Iolaus freyaallanae, Sáfián, 2022

Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2022, Iolaus freyaallanae sp. nov. (Papilionoidea: Lycaenidae: Theclinae) - a new species from Zambia in the genus Iolaus Hübner, [1819], subgenus Iolaphilus Stempffer & Bennett, 1958, Metamorphosis 33 (1), pp. 72-78 : 73-78

Iolaus freyaallanae sp. nov. (Figs: 2A,D; 3A,D; 4A; 5A; 6A, D; 7A,C; 8)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A1D4907D-F5A8-4908-B47C-5EB6077DD19E

Type material: Holotype ♂: ZAMBIA, Chiwoma (Chiwomo) Forest , 31.v.1999. Leg.: T.C.E. Congdon. Deposited in ABRI.

Paratypes 1♀ ZAMBIA, Chiwoma (Chiwomo) Forest , V.1999. Leg.: T.C.E. Congdon ; 1♀ ZAMBIA, Zambezi B(ridge) R(apids), Ikelenge (bred). 24.xi.1981. ABRI Leg. ABRI-2019-3060 . Deposited in ABRI.

Note: the holotype appears also in Heath et al. (2002). The digital image on the supplementary compact disc for the book was mirrored horizontally and thus the characteristic linear wing damage across the discal cell on the forewing upperside ( Fig. 2A ) appears there on the right wing.

Male facies ( Figs 2A, D ): Forewing length: 17 mm. Wingspan: 31 mm. General appearance as males of other species in the sub-genera Philiolaus and Iolaphilus with black ground colour overlaid by extensive iridescent blue on upperside, and dirty white underside with black and orange sub-marginal lines and two tails at the tip of veins 1 and 2 and a vestigial one at the tip of vein 3 on the hindwing. Blue colour of azure light blue, with no greenish or silverish tinge. Approximately half of forewing covered with blue, also along black costa, which gradually turns grey and silvery basally. Black outer margin narrows down to 1 mm in space 1b, broadening slightly towards tornus. The outer edge of blue area prominently lobed in space 1b, slightly in spaces 2, 3. Majority of hindwing covered with blue, except whitish-grey space 1a, along grey costa and the black margin, which tapers down from approximately 1 mm at apex to a fine black marginal line between veins 1-5. Androconia grey, rather circular, small, with diameter approximately 3 mm. Tornal lobe half black, half claret-red, with white edges basally and along margin. Brown tornal spot in space 1b and small subtornal circular black spot in space 2 present. Underside white, with slightly darker orangish tinge along forewing costa, costal line faint, light orangish-tan. Forewing with faint, almost straight greyish postmedian line between veins 2 and 7 that remains away from margin. Forewing androconial hairtuft dark grey. On hindwing, a weak, grey inner submarginal line strongly remains away from outer margin, reaching costa 4 mm from apex. Outer sub-marginal line broad but rather pale, orangish-grey, orange at apex. Tornal spot at the end of space 1a largely red, black near margin with light incomplete silvery blue edge. That in space 2 bright orange, very loosely connected to apex through sub-marginal line. Tails black with white edge. Fringes (cilia) short along outer margin of forewing, on upperside grey, longer, grey along inner edge. Fringes grey on hindwing outer margin, replaced by longer whitish hairs along inner margin. Fringes grey on forewing underside, white on hindwing. Head, thorax and abdomen black with long, silvery-grey hairs on upperside, covered by white hairs on thorax underneath, abdomen with slight yellowish overlay. Palpi black on top, white below, longer than twice the diameter of eyes. Eyes glabrous, black. Antennae black, speckled with tiny white dots underneath, only slightly thickened towards chocolate brown apex; their length shorter than half of forewing.

Male genitalia ( Figs 3A, D ; 4A , 5A ): Uncus bi-lobed with sphenoid tips, triangular in lateral view, with slightly angled dorsally. Subunci short and broad, sharply bent upwards with rather blunt tip. Valvae narrow and lanceolate, slightly curved dorsally, with a more strongly sclerotised down curved lanceolate tip in lateral view, which turn inward as claws in posterior view. Fultura inferior well-developed, Y-shaped with broad stem, two strongly sclerotised tips and a V-shaped incision in the fork, with an unusual protrusion dorsally, which superficially looks like part of the valva on the lateral view.

