Optimandes eugenia eugenia (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867), n. comb.

Figs. 1, 2A,B, 5, 6

Neonympha eugenia Felder & Felder (1867: 476) . Lectotype ♀ [here designated]: “ Euptychia Eugenia Mor [itz]// Venezuela type//Type// FELDER COLLN.//Rothschild Bequest B. M. 1939-1.//Type of N. eugenia, Feld = Eup.Phineus, Butler. Comp. with Type. NDR.// BMNH (E) 1499239 ” (NHMUK, examined) .

= Euptychia phineus Butler (1867: 478, pl. 39, fig. 18). Lectotype ♂ [here designated]: “ Euptychia Phineus. Butler. Monog.// Venezuela //Venezuela Pur. from Dyson. 47-9.//Type//B. M. TYPE No. Rh 3232 Euptychia phineus ♂ Butl.//Comp. w. Type of N. eugenia Feld. NDR. // BMNH(E) 1267047 / NHMUK013376550 ” (NHMUK, examined) .

Euptychia (‘ E. harmonia group’) phineus: Butler (1877: 120)

Euptychia (‘Harmonia Group’) phineus: Weymer (1911: 209)

Yphthimoides phineus: Forster (1964: 105)

Euptychia phineus: D’Abrera (1988: 777, ♀ V)

Euptychoides eugenia eugenia: Lamas (2004: 219)

Diagnosis and identification: This taxon is distinguished from O. e. transversa by the lack of white scaling in the VHW discal and postdiscal areas and by having a straighter dark discal line on the VHW, which does not curve basally towards the anal margin (Fig. 2). It is superficially similar to several Hermeuptychia species, but may be distinguished by its larger size, lack of submarginal ocelli in the middle of the VFW, paler scaling distal to the dark VHW postdiscal line, and narrower dark yellow rings around the VHW ocelli.

Taxonomy: Felder & Felder (1867) described Neonympha eugenia based on an unspecified number of female specimens in the Felder collection, collected by Johann Wilhelm Karl Moritz in Venezuela, most likely at Colonia Tovar. The original description mentioned the parallel, curving lines in the middle of the VHW and six ocelli on the VHW, with the second and fifth much larger than the remainder. A syntype corresponding to this description is in the NHMUK and is here designated as lectotype to fix the identity of the name, given the existence of other superficially similar species (e.g., Hermeuptychia spp.). Butler (1867) described Euptychia phineus based on an unspecified number of specimens from Venezuela, in the NHMUK, and figured the ventral surface. A syntype corresponding to this description is in the NHMUK and is here designated as lectotype to fix the identity of the name (Fig. 2 A). Each author was clearly unaware of the publication of the other and we follow Weymer (1911) and Lamas (2004) in considering the two names as subjective synonyms. The name eugenia is deemed to have been established on [25 April] 1867 (Lamas et al., 1995), whereas Butler’s (1867) description of phineus was published in ‘April’ 1867, defaulting to the last day of that month (ICZN, 1999, Article 21.3.1), therefore making eugenia the older name by 5 days.

Distribution and natural history: This taxon is known only from the Cordillera de la Costa of northern Venezuela from 1000-1650 m (Fig. 6), and it is rare in collections. Ríos-Málaver (pers. comm.) collected three individuals in the forest of the Centro de Ecología of the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas, between July and October, during the rainy season, flying from 10:58 to 15:10, on both sunny and cloudy days.

Specimens examined (3 ♂, 4 ♀): Venezuela: Aragua: Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Portochuelo Pass, [10°20'54''N, 67°41'16''W], 1150 m, (Miller, L. D), 24 Jul 1981, 1 ♀ [FLMNH-MGCL-298583; cloud forest], (FLMNH); no specific locality, (Sullivan, J. B.), 22 Mar 1972, 1 ♀ [FLMNH-MGCL-297243], (FLMNH); Miranda: Río Chacaito, [10°25'N, 66°55'W], 980-1080 m, (Lichy, R.), 3 Jul 1937, 1 ♀ [FLMNH-MGCL-298582], (FLMNH); Not located: ' Venezuela', 1 ♂ [BMNH(E) 1420244; “Agrees exactly with female type of N. eugenia, Feld ”], 1 ♂ [BMNH(E) 1420245], (NHMUK) , 1 ♂ [BMNH(E) 1267047; Lectotype E. phineus], (NHMUK), (Moritz) , 1 ♀ [BMNH(E) 1499239; Lectotype N. eugenia], (NHMUK) .

Other records (sight records and photographs of live individuals): Venezuela: Miranda: Altos de Pipe, IVIC, 1600-1650 m, (Pyrcz, T. W.), 16 Dec 2005, 1 ♀ [prep. mol. 358/ 16.III.2018] (MZUJ) [photograph examined], 27 Jul 2012, [15:10, 21.1°C, 85.3% humidity, flying, cloudy], 9 Oct 2012, [11:05, 26.3°C, 77.8% humidity, flying, sunny], 28 Aug 2012, [10:58, 25.1°C, 89.3% humidity, flying, sunny], (Ríos-Málaver, I. C., pers. comm.); above km 11 turn off Caracas to Los Teques rd., Altos de Pipe (IVIC site), 1550-1650 m, (Neild,A. F. E.), 13- 14 Oct 2000, 1 ♀, (ANNE) [photograph examined] .