Ocaria moseranki (Bálint), Faynel & Busby & Dolibaina & Huertas & Fåhraeus, 2025

Faynel, Christophe, Busby, Robert C., Dolibaina, Diego R., Huertas, Blanca & Fåhraeus, Christer, 2025, A review of the Ocaria arpoxais species group (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) with the description of a new species previously confused with O. cinerea (Lathy), Zootaxa 5618 (1), pp. 47-67 : 60-61

Ocaria moseranki (Bálint) comb. nov.

( Figures 1 , 10–11 , 18 , 23 , 25 , 31 )

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by: (1) a wide gap between the thick VFW postmedian line and outer margin which stands in contrast to the outwardly placed, thinner lines in the other members of the species group; (2) a VHW whitish-blue line connecting veins Sc+R 1 to Rs whereas the line stops in the middle of the cell in the other species of the group; and (3) a more developed VHW black and orange cubital spot ( Fig. 18 ).

Type material. The description of Arases moseranki was based on a male holotype deposited at HNHM, with the following labels: BRASIL - PR // Pién, 900 m // 10/ 11.02.2001 // Moser & Rank, leg. (according to Bálint 2022) .

Distribution. This species is an Atlantic Forest endemic from southern Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul, flying in areas between 600 and 1800m ( Fig. 31 ).

Remarks. This uncommon species is parapatric with O. cinerea . While both species are found in the same general region of southern Brazil, O. moseranki comb. nov. is restricted to higher elevation, primarily the plateau regions of the Atlantic moist forest (or Araucaria Forest). In contrast, O. cinerea is found in the lowland Atlantic dense forest, occurring just to the east of O. moseranki comb. nov.

O. moseranki comb. nov. was originally described under Arases , a junior synonym of Ocaria ( Robbins 2004a) . Based on our findings and those recently published ( Robbins et al. 2022), the synonymy between Arases and Ocaria is reestablished. In our Ocaria tree, O. moseranki comb. nov. is shown to be a sister to O. thales , although with low support ( Fig. 1 ). However, based on a review of morphological traits, we believe a strong case can be made for including O. moseranki comb. nov. in the arpoxais group. This is a provisional placement pending further work on the genus Ocaria .

Natural history. A male of this species was collected at the summit of Morro do Anhangava (1400m) at 1000 hours. This specimen exhibited territorial behavior around small trees approximately two meters high. This location is part of the Serra da Baitaca State Park in Quatro Barras, Paraná, Brazil, where a rich fauna of hairstreaks is found.

Material examined. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. 2♂, Nova Friburgo, Muri, Reserva Macaé Acima , Morro São João , 1800m, 15.iii.1993 & 7.iii.2000, Tangerini leg., ex coll. Nirton Tangerini, DZ 62.466 & DZ 62.467 ( DZUP). São Paulo. 1♂, Campos do Jordão , 1800m, 5-6.iv.1992, A. Moser leg. AMC 404 ( AMC); 1♂, same locality, 29. xii.2005, C. Mielke leg., AMC 405 ( AMC); 1♂, same locality, 20.ii.2004, ex coll. Eduardo Alessandro Pereira, CF-LYC-776*, gen. prep. K. Florczyk CFCF010 , illustrated on Fig. 10 ( CF); 1♂, same locality, 22°44’S, 45°35’W, 1630m, i.2021, E.A. Pereira leg., CF-LYC-1666* ( CF); 1♀, same municipality, Umuarama , 1800m, 8–15.iii.1937, P. Gagarin leg., DZ 62.464 ( DZUP). Paraná. 1♂, Balsa Nova, São Luiz do Purunã , 1000m, 23–24.xii.2007, L. Beltrami leg., DZ 62.465* ( DZUP); 1♂ & 3♀, Piên , 900m, 28.iii.2000, O. Rank & A. Moser leg, 14.iii.2000, 10–11.ii.2001, O. Rank & A. Moser leg, 17.iii.2000, A. Moser leg., AMC 399 , AMC 390 , AMC402 , AMC 389 ( AMC); 1♂, Quatro Barras, Morro do Anhangava , 1400m, 07.iv.2011, D. Dolibaina leg., DD876 (DD); 1♂, Tijucas do Sul, Serra do Itararé , 800m, 16–17.ii.2006, A. Moser leg., AMC 398 ( AMC). Santa Catarina. 1♀, Joaçaba, Nova Petrópolis , 770m, 23.xii.2018 – 01.i.2019, 27°6’2.57”S, 51°36’32.16”W, E. Orlandin & M. Piovesan leg., DZ 62.468* ( DZUP), illustrated on Fig. 11 ; 1 ♂, São Bento do Sul, Rio Natal , 700m, 15–21.ii.2004, I. Rank leg., AMC 397 ( AMC); 1♀, same locality, 600m, 3–6.iv.2001, A. Moser & I. Rank leg., AMC 391 ( AMC); 1♀, same locality, 600m, 8–14.vi.2006, I. Rank leg., AMC 393 ( AMC); 1♀, same locality, 400–700m, ii.2003, Rank & Moser leg. AMC 392 ( AMC); 1♂, São Bento do Sul, Serra Grande , 850m, 2.viii.2005, I. Rank leg., AMC 396 ( AMC); 2♂, Urubici, Morro da Igreja , 1370m, 15–18.iii.1988, 28°4’29.66”S, 49°31’4.58”W, C. Mielke & E. Joenke leg., AMC 400 * & AMC 401 * ( AMC). Rio Grande do Sul. 1♂ & 1♀ (in copula), Morro Reuter , 700m, 17.i.1999, A. Moser leg., AMC 394 & AMC 395 ( AMC); 2♀, same locality, 4.iii.2001, 25.iii.2001, A. Moser leg., AMC 387 & AMC 388 ( AMC); 3♀, São Francisco de Paula , 900m, 3.vi.1991, A. Moser leg., AMC 385 , AMC 386 & AMC 403 ( AMC) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ocaria species group, phylogenetic tree generated with IQ-Tree using 51 COI sequences. Each specimen has the following information: process ID, scientific name, sample ID, sex, country and department, elevation. Method of construction of the tree: Maximum-Likelihood.

