Mycteris caerula Mabille, 1877 of Pellicia (Mictris) crispus Herrich-Schäffer, 1870, Timochares ruptifasciata runia Evans, 1953 of Timochares ruptifasciata (Plötz, 1884). Staphylus veytius H. Freeman, 1969 is confirmed as a junior subjective synonym of Staphylus tierra Evans, 1953. Pellicia pericles Mabille, 1903 is a junior subjective synonym of Pellicia (Mictris) cambyses stat. rest. (not of Pellicia (Mictris) crispus). Eudamus sebrus C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867 and Bungalotis sapucayae Jörgensen, 1935 are junior subjective synonyms of Salatis pelignus stat. rest. (not of Salatis salatis). The type species of Lintneria W. H. Edwards & Butler, 1877 is fixed as Thanaos potrillo Lucas, 1857 thus making Cabares Godman & Salvin, 1894 a junior objective synonym of Systasea Butler, 1877, which is a replacement name for Lintneria that becomes a junior subjective synonym of Autochton Hübner, 1823. Lectotypes are designated for 6 Hesperiidae (type localities in parenthesis): Pellicia crispus Herrich & Schäffer, 1870 (Venezuela), Antigonus unifascia Mabille, 1889 (Honduras), Leucochitonea trifasciata Hewitson, 1868 (Bolivia), Timochares trifasciata form obscurior Draudt, 1923 (Bolivia: Rio Zongo), Antigonus ruptifasciata Plötz, 1884 (Jamaica; deduced by genomic sequence comparison), and Telicota kolbei Ribbe, 1899 (Papua New Guinea: New Britain Island). Furthermore, we show that Timochares trifasciata form obscurior Draudt, 1923 is an unavailable name; a nomen nudum Pholisora elis in J. B. Smith et al., 1891 (List of the Lepidoptera of boreal America) refers to a specimen of Clytius clytius from USA: Arizona; a specimen in MFNB curated as a type of Achlyodes serapion Plötz, 1884 is a pseudotype; and Cecropterus (Murgaria) markwalkeri Grishin, 2023 is widely distributed in western and southern Mexico. Finally, we illustrate the genitalia of the lectotype of Achlyodes cnidus Plötz, 1884.