Heteropsis sogai Lees, sp. nov.
Creators: name: C, Lees David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nymphalidae
Heteropsis
Heteropsis sogai

description: Heteropsis sogai Lees, sp. nov.
LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F0C54C40-DF74-4124-96B8-364E2F983C4E
Prior references: sp. 39 (Lees 1997, Torres et al., 2001: 462).
Type material., Deposition MNHN: Holotype: ♂ (Fig. 16 A), Madagascar Nord, massif du Tsaratanana, Matsabory, en dessous de l’Andohanisambirano [14.14o S, 48.97o E +/- 1 km, 2050 m], 5/ 8-XI-1966, 2050 m|mission au Tsaratatana XI-1966 Camp n o 1 P. Griveaud, P. Soga, P. Viette et D. Wintrebert|DCL-DB-3386.
Paratypes: Deposition MNHN: ♀ (Fig. 16 B), data as HT but DCL-DB-3387;
♂ (Fig. 15 C, genitalia), data as HT but DCL-DB-3388| 96 DL [genitalia]; ♀, data as HT but DCL-DB-3389.
Deposition summary: MNHN (HT ♂, PT ♂, 2 PT ♀♀).
Type locality. Madagascar Nord, massif du Tsaratanana, Matsabory, en dessous de l’Andohanisambirano [estimated at 14.14o S, 48.97o E +/- 1 km, 2050 m].
Diagnosis. Heteropsis subsimilis and Ht. avaratra are very similar, ventrally variegated species, whereas Ht. kremenae and Ht. pauper tend to have the base of FWV costa orange. However, the HWV Mb is much more jagged in Ht. sogai than any other species of the Ht. subsimilis group, whereas Ht. avaratra tends to have a yellowish ventral cast. HWV darker band of the central symmetry system (area between Mb and PMb) narrows more distinctly costad than in any other species of the Ht. subsimilis group. Two of FWV Cbs taper and meet tergad, demarcating pale ochreous area that is this relatively triangular rather than relatively oblong as in Ht. avaratra, for example. See below regarding androconial organs.
Description. Wings: Upperside with rather uniform mid brown background colour. FWD space-CuA1 ocellus with black iris spanning about ¾ of CuA1-CuA2 distance and with a large strongly hexagonal yellow to pale orange (grading to more orange tergad) ring that closely hugs the concave, rather sharply inflexed trace of the ventral Mb, and this ring is wider at its proximad, yellowest margin. FWD space-M1 ocellus small and surrounded by narrow black iris with a trace of an orange ring. FWD space-M2 ocellus expressed as a white spot. On the HWD, the space-CuA1 ocellus is the only one expressed there and is elliptic, occupying only about half of CuA1- CuA2, surrounded by a narrow yellowish ring. Underside with yellowish-ochreous background strongly variegated with brown irroration as detailed below. FWV space-CuA1 ocellus same size and shape as on upperside but with a trace of a comma-like tail in the inner, fused arm (Ore) of the yellow ring. FWV space-M1 and M2 and space-M3 also as on upperside but with yellower Orng, but HWV space-Rs ocellus in particular may be expressed as a white spot with narrow black iris where it is not noticeable on upper surface. FWV brown Mb irregular, jaggedly toothed where it bends back to mid costa. The HWV Mb is even more jagged, sharply inflexed in space-Rs, outdented at intersection with both veins M2 and M3, bending back sharply towards mid anal margin in space M3 and CuA1 and finally straighter towards about 4/5 along vein 1A. The HWV brown PMb somewhat mirrors Mb, but the jagged profile is relatively smoothed out. These bands/lines demarcate an area with much more intense fine brown irroration than either in the most basal section or distad of the Mb, where there is little brown irroration grading to a lot more in spaces M1-M2 (appearing scorched) and in marginad region around and beneath HWV space-CuA1 ocellus. The irregular medial brownish central symmetry system band so formed narrows distinctly towards the costa. A wavy diffuse line before the margin appears more obvious in the HWV and a narrow brown Sml closely follows the quite crenate margin which is alternately fringed brown at vein ends and ochreous at interveins (as evident in PTs). On the FWV the Mb and PMb similarly demarcate an intense brown irroration pattern that towards the margin is similarly suffused as in the HWV, whereas the transverse Cbs in the FWV cell form four or five double brown bands that around 1/3 distad along costa demarcate a roughly V-shaped (on the right side approximately ‘Africa’-shaped) yellow ‘triangle’.
