Hairstreak butterflies of the genus <i>Serratofalca</i> (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).
Authors
K. Johnson
A. Sourakov
Keywords:
Amazon, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Calycopis, Calystyrma, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Eumaeini, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Klaufera, Neotropical Nicaragua Panama, Peru, Serratofalca callilegua n sp, Serratofalca gorgoniensis n sp, Serratofalca iguapensis n sp, Serratofalca sasha n sp, South America, Strymon, Surinam, Thecla, Theclinae, Venezuela
Abstract
Serratofalca includes six species distributed from Belize southward to Argentina. Although very similar in generalized wing pattern, interspecific structural differences are great. As revised, often synonymized historical taxa Theda cerata Hewitson and Thecla palumbes Druce are titular taxa of two divergent species groups, former with sclerotized female genital structures occurring in lineal configuration, latter in a spiral. The "cerata Group" includes S. cerata (Amazon Basin) and new species: S. sasha n. sp. (Central America and western South America), S. gorgoniensisn. sp. (Gorgona Island, Pacific continental shelf) and S. callilegua n. sp. (NW Argentina). The "palumbes Group" includes S. palumbes (Amazon Basin, Guyana Shield) and new species: S. iguapensis n. sp. (SE Brazil). S. cerata and S. palumbes are sympatric in the eastern Amazon Basin: S. palumbes and S. sasha are sympatric in the western Amazon Basin; S. iguapensis is divergent and may be the most primitive member of the groupwith some characters suggestive of a sister genus Klaufera Johnson 1991.
