Grishin, Zhang & Cong & Shen & Song & Grishin, 2023

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Genomic analysis reveals new species and subspecies of butterflies, The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey 11 (6), pp. 1-63 : 54-55

Lon melane sur Grishin , new subspecies

http://zoobank.org/ A41D2EC4-85A8-4728-AD8E-233BF09A90DB

( Figs. 54 part, 55)

Definition and diagnosis. Genomic sequencing of the two specimens from Baja California Sur, Mexico, identified as a possible subspecies or a distinct geographical segregate of “ Paratrytone melane ” in previous works (Powell 1958; MacNeill 1962; Brown et al. 1992) reveals that they are indeed closely related to Lon melane (W. H. Edwards, 1869) (type locality in USA: California, likely San Francisco Bay area) ( Fig. 54): e.g., their COI barcodes differ by 0.3–0.6% (2–4 bp), and, therefore, we consider them to be conspecific with it. However, the BCS specimens differ from the nominotypical L. melane in reduced fulvous overscaling at wing bases above, smaller orange spots on the forewing, more diffuse and brownish instead of orange dorsal hindwing spots, and weakly spotted more uniformly colored ventral hindwing. Therefore, they represent a distinct subspecies, which is new. A more detailed description of this subspecies was given by MacNeill (1962: 110–111), who called it “ Paratrytone melane subsp.” without proposing a formal name. Definitive identification is provided by DNA, and a combination of the following characters is diagnostic in the nuclear genome: aly770.31.1:A393C, aly3721.1.4:G45A, aly93.14. 4:C408T, aly322.23.3:A87G, aly65.5.1:T199C and in COI barcode: T56C, T379A, T418C, T530C, C646C.

Barcode sequence of the holotype. Sample NVG-22101H10, GenBank OR837744, 658 base pairs: AACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGTATTTGAGCAGGAATATTAGGAACTTCCTTAAGACTATTAATTCGTACAGAATTAGGTAATCCTGGATCTTTAATTGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATACT ATTGTTACAGCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTCATAGTTATACCTATTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGTCCCATTAATATTAGGTGCCCCTGATATAGCTTTCCCTCGAA TAAATAATATAAGTTTTTGAATACTACCCCCTTCATTAACATTATTAATTTCAAGAAGAATTGTAGAAAATGGTGCAGGAACAGGTTGAACTGTTTACCCCCCTTTATCATCTAATATTGC TCATCAAGGCTCTTCAGTTGATTTAGCAATCTTTTCACTTCATTTAGCTGGAATCTCATCTATTTTAGGAGCTATTAACTTTATTACAACAATTATCAATATACGAATTAAAAATTTAATG TTTGATCAAATACCTTTATTTGTATGATCTGTAGGTATTACAGCCCTATTATTACTTTTATCTTTACCCGTTTTAGCTGGAGCTATTACTATATTACTTACCGATCGAAATTTAAATACTT CATTTTTTGATCCAGCAGGAGGAGGAGATCCAATTTTATACCAACATTTATTT

Type material. Holotype: ♂ deposited in the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA [ CAS], illustrated in Fig. 55, bears eight labels: seven white [La Laguna, | Sierra Laguna, | L.Cal.X-14- 41], [ melane Edw. | Det. by | F H Rindge], [Ross & Bohart | Collectors], [♂], [melane subspecies], [DNA sample ID: | NVG-22101H10 | c/o Nick V. Grishin ], [{QR Code} CASENT | 8566940], and one red [HOLOTYPE ♂ | Lon melane | sur Grishin ]. Paratype: 1♂ same data as the holotype (NVG-22101H09, CASENT 8566939).

Type locality. Mexico: Baja California Sur, Sierra de La Laguna .

Etymology. The name, a masculine noun in apposition, is the last word in the type locality state name, also meaning that this is the southernmost subspecies of L. melane .

Distribution. Mountains of the Cape region in Baja California Sur, Mexico.