Blepolenis catharinae Stichel 1902

Blepolenis catharinae (Stichel, 1902)

Fig. 1 L–P, 2G–I

Diagnosis. Forewing length of male 3.8–4.59 cm (mean = 4.32, n = 5), and female 4.97–5.42 cm (mean = 5.2, n = 2). Very similar to B. batea, but males lack a dorsal hair pencil in the hind wing discal cell. In males and females, postmedial border of dorsal forewing orange area more jagged than in B. batea. Dorsal hind wing orange area usually smaller than in B. batea. General ventral coloration less vivid that in B. batea (fresh specimens of both species were compared), making the ventral forewing submarginal band paler. The color of this band is brown anteriorly to charcoal posteriorly in B. catharinae, while it is more homogeneously brown in B. batea. Females are very similar to, and difficult to separate from, those of B. batea. Female ventral forewing brown submarginal band faded and usually showing a subtle ripple pattern.

Genitalia. Both the male and female genitalia are similar in size those of B. batea. Male valva more robust at base both in lateral and ventral views than B. batea (two dissections), with some variation in the subterminal valva spines (spines in Fig. 2 H are rounded and flat like those in Opsiphanes). In ventral view, the distal portion of valva seems narrower in B. catharinae than in B. batea. Female sterigma with long lateral arms, main plate tall, posterior edge with a weakly sclerotized portion at midline, and midline lobe shorter than B. batea (one dissection only). Corpus bursa elongated, with paired signa, and broad at the meeting point with the also broad ductus bursa, which obscures the boundary between the two structures (Fig. 2 I).

Distribution. Brazil, Atlantic forest, Paraná to Santa Catarina.

Variation and subspecies. The only described subspecies (B. catharinae berchmansi (Stichel, 1925)), and also a ‘variety’ and an ‘aberration’ were synonymized by Casagrande (2004). The type locality for this species is Santa Catarina state, and Fruhstorfer (1912) noted that the type specimen is probably from Blumenau. He also stated that B. catharinae was collected together with B. batea by himself in Teresópolis (Rio de Janeiro), which we find improbable. We examined B. batea and B. catharinae specimens from the Fruhstorfer Collection currently housed at The Natural History Museum (London), the former was labeled ‘Santa Catarina’ state but the latter had no locality data. Most of the specimens studied here were collected with fruit-baited traps by W. Gonzales at Lagoa do Peri (open areas and “restinga”). This site is located south of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, and surrounded by 200–400 m mountains. In this particular series, some specimens have white spots in dorsal forewing cells M1 and M3 (Fig. 1 L, M, N); a spot in M3 is occasionally found in B. batea (Fig. 1 H and I). Furthermore, in the ventral hind wing, white marks that seem to correspond to pupils can be observed posteriorly from the anterior eyespot (Fig. 1 P).

Natural history notes. The habits and early stages of this species are unknown (but see description of W. Gonzales study site above).