Anteros zikani Siewert, Dias & Dolibaina, sp. nov.

Anteros zikani Siewert, Dias & Dolibaina, sp. nov.

(Figs 5–8, 19, 28, 31)

Anteros sp. n.?; J. F. Zikán 1928, p. 19.

Anteros decoratus J. F. Zikán & W. Zikán, 1968 [nomen nudum] , p. 53; Callaghan & Lamas 2004 p. 161; nom. nud. Anteros sp. ign. (n.?); Ebert 1969, p. 47.

Diagnosis: Anteros zikani sp. nov. cannot be confused with any other species of Anteros in its area of occurrence, but closely resembles A. chrysoprasta Hewitson, 1867 (Figs. 22, 29), a species recorded only in the Amazon basin (Seitz 1917, Rodríguez et al. 2010). Anteros zikani, sp. nov. can be distinguished from A. chrysoprasta by the presence of two marginal bands instead of one along the outer margin of the forewing under side; the distal band—probably homologous to the single marginal band found in A. chrysoprasta —comprised of silvery-green thin lines instead of small rounded silvery-green dots; discal band in the forewing under side discal cell with dark brown instead of orange scales; and area along the forewing under side inner margin up to the lower half of CuA2–2A markedly dark brown, reaching CuA 2 in the post discal area, while in A. chrysoprasta the inner margin is mostly pale yellow, with some dark brown scaling only on the post discal area. The valva of the male genitalia of A. zikani, sp. nov. is also characteristic, with a short, stout and smooth distal dorsal projection, instead of a long, thin and dorsally rough dorsal projection observed in A. chrysoprasta (Fig. 29).

Description. Head: densely covered with yellowish scales, center of frons with white scales; eyes brown and hairy, surrounded by white scales; antennal segments dark brown, ventrally with white scales at the base; club entirely dark brown; labial palpus yellow and white, long scales on the first and second segments, third segment thin, about the same size as the first. Female as male.

Thorax: uniformly dark brown dorsally and yellow ventrally; prothoracic legs densely covered with yellowish elongated scales; meso and metathoracic legs yellow with some white scales. Female as male.

Forewing, size and shape: male 14.7 mm (n=2, including HT); female 15.5 mm (AT); triangular; costal margin convex, apex slightly pointed; outer margin and tornus rounded; inner margin straight. Female as in male, but wing more elongated and outer margin rounder.

Forewing upper side (Figs 5, 7): ground dark brown with a small, round, creamy white spot at the base of CuA1–CuA2; fringes brown. Female as male, but creamy white spot larger.

Forewing under side (Figs 6, 8, 19): ground color pale yellow; dark brown spot at base of discal cell; discal band dark brown with silvery-green scales in discal cell; base of discal cell and postdiscal area with dark yellow scales from costal margin to CuA1 and from CuA1–CuA2 to the outer margin; eight silvery-green points surrounded by brown scales; one each in R1–R2, R2–R3+R4 and R3+R4–M1, three in M1–M2, and two in M2–M3; area along outer margin darker yellow; two parallel and dashed marginal bands along outer margin, proximal band thinner and light brown, distal band silvery-green; dark brown area along inner margin up to lower half of CuA2–2A; dark brown area reaching CuA 2 in postdiscal area; fringes yellow. Female as male.

Hind wing shape: somewhat quadrate, costal margin slightly curved, apex rounded, outer margin curved, tornus slightly angled, inner margin slightly curved. Female as male.

Hind wing upper side (Figs 5, 7): mostly dark brown, costal margin white. Female as male.

Hind wing under side (Figs 6, 8, 19): ground color pale yellow; basal area dark yellow; dark spot at base of discal cell; post discal area with dark yellow scales and nine silvery-green spots surrounded by dark brown scales, one each in Sc+R1–Rs and Rs–M1, two each in M1–M2, M2–M3, and CuA2–2A, and one in 2A–3A; area along outer margin darker yellow; two parallel and dashed marginal bands along outer margin, proximal band thinner and light brown, distal band silvery-green; area along inner margin up to 2A dark brown; fringes yellow. Female as male.

Abdomen: uniformly dark brown dorsally and yellow ventrally; pleura dark brown. Female as male.

Male genitalia (Fig. 28): tegumen triangular in lateral view, ventrally separated from uncus by a wide membranous area; uncus ventrally rounded in lateral view, with a distal medial projection; gnathos “c” shaped, ventral projection four times longer than the dorsal one, which is attached to tegumen; ventral projection of tegumen narrow, directed obliquely and ventrally towards the small, strap-like saccus from the middle portion of the tegumen; valva somewhat rectangular and wider proximally, with a dorsally-emarginated membranous area at the middle; distally with two projections, dorsal projection dorsally curved and two times longer and stouter than the ventral one; aedeagus long and thin; cornuti absent; fultura inferior attached to posterior third fifth of aedeagus and ventrally connected to valvae.