Female facies ( Figs 6A, D ): Forewing length: 18.5 mm. Wingspan: 35 mm. General appearance as for males of other species in the sub-genera Philiolaus and Iolaphilus , with black ground colour overlaid by extensive blue on upperside, and dirty white underside with black sub-marginal lines and two tails at the tip of veins 1 and 2 and a vestigial one at the tip of vein 3 on the hindwing. Blue colour of whitish light blue, with no greenish tinge. Slightly less than basal half of forewing covered with blue. Black outer margin broad, narrows to only 2 mm in space 1b, broadening again towards tornus. The outer edge of blue area visibly lobed in space 1b, otherwise rather even, with diffuse blue scaling along the edge. Majority of hindwing covered with blue between veins 1 and 6 (also with diffuse blue scaling in space 6), except whitish-grey space 1a, along grey costa and black apex and fine black marginal line. Tornal lobe half black, half claret-red, with whitish-blue along margin. Black tornal spot/streak in space 1b and small circular black spot in space 2 present. Underside white, with light brown tinge in forewing apex. Forewing submarginal line faint, light tan, strongly bent inwards in space 4. On hindwing, a weak, serrate, grey inner sub-marginal line close to outer margin, reaching costa 4 mm from apex. Outer sub-marginal line broader but rather pale, orangish-brown, more orange at apex. Tornal spot at the end of space 1a half red, half black with pale, incomplete silvery blue edge. That in space 2 bright orange with black centre, connected to apex through sub-marginal line. Tails black with white edge. Fringes (cilia) short along outer margin of forewing, on upperside dark brown-black, longer, grey along inner edge. Fringes on hindwing outer margin whitish, replaced by longer whitish hairs along inner margin. Fringes light brown on forewing underside, white on hindwing. Head, thorax and abdomen black with long, silvery-grey hairs on upperside, covered by white hairs on thorax underneath, abdomen with slight yellowish overlay. Palpi black on top, white below, longer than twice the diameter of eyes. Eyes glabrous, black. Antennae black, speckled with tiny white dots underneath, only slightly thickened towards chocolate-brown apex. Their length shorter than half of forewing.

Female genitalia ( Figs 7A, C ): Papillae analis slightly hairy, relatively small (<1 mm laterally) and slender, with unique lobed protrusion dorsally. Apophyses posterior straight, 1 mm long. Lamella antevaginalis strongly sclerotized, discoid in ventral view, 1 mm broad laterally with two small, rounded lobes posteriorly, which are edges of two transverse backfolding sub-lamellae longitudinally. Mouth of ductus bursae (antrum) slightly sclerotized, membranous elsewhere. Its length equal to that of oval bursa copulatrix. Two small signa on bursa also present.

DISCUSSION

This area of north-western Zambia and north-eastern Angola and the adjacent southern area of the DRC is biogeographically very interesting as many Congolian forest butterflies reach their southern limit here. There are also a number of endemic taxa, which inhabit either the narrow stretches of the peat-bedded riverine rainforest in the numerous valleys and deeper gullies, the surrounding closed-canopy miombo woodland or the unique and very restricted Cryptosepalum forest habitats. Recently, another Iolaus species, I. ivani Sáfián & Collins (in review), previously believed to be conspecific with I. aequatorialis Stempffer & Bennett, 1958 was recognised from the same area, while other Lycaenidae e.g. Teratoneura zambiae Sáfián & Collins, 2008 , Iridana euprepes (Druce, 1905) ( Gardiner 2010, Sáfián & Collins 2014) are also distributed narrowly in this forest-woodland and savannah transition zone, corresponding well with the biogeographic position of I. freyaallanae sp. nov.

Biogeography of the I. gabunica species group

I. gabunica is a rather widely distributed species in the lowland rainforests of the Congolian forest zone (although it has not been recorded in Equatorial Guinea and the DRC, where it most probably occurs), with outlier populations in Uganda and Kenya (Kakamega Forest), and a distinct subspecies, I. gabunica mbami in the Gulf of Guinea Highlands, Cameroon, described and known only from the Mbam Massif and Mount Tabenken. Another outlier population is now described as I. freyaallanae sp. nov. from the mid-altitude forest-woodland transition zone in north-western Zambia, and an Upper Guinean taxon I. liberiana is recognized from Liberia and Guinea (which could be conspecific with I. alexanderi ) ( Fig. 8 ). The taxonomic status of the Ugandan and western Kenyan populations and ssp. mbami has not yet been assessed.

Diagnosis

The size of the androconial patch and its outer ring in the male of I. freyaallanae sp. nov. is very small ( Fig. 2A ), similar to those of I. gabunica mbami (teste Libert 1993), compared to the very prominent black androconia in I. gabunica gabunica ( Fig. 2B ).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Without the help of Steve C. Collins, director of ABRI and many ABRI collaborators, who were involved in the collecting and rearing of numerous Iolaus taxa, namely Colin Congdon, Ivan Bampton†, Peter Walwanda and Martin Hassan, this revision of the Iolaus gabunica species group would not have been possible. The author is grateful to Jadwiga Lorenc-Brudecka and Klaudia Florczyk (CEP-MZUJ) who dissected and photographed several genitalia used in the paper. Renátó Molnár (Biatorbágy, Hungary) kindly helped with editing the plates and the map. Mark Williams (Pretoria, South Africa) kindly proofread the manuscript.

Male genitalia also show differences especially in the shape of valva, which is slightly broader with straight tip in I. gabunica gabunica , best viewed in lateral view ( Fig. 3B ), while the valva is slightly more slender with downcurved and more acute tip in I. freyaallanae sp. nov., best viewed in lateral and posterior views ( Figs 3A ; 4A ). They also show differences in the uncus, the dorsal edge of which is evenly curved in I. gabunica and is slightly angled in I. freyaallanae sp. nov. In the female genitalia, the lamella antevaginalis is broader in I. gabunica gabunica , with more serrate edge posteriorly, while the posterior edge of the lamella is more rounded in I. freyaallanae sp. nov.

