Dianesia aberrans Álvarez, Núñez & Espeland, 2025
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5686.1.2 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9A19A999-875D-4BE7-A7E8-A33E7BBE96B4 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16986965 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039C870B-6D23-4A35-FF06-F95617F7F8DC |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Dianesia aberrans Álvarez, Núñez & Espeland |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Dianesia aberrans Álvarez, Núñez & Espeland , sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:423AC4A1-9689-4B7B-8F70-583325D6E5CE
Figs. 1K–N View FIGURE 1 , 3A–C View FIGURE 3 , 6-C–D View FIGURE 6 , 7D–F View FIGURE 7 , 8 View FIGURE 8 , 9A, C View FIGURE 9 , 10B View FIGURE 10
Diagnosis. Dianesia aberrans sp. nov. can be easily separated from its congeners by the following combination of characters: body very dark brown, thorax with three pairs of yellow dorsal spots; wings very dark brown with orange tones replaced by golden yellow; FW with a projection of M 3 in outer margin; HW much rounder; FW postdiscal white band very irregular with seven spots, the first two between R 2 –R 3 and R 3 –M 1 thinner, the third between M 1 –M 2 shorter, the fourth between M 2 –M 3 longer, arrow-shaped and strongly displaced towards the external margin, and the sixth between Cu 1 –Cu 2 broader and displaced towards base; submarginal band very narrow and with external black spots much bolder and marked, the marginal black spot between M 3 and Cu 1 externally edged with golden yellow; three white spots in the outer margin fringes between R 4 –M 1, M 3 –Cu 1 and Cu 2 –2A; tornal ocellus bolder and with an external superior small yellow patch (white in the UN); HW with three white spots external to the postdiscal black line between M 2 –M 3, Cu 1 –Cu 2 and Cu 2 –2A (a smaller white spot between all other vein pairs on the UNHW); UNHW with whitish patches among the basal and discal black bands; male genitalia ventrally narrow, uncus tooth-like protuberance small and blunt; female genitalia with ovate corpus bursae, as long as half of the ductus bursae; bursal signa wider and uniformly cylindrical, with blunt tips. Barcode rDNC: 13(C), 31(T), 34(T).
Description. Eyes naked, green in life. Antennal socket yellow; antennae slender, 36–38 alternate blackish and white antennomers, club blackish with white tip. Head, thorax and abdomen very dark brown, the thorax with three pairs of dorsal round yellow spots and the abdomen with golden yellow segment junctions. FW length: 12,4–13,8 mm ♂, 13,1–14,3 mm ♀. Male UPFW very dark brown, base with two golden yellow-edged dark black concentric, discontinuous bands extending basally and discally, respectively, from the discal cell to 2A; a third incomplete band of the same color edging the discal cell, and a very small spot of the same color on the bifurcation of Cu 1 and Cu 2. A thin black postdiscal line extending sinuously from costa to Cu 1, then displaced inwards from Cu 1 to Cu 2 and then straight to inner margin, internally edged by a blurred black area and externally edged by a white band consisting of seven well-marked spots, the two between R 2 –R 3 and R 3 –M 1 thinner, the third between M 1 –M 2 shorter, the fourth between M 2 –M 3 longer, arrow-shaped and strongly displaced towards the external margin, the fifth between M 3 –Cu 1 nearly absent, the sixth between Cu 1 –Cu 2 broader and displaced towards base, and a seventh between Cu 2 and 2A smaller and more diffuse. A poorly developed submarginal curved narrow golden yellow band edged by marked black spots, interrupted by veins, the spot between M 3 and Cu 1 externally edged by a golden yellow spot; an elliptical black ocellus on the anal angle, internally edged by the golden yellow band, with an external superior small yellow pupil. UPHW with similar pattern, but yellow color present as a diffuse band parallel to inner margin, broader and more sinuous postdiscal brown line and submarginal yellow band, the latter with more defined and broader black edging, three