Female genitalia (Fig. 31): Papillae anales narrow and long, ventral half with several spatulated scales, dorsal half with spine-like setae and surrounded by two narrow sclerotized plates; sterigma large and semi-circular, with long spine-like setae at posterior edge, density of setae less pronounced medially and laterally; ostium bursae in a rounded membranous area in the middle portion of the sterigma; ductus bursae long and thin, corpus bursae rounded, diameter about half as wide as the ductus bursae; signum absent.

Distribution. Anteros zikani sp. nov. is currently known from the municipalities of Poços de Caldas, state of Minas Gerais, and Itatiaia and Petrópolis, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Fig. 44), in altitudes ranging from 900m to 1200m in the Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira mountain ranges.

Etymology. This species is named to honor the eminent entomologist José Francisco Zikán (1881–1949), who lived and collected in the area of the municipality of Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, location of the holotype.

Type material. Holotype male with the following labels: / HOLOTYPUS / P[arque]. N[acional]. [do] Itatiaia, Resende [Itatiaia], R[io] [de] J[aneiro], [Brasil], 1200 m, 10-I-1973, Mielke [leg.,]/ DZ 26.439/ Holotype Anteros zikani Siewert, Dias & Dolibaina det. 2014/ (DZUP). Allotype female with the following labels: /ALLOTYPUS/ Independência, 900 m, 8-IX-1931 Petrópolis—E[stado]. do Rio [de Janeiro], [Brasil], Gagarin [leg.,]/ DZ 26.440/ Allotype Anteros zikani Siewert, Dias & Dolibaina det. 2014/ (DZUP).

Paratypes: BRAZIL— Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, 700m, 19-I-1927, Zikán leg., 1 female (IOC), (Parque Nacional de Itatiaia), 1200m, 10-I-1973, Mielke leg., 1 male DZ 26.441* (DZUP).

Taxonomic comments on A. zikani, sp. nov. and related species. Given the close resemblance between Anteros zikani, sp. nov. and A. chrysoprasta one could argue that the former might be a subspecies of the latter. However, the dissimilar phenotypes of both taxa and the marked differences in the male genitalia suggest that they are in fact separate species, though probably phylogenetically closely related. J. F. Zikán (1928: 19) suggested the presence of a new species of Anteros in Itatiaia, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Twenty four years later, a paper describing new riodinids by J. F. Zikán published posthumously by his son W. Zikán (J. F. Zikán 1952), should but did not include the description of the new species indicated in the 1928 paper. The name Anteros decoratus J. F. Zikán & W. Zikán, 1968, nom. nud., was later erroneously cited by J. F. Zikán & W. Zikán (1968) as having been described by J. F. Zikán in the 1952 paper. The correspondence between Anteros decoratus J. F. Zikán & W. Zikán, 1968, nom. nud. and A. zikani, sp. nov. is confirmed by the examination of the specimens collected by J. F. Zikán and deposited in the IOC. A specimen from the same locality as those cited by J. F. Zikán (1928) and J. F. Zikán & W. Zikán (1968) is here designated as the holotype. Ebert (1969: 47) also suggested the presence of a new species of Anteros in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, and acknowledged its proximity to A. chrysoprasta (misspelled therein as A. chrysoprastus); this record certainly also corresponds to A. zikani, sp. nov. Anteros zikani, sp. nov. is described based on the four known specimens, two males (the holotype and one paratype) and two females (the allotype and one paratype). Considering the small number of known specimens and range of A. zikani, sp. nov., and that the last record is from about 40 years ago, this species is potentially endangered and should be included in future conservation projects.

The examination of specimens of A. chrysoprasta and associated taxonomic names led us to describe A. zikani, sp. nov. and to reinstate Anteros roratus Godman & Salvin, 1886, stat. rest., as a valid species. Anteros roratus was described based on an unstated number of males and females from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, and can be distinguished from A. chrysoprasta by the upper side of the male forewing, usually entirely dark brown, by the presence of two additional silvery-green spots in M2–M3 and M3–CuA1 on the hind wing under side (DeVries 1997: pl. 14, figs 26–27); and by the slender distal projections of the valva (Fig. 26). The male genitalia of A. chrysoprasta and A. roratus, stat. rest., are consistently different from that of A. zikani, sp. nov. Based on the literature (Godman & Salvin 1886, Stichel 1911, 1930, Seitz 1917, DeVries 1997, Rodríguez et al. 2010, Warren et al. 2014) and specimens deposited in the MGCL and USNM, Anteros roratus, stat. rest., is distributed in southern Central America in Panamá and northern and western Colombia.