LITERATURE CITED

GARDINER, A.J. 2010. Additional butterfly records for Zambia and changes in the taxonomic status of a few species. Metamorphosis. 21 (4): 142–155.

Etymology: The species is named in honour of Miss Freya Allan, the British actress, who stars as Princess Cirilla Fiona Ellen Rianon – ‘Ciri’ in the internationally successful Netflix series ‘The Witcher’: also featured in the action comedy ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ and HBO Max’s ‘The Third Day’.

HEATH, A., NEWPORT, M.A. & HANCOCK, D. 2002. The butterflies of Zambia. African Butterfly Research Institute and The Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa. 137 pp + CD ROM.

LARSEN, T.B. 1991. The Butterflies of Kenya and their Natural History. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 490 pp., 22 colour plates.

LARSEN, T.B. 2005. Butterflies of West Africa. Apollo Books, Svendborg, 595 pp., 135 colour pls.

LIBERT, M. 1992. Description de nouveaux Lycénides orophiles du Cameroun (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 97 (4): 321–332.

MILLER, L.D. 1970. Nomenclature of wing veins and cells. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. 8: 37– 48.

RILEY, N.D. 1928. Notes on Iolaus, Argiolaus and related genera, with descriptions of new species, subspecies and a genus. Novitates Zoologicae. 34: 374–394.

SÁFIÁN, SZ. 2017. Three new species in the genus Iolaus Hübner, 1819 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae) from West Africa. Metamorphosis. 28: 2–10.

SÁFIÁN, SZ. & COLLINS, S.C. 2014. A new Iridana Aurivillius, 1920 and a new Teratoneura Dudgeon, 1909 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from tropical Africa. Metamorphosis. 25: 90–96.

SÁFIÁN, SZ. & COLLINS, S.C. 2022 (in review). Revisional notes on Iolaus aequatorialis Stempffer & Bennett, 1958 and related species in the subgenus Philiolaus Stempffer & Bennett, 1958 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Theclinae), with description of two new species. Zootaxa. XXXXX

SÁFIÁN, SZ., BAYLISS, J. & CONGDON, T.C.E. 2022. Description of four Iolaus Hübner, 1819 species in the subgenus Philiolaus Stempffer & Bennett, 1958 from East Africa, assigned to the proposed I. maritimus species group (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Theclinae). Zootaxa. 5099 (1): 46–64.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5099.1.2

SÁFIÁN, SZ., BELCASTRO, C., BOIREAU, P. & COLLINS, S.C. 2020. New taxa of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) from tropical Africa. Metamorphosis. 31 (1): 56–71.

SÁFIÁN, SZ., COLLINS, S.C., WARREN-GASH, H. & BELCASTRO, C. 2021. Description of five new species of Epitola sensu lato (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Poritiinae) from West and Central Africa. Zootaxa. 4981 (3): 554–576.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4981.3.7

STEMPFFER, H. & BENNETT, N.H. 1958. Revision des genres appartenant au groupe des Iolaus (Lep. Lycaenidae). (Premiere Partie). Bulletin de la l’Institut Francais d’Afrique Noire (A). 1243–1347.

WILLIAMS, M.C. 2022. Afrotropical Butterflies & Skippers. Accessed: 21.vi.2022.

https://www.metamorphosis.org.za/?p=articles&s=at

Figures

Figure 2 – Males: Iolaus freyaallanae (holotype) upperside – A, underside – D; I. gabunica gabunica (CAR) upperside – B, underside – E; I. liberiana (holotype) upperside – C, underside – F.

Figure 3 – Male genitalia and aedeagi (lateral view): Iolaus freyaallanae (holotype) – A, D; I. gabunica gabunica (CAR) – B, E; I. liberiana (holotype) – C, F.

Figure 4 – Male genitalia (posterior view): Iolaus freyaallanae (holotype) – A; I. gabunica (CAR) – B; I. liberiana (holotype) – C.

Figure 5 – Male genitalia (dorsal view): Iolaus freyaallanae (holotype) – A; I. gabunica (CAR) – B; I. liberiana (holotype) – C.

Figure 6 – Females: Iolaus freyaallanae (paratype) upperside – A, underside – D; I. gabunica (CAR) upperside – B, underside – E; I. liberiana (paratype, Liberia, Nimba Mountains) upperside – C, underside – F.

Figure 7 – Female genitalia: Iolaus freyaallanae lateral view – A, lamella antevaginalis and papillae analis dorsal view - C; I. gabunica lateral view – B; lamella antevaginalis and papillae analis ventral view – D.

Figure 8 – Projected distribution of I. gabunica gabunica (there are no records from the striped areas in Equatorial Guinea and in the DRC) and confirmed occurrences of other members of the I. gabunica species group.