white spots external to the postdiscal black line between M 2 –M 3, Cu 1 –Cu 2 and Cu 2 –2A and a larger, square ocellus in the anal angle, internally edged by golden yellow and with an external metallic blue pupil. UNFW similar but golden color restricted to a suffusion from costa to M 2 and from the postdiscal white band to apex, and also external to the black spot between M 3 and Cu 1; basal half darker but whiter near inner angle and with the postdiscal white band much more defined; a white patch near costa between the black bands of the discal cell; ocellus at anal angle with the external superior small pupil white. UNHW similar but basal half darker, golden yellow area as scattered basal scales, basal and discal brown bands reduced, postdiscal brown band discontinuous, dorsal white spots repeated but a smaller white spot between all other vein pairs. Genitalia with narrow, square-shaped tegumen; uncus almost not lobed, each lobe with a ventral small, blunt tooth-like protuberance; gnathi slender, smoothly curved upwards near tip; vinculum anteriorly concave, slender but broader near aedeagus; valvae broad, simple, as long as the tegumen, tip short and narrow upwards, sclerotized but membranous near attachment to vinculum, dorsally attached to aedeagus by a weakly sclerotized peduncle; saccus short, lightly rounded; aedeagus elongate and thin, continued in a long, membranous duct ( Fig. 6C–D View FIGURE 6 ).
Female similar to male but with elongated, narrower wings with rounder outer margins; a darker background color on the UP; and poorly developed postdiscal white band and marginal yellow band, especially in the FW. Genitalia with ostium bursae compressed dorsoventrally, narrower towards the sclerotized antrum, lamella antevaginalis heavily sclerotized and spatulate, partially covering ostium bursae; lamella postvaginalis weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae narrow and membranous, punctate surface with several small, irregular folds; corpus bursae ovate, as long as half of the length of the ductus bursae, flattened dorsoventrally, surface uniformly punctate, with numerous folds around junction with ductus bursae; two narrow mid-lateral heavily sclerotized flat uniformly cylindrical signa with blunt tips ( Fig. 7D–F View FIGURE 7 ).
Type material. Holotype — ♂ CUBA , Guantánamo, Baracoa, Mina Amores , 20 o 25’N, 74º37’W, 15/VII/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA voucher DC-110, YAC (YAC-0618). Paratypes — 20♂, 7♀. Same data as for holotype, DNA vouchers DC-109, DC-110, DC-112, YAC (1♂: YAC-0617), ZUEC (3♂: 14713, 14715, 14717); same locality, 13/ VIII /2023, col. A. Serrano, DNA vouchers Y169, Y170, YAC (3♂: YAC-0446, YAC-0447, YAC-0448); same locality, 4/ V /2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers DC-74, DC-77, ZUEC (1♀: 14711), YAC (1♂: YAC-0543); Camarones, Baracoa, Guantánamo, 20º25´N, 74º37’W, VIII /1975, col. T. W. Turner, MGCL (1♂: 1138704); 1 km SE of Mina Amores, Baracoa , Guantánamo, 20 o 25’N, 74 o 37’W, 15/VII/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers DC-114, DC-115, DC-116, DC-117, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0622, YAC-0623), ZUEC (3♂: 14712, 14714, 14716); same locality, 31/I/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0708, YAC-0709); Road between Camarones and Mina Amores, Baracoa , Guantánamo, 20º25’N, 74º37’W, 16/VII/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA voucher DC-119, YAC (1♀: YAC-0627); Meseta de Iberia, Baracoa, Guantánamo, 20º28’N, 74º43’W, 20/ V /2007, col. R. Núñez, DNA voucher RNA-1-027, CZACC (1♀: 7-518987); same locality, 22/VII/2024, col. M. Gallardo-Capó, DNA vouchers DC-120, DC-121, YAC (2♂: YAC-0503, YAC-0504); Cayo Guam, Moa, Holguín, 20º35’N, 74º50’W, 13/ V /2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0801, YAC-0802); same locality, 21/VII/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0853, YAC-0854); Río Duaba (south of Yunque de Baracoa), Baracoa, Guantánamo, 20º19’N, 74º34’W, 22/ VII/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (2♂: YAC-0855, YAC-0856).
