Byzia, Zhang & Cong & Shen & Song & Grishin, 2025

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 2025, Advancing butterfly systematics through genomic analysis, The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey 12 (5), pp. 1-201 : 27

Byzia Grishin , new subgenus

http://zoobank.org/ 858E778D-D277-4FD6-98C9-580C0A8B4C9A

Type species. Lemonias byzeres Hewitson, 1872 .

Definition. Nuclear genome phylogeny reveals that Lemonias byzeres Hewitson, 1872 (type locality in Brazil: Pará) currently placed in the genus Pseudolivendula J. Hall, 2018 (type species Lemonias hemileuca Bates, 1868 ) is not monophyletic with its type species and instead is a confidently supported sister to Zelotaea H. Bates, 1868 (type species Zelotaea phasma Bates, 1868 ), genetically differentiated from Z. phasma at least at the subgenus level ( Fig. 23); e.g., their COI barcodes differ by 10.6% (70 bp). To restore monophyly and not willing to erect a new genus for L. byzeres and Nymphidium candace H. Druce, 1904 (type locality in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), we transfer them to the genus Zelotaea as Zelotaea byzeres (Hewitson, 1872) comb. nov. and Zelotaea candace (H. Druce, 1904) comb. nov. The distinct lineage with Z. byzeres corresponds to a new genus group taxon that is conservatively proposed as a subgenus. This new subgenus encompasses the byzeres group of Hall (2018), and the phenotypic characters and the description referring to this species group given by Hall apply to this subgenus. In brief, this new subgenus differs from its relatives by a combination of the following characters: no white patch in the tornal half of the hindwing; a rufous-brown tone of dorsal wings in males; a more rectangular than triangular uncus in lateral view; a mostly straight to slightly concave dorsal margin of the valva; a narrowing to a sharp and slightly upturned point valva in lateral view; and fused cornuti. In DNA, a combination of the following characters is diagnostic in the nuclear genome: cne7747.1.11:A78T, cne5623. 1.1:C240T, cne 2099.4.1:A2067G, cne23345.2.2:C136T, cne 1842.8.1:T304C; and in COI barcode: A44T, 220A, T460C, A508T, A637T.

Etymology. The name is formed from the type species name and is a feminine noun in the nominative singular.

Species included. The type species (i.e., Lemonias byzeres Hewitson, 1872 ) and Nymphidium candace H. Druce, 1904 .

Parent taxon. Genus Zelotaea H. Bates, 1868 .