Hesperia pahaska hidalgo, Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 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 : 163-165

Hesperia pahaska hidalgo Grishin, new subspecies

http://zoobank.org/ 1ADE0404-E9CA-4E0B-9003-A0A325B6CDBD

( Figs. 126 part, 128 part, 129)

Definition and diagnosis. Genomic analysis of two specimens of Hesperia pahaska Leussler, 1938 (type locality in USA: Nebraska, Sioux Co.) from Hidalgo, Mexico, places them separately from other

least at the subspecies level ( Fig. 126); e.g., their

COI barcodes differ from geographically closest

Hesperia pahaska tehaska ssp. n. by 1.7% (11 bp),

and, therefore, represent a new subspecies. This new

subspecies keys to “ Hesperia columbia pahaska ”

(M.10.5.(b)) in Evans (1955) and differs from other

subspecies of H. pahaska by being smaller, darker,

especially on the ventral hindwing, with larger

submarginal pale spots near the forewing apex and

redder, not greenish or yellowish, tones of the

ventral side of wings, and by submarginal spots in

forewing cells M 1 -M 2 and M 2 -M 3 being longer and

reaching closer to the wing outer margin. Due to

the cryptic nature of this subspecies and unexplored

individual variation, most reliable identification is

achieved by DNA, and a combination of the

following base pairs is diagnostic in the nuclear

genome: aly838.4.2:G156T, aly838.4.2:G159A,

aly839.15.3:G75A, aly839.15.3:A76C, aly613.3.6:

A141G; and COI barcode: T250C, C282T, G389A,

T485C, A625G.

Barcode sequence of the holotype. Sample NVG-

23049G08, GenBank PV550056, 658 base pairs: Fig. 128. A map of sequenced specimens of Hesperia pahaska subspecies: pahaska (green squares), hannawackeri (yellow AACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGTATTTGAGCTGGTATATTAGGAACTTCATTAAGTTTAT TAATTCGAACAGAATTAGGTAATCCTGGATCTTTAATTGGAGATGACCAAATTTATAAT circles), martini (cyan inverted triangles), williamsi (blue

ACTATTGTTACAGCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATGCCAATTATAAT triangles), tehaska ssp. n. (magenta ovals), hidalgo ssp. n. (red TGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGTACCTTTAATATTAGGAGCTCCTGACATAGCTTTTC star), bajanorta ssp. n. (orange diamond). The type localities of CACGTATAAATAACATAAGATTTTGAATATTACCACCTTCATTAATATTATTAATTTCA subspecies are marked with tiny white circles inside symbols.

AGAAGAATTGTAGAAAATGGTGCTGGAACAGGCTGAACTGTTTATCCTCCTTTATCCTC TAATATTGCTCATCAAGGATCTTCTGTTGATTTAACAATTTTTTCTCTTCACTTAGCTG Four U.S. subspecies converge near the NV–UT–AZ tripoint,

GAATTTCATCTATTTTAGGAGCTATTAATTTTATTACAACAATTATTAACATACGAATT where mixed populations occur, and subspecies assignment is AAAAACTTATCTCTTGATCAAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGATCTGTAGGAATTACAGCATT currently tentative—if possible at all.

ATTATTACTTTTATCTTTACCTGTATTAGCAGGAGCTATTACTATACTACTTACTGACC GAAATTTAAATACTTCTTTTTTCGATCCAGCAGGGGGAGGAGATCCAATTTTATATCAACATTTATTT

Type material. Holotype: ♂ deposited in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity Collection, Gainesville, FL, USA ( MGCL), illustrated in Fig. 129, bears the following six rectangular labels (1 st handwritten, others printed), five white: [ MEXICO. Hidalgo: | Rt.85, 90.4 mi | N. Pachuca, 4- Aug-1981 | leg. Douglas Mullins], [ Hesperia | pahaska williamsi | Lindsey | Det. W.W. McGuire], [Collection of | William W. McGuire], [ FSCA | Florida State Collection | of Arthropods], [DNA sample ID: | NVG-23049G08 | c/o Nick V. Grishin ], and one red [HOLOTYPE ♂ | Hesperia pahaska | hidalgo Grishin ]. Paratype: 1♂ NVG-24097G03 with the same data as the holotype.

Type locality. Mexico: Hidalgo, Rt. 85, 90.4 mi north of Pachuca .

Etymology. The name of the state with the type locality is used as the name of the new subspecies and is treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Currently known only from the state of Hidalgo in Mexico.