Androconia: Sdb HWD dark brown but underlying patch has not been examined in detail. There is a not particularly bulbous anteriad inflation (but with 3–4 septa visible) in R near the anterior portion of the HWD cell, unlike for Ht. subsimilis and Ht. avaratra (sp. “25”). M2-2A veins in ♂ HW are all linearly inflated (Lees 1997: 96, Fig. 3 a, “39”).
Wingspan/fwl: range 30.5–34.7/ 18.1–19 mm (n=2 ♂♂), including HT ♂: 34.7/ 19 mm; range 33.8–34/ 19.3– 20.8 mm (n=2 ♀♀).
♂ genitalia: 96DL, PT, MNHN (Tsaratanana; Fig. 15 C). Small, about 1.6 mm long, and with configuration typical of the Ht. subsimilis group; no obvious difference in shape of the genitalic components from other group members (Lees, 1997: 106) and the description below might apply to almost any of the group. From LV (DV not available), the valve bases are rather symmetrically-‘skittle’-shaped (Lees 1997). Uncus is slightly longer than tegumen, its dorsal profile relatively downbent, and slightly convex on ventral margin before the slightly pointed downturned tip. Gnathos with little dorsal serration, tapered from small base inbent at right angled, unlobed, ‘support member’, fairly straight, not reaching tip of uncus, and oriented about 30 degrees to it. Valve with rounded dorsal shoulder, arm about half length of valve, tapering to distinct ‘beak’ that points to mid-uncus with limited serration on small, not much expanded ‘club’ with serrae at end. Saccus relatively small, tapered to obliquely truncated (slightly bulbous in another preparation, 134BDL). Aedeagus slightly longer than valve, not particularly thin, only slightly uprecurved recurved distad of ostium.
Etymology. After the remarkable Malagasy collector Pierre Soga, who climbed many mountains in search of Lepidoptera, joining several expeditions of French lepidopterists, and was involved in collecting these paratypes. To my astonishment, I managed to find and meet P. Soga down on the way back from Mangindrano (S. of RNI Tsaratanana) on Christmas Eve, 2004; he was infirm at this time.
Discussion. This species was first recognized by myself in April 1994 in MNHN from specimens collected at Tsaratanana in 1966 by P. Griveaud et al., (Lees, 1997: 65). As a possible endemic of Tsaratanana, it is understandable that there is such little material of this species, all from this single collection in MNHN, except for one specimen in BMNH dating from before 1924, which is not included in the type series as it has a dubious locality label (see below). Due to its similarity to the relatively widespread Ht. subsimilis, it is also not surprising the species has not been described until now. All other available types of the Ht. subsimilis group have been examined (see under Ht. kremenae). As well as the two ♂♂ and two ♀♀ of Ht. sogai from Tsaratanana, there is a single ♂ specimen labelled Beforo SE Madagascar in BMNH. When I revisited the type locality (now, of Ht. sogai) in December 2004, I failed to refind this species, but neither did I rediscover another apparent endemic to the Tsaratanana massif, Strabena tsaratananae Paulian, 1951, for which, suspiciously, the BMNH collection includes two specimens with the same locality and accession label. It is not clear that these Beforo-labelled specimens were really collected in SE Madagascar and no place name has been traced exactly as such (in any case, the similar sounding locality ‘Beforona’ is at far too low elevation). Furthermore, another apparently narrowly localized species, S. perrieri Paulian, 1951 bears the same locality and accession label.
Additional information. DNA divergences: unsequenced. No specimens have been found since 1966 (expedition in 2004 of the author to RNI Tsaratanana including the type locality; and that in late 2013 of R. Ranaivosolo, pers. comm, to an adjacent area, provided no exemplars).
Phylogeny/sister species: in the morphological analysis of Lees (1997) this taxon (“THTNN”) connected to Ht. avaratra (“TWNFV”), which might possibly be its sister (as in combined tree in Aduse-Poku et al., 2016, in press).
Ecology and distribution.
Habitat: ‘Matsabory’: Malagasy for a marshy area or small lake within forest.
Behaviour: unreported.
Hostplant: unknown.
Early stages: unknown.
Distribution: RNI Tsaratanana, where putatively endemic (Fig. 30 D, mid green dots). See above regarding other localities.
Elevational range: 2000–2050 m (n=4).
Referred specimens. ♂ [BMNH], Beforo, SE Madagascar, 61.23 Rothschild coll.|134 DL [genitalia].
description: Published as part of C, Lees David, 2016, Heteropsis (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini: Mycalesina): 19 new species from Madagascar and interim revision, pp. 1-97 in Zootaxa 4118 (1) on pages 55-58, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4118.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/264597