A new subspecies of Adelpha messana (C. Felder & R. Felder) from the Brazilian Atlantic forest (Nymphalidae: Limenitidinae)
Authors
André V. L. Freitas
Departamento de Biologia Animal and Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Maxwell S. Woodbury
McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Eduardo P. Barbosa
Departamento de Biologia Animal and Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Keith R. Willmott
McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Keywords:
Atlantic forest, biodiversity, butterflies, conservation, Lepidoptera, natural history collections, new taxon, taxonomy
Abstract
Adelpha messana (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) is an uncommon forest species hitherto known from Central America to the Amazon basin. Here we report the species for the first time from the Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil, where it occurs as a distinct subspecies which we describe and name as Adelpha messana seminivea Freitas, Willmott and Woodbury, n. ssp. The subspecies is known from only two localities in Espírito Santo, from where another new Adelpha taxon was recently described and named, highlighting the need for further field work to better document the biodiversity of the remaining natural habitats in this region.