Etymology. Named after the Latin neutral adjective for “aberrant”, a term that was coined upon the discovery of a single specimen by Hernández et al. (1998) who mistakenly believed it to be an aberration (i.e., color mutation) of typical, sympatric Dianesia ramsdeni , instead of a different species, and that was subsequently employed to refer to this population.
Distribution. Known only from a few localities of the Sierra de Moa-Toa section of the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa mountains, northeastern Cuba : Cayo Guam, Monte Lejos (Holguín province), Balcón de Iberia, Meseta de Iberia, Camarones, Mina Amores, and Río Duaba (Guantánamo province). Sympatric with Dianesia ramsdeni along its entire range ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 ).
Habitat. Serpentine sclerophyllous montane forest and serpentine sclerophyllous lowland forest ( Fig. 9A, C View FIGURE 9 ).
Biology. This elusive and fascinating insect inhabits the deepest areas of the humid rainforests of the Moa– Baracoa mountains. It can be common there but extremely local; adults fly in trails and forest clearings near streams, and while males can be occasionally located inland, females are always found in the riverbanks where the host plants thrive.Adults have been observed visiting the flowers of Grisebachianthus lantanifolius (Griseb.) R. M. King & H. Rob. ( Asteraceae ) and Rauvolfia salicifolia Griseb. ( Apocynaceae ). Although they fly all day long, activity increases towards dusk. We recorded numerous males flying in circles performing combat, patrolling trail patches and even perching on the upper side of leaves (a very interesting behavior since all other species only settle under leaves) in the final hours of the afternoon with very low light levels. In Mina Amores, Río Duaba and Cayo Guam, lowland localities, this species outnumbers D. ramsdeni , but in the other localities tends to be very rare, suggesting it prefers the lower rainforests in comparison to its sympatric sibling.
Immature stages. Final instar ( Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ): Head capsule pale green, covered with numerous whitish setae. Prothoracic shield pale green with two lateral black spots and four pairs of black setae, one dorsal and three lateral. Body uniformly pale green dorsally, segment junctions whitish; a diffuse, narrow, discontinuous white band running mid-dorsally along the body; two diffuse dorsolateral white bands, and two inner dorsolateral lines of white spots in the segment junction; a lateral small, irregular black spot on the fourth, fifth seventh, eighth and ninth segments, the first two of these with an inner irregular white spot; each segment with a lateral white spiracle opening and a tuft of long whitish setae. Anal plate pale green covered by numerous external long whitish setae.
Host plant. Buxus marginalis (Britton) Urb. and B. shaferi ( Buxaceae ).
Remarks. The original designation of this species as an “aberrant” morph of Dianesia ramsdeni was based on the “nearly absence of the pale spots of the FW” of the first collected male, according to Hernández et al. (1998), who also said that “otherwise it was identical to the type ”, something that they claimed to have confirmed through examination of the genitalia. However, these authors never dissected the genitalia, as this specimen was found in the MGCL with the abdomen still intact. Moreover, this butterfly differs from its sympatric sibling species in several elements of the wing shape, color pattern, larval morphology and genitalia. The butterfly was observed sporadically five times across the Sierra de Moa-Toa after its initial discovery in 1975 near Mina Amores , until an established population was finally discovered there in August 2023. While we have observed oviposition behavior and one larva was found feeding on Buxus shaferi , our evidence suggests that B. marginalis is preferred. This species is probably more widespread in the lowland rainforests of the Moa-Toa mountains that what the current data suggests, in the same way that B. marginalis is ( Köhler 2014).
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