A new species and thirty-eight new subspecies of equatorial Ithomiini (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Danainae)

Abstract

Neotropical ithomiine butterflies provide some of the most outstanding examples of Müllerian mimicry in nature, and the nearly 400 species of this tribe exhibit remarkable geographic color pattern variation. Here, we describe the following new ithomiine taxa from Ecuador and adjacent countries: Scada reckia ruiza Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Methona grandior batesi Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Elzunia bomplandii golondrina Willmott, Lamas & Hall, n. ssp., Ithomia agnosia zumba Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Ithomia arduinna ardua Lamas, Vitale & Boyer, n. ssp., Ithomia hymettia petitia Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Ithomia iphianassa occidentissa Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Hyalyris antea lalimba Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Hyalyris praxilla leuca Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Hyalyris praxilla abscondita Lamas, Radford & Willmott, n. ssp., Hyalyris ocna equatoria Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Hyalyris ocna aurea Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Hypothyris cantobrica zamorita Willmott, Boyer & Vitale, n. ssp., Napeogenes glycera mirador Lamas, Willmott & Radford, n. ssp., Hyposcada illinissa morona Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Hyposcada kena unki Lamas, Willmott & Boyer, n. ssp., Hyposcada taliata laetitia Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Ollantaya olerioides baeza Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Oleria tremona benigna Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Oleria radina bonita Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Oleria tigilla raya Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Oleria onega astigara Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Episcada clausina bomboiza Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Episcada hymenaea mirifica Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Episcada polita pichincha Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Episcada arcadia Lamas & Willmott, n. sp., Episcada arcadia navarro Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Pteronymia alida luctuosa Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Pteronymia alida cosanga Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Pteronymia alida francisca Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Pteronymia inania bethana Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Pteronymia hara olerina Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Pteronymia sao loreto Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Brevioleria arzalia loronia Lamas & Willmott, n. ssp., Hypoleria alema pastaza Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Hypomenitis hermana serafina Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Hypomenitis hermana chamba Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp., Hypomenitis oneidodes guarumales Boyer, Petit & Willmott, n. ssp., Hypomenitis oneidodes nicolasi Willmott & Lamas, n. ssp. These new taxa have remained undescribed until now for a variety of reasons, including incorrect application of existing names, confusion with described taxa due to Müllerian mimicry, and the discovery of new taxa through field work. One new species is described based on unusually marked differences in the genitalia of both sexes in comparison with congeners, discovered during the course of this study. For descriptions of new subspecies, we use morphological, molecular, distributional and ecological data to support our taxonomic hypotheses, figuring both sexes and the male genitalia for the majority of new taxa, providing 91 new DNA barcodes, and including notes on biology and distribution, with maps showing the distributions of neighboring and similar taxa. Nevertheless, future revision will be needed in a number of cases, when molecular data become more taxonomically comprehensive. We also designate a lectotype for Ithomia agarista C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862, synonymize Hypoleria chrysodonia elegans Winhard, 2021 and Hypoleria chrysodonia pallida Winhard, 2021 with Ithomia orolina var. chrysodonia Bates, 1862 (n. syn.), and treat Episcada clausina flava Winhard, 2021 as a subspecies of Episcada polita Weymer, 1899: Episcada polita flava n. stat.