FIGURES 2–13. Ocaria arpoxais species group, adults in dorsal (left) and ventral view. 2. Ocaria arpoxais, ♂, Mexico, Veracruz, Los Tuxtlas (CF). 3. Ocaria arpoxais, ♀, Mexico, Veracruz, Catemaco (RCB). 4. Ocaria delphinae sp. nov., holotype ♂, Peru, Ucayali, Atalaya (MUSM). 5. Ocaria delphinae sp. nov., paratype ♀, Peru, Huánuco, Chaupiyunca (CF). 6. Ocaria cinerea, holotype ♂, Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul (MNHN). 7. Ocaria cinerea, ♀, Brazil, Santa Catarina, Joinville (DZUP). 8. Ocaria clepsydra, ♂, Peru, Puno, Sandia (FILS). 9. Ocaria clepsydra, ♀, Ecuador, Pichincha (RCB). 10. Ocaria moseranki comb. nov., ♂, Brazil, São Paulo, Campos do Jordão (CF). 11. Ocaria moseranki comb. nov., ♀, Brazil, Santa Catarina, Joaçaba (DZUP). 12. Ocaria sadiei, ♂, Ecuador, Pastaza, Puyo-Villano Rd (RCB). 13. Ocaria sadiei, ♀, Colombia, Boyacá (JFLC).

FIGURES 14–19. Ocaria arpoxais species group, male wing pattern diagnostic characters. The dorsal view (at left) shows the androconial patch delimited in yellow and the end of the discal cell in red. Yellow arrows and markings indicate key characters to distinguish taxa. 14. Ocaria arpoxais. 15. Ocaria delphinae sp. nov. 16. Ocaria cinerea. 17. Ocaria clepsydra. 18. Ocaria moseranki comb. nov. 19. Ocaria sadiei. Images are not at same scale for comparison purpose.

FIGURES 20–24. Ocaria arpoxais species group, male genitalia. Left lateral view with dorsal brush organs and penis in place (at left), ventral view without brush organs and penis: 20. O. arpoxais. 21. O. clepsydra. 22. O. cinerea. 23. O. moseranki comb. nov. Male Ocaria delphinae sp. nov., from left to right: 24. left lateral view with dorsal brush organs and penis in place, detail of the apical part of the penis in lateral (top) and dorsal view (arrow a: ventral terminal triangular keel, arrow b: horseshoe-shaped rank of thorns), dorsal view with brush organs, left lateral view with brush organs and penis removed, ventral view.

FIGURES 25–27. Ocaria arpoxais species group, female genitalia. Left lateral view (at left) and ventral view: 25. Ocaria moseranki comb. nov. 26. O. cinerea. 27. Ocaria delphinae sp. nov.

FIGURES 28–31. Geographic distribution of the species of Ocaria belonging to the arpoxais group (red dot inside the sign for other sources than collections). 28. O. arpoxais and O. clepsydra. 29. Ocaria delphinae sp. nov. 30. O. sadiei. 31. O. cinerea and O. moseranki comb. nov.