Telegonus (Rhabdoides) elorianus, 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 : 96-97

Telegonus (Rhabdoides) elorianus Grishin, new species

http://zoobank.org/ F15033DB-BF2C-4B5F-AF48-6025370630A7 ( Figs. 61 part, 72b, 89 part)

Definition and diagnosis. Genomic analysis reveals that a specimen from an unknown locality is sister to Telegonus (Rhabdoides) elorus (Hewitson, 1867) (type locality in Brazil, likely Southeast or South ), but is genetically differentiated from it at the species level ( Fig. 61); e.g., their COI barcodes differ by 2.9% (19 bp). Therefore , this specimen represents a new species. This new species keys (incompletely) to “ Astraptes elorus ” C. 14.24 in Evans (1952) but differs from it by less yellow and browner margins of wings beneath and a partly broken into spots (not entire) dark postdiscal band on ventral forewing. This species may not be cryptic, but due to unexplored individual variation, most reliable identification is achieved by DNA, and a combination of the following base pairs is diagnostic in the nuclear genome: aly3014.2.4: T387 A, aly17.7.2: T583 C, aly17.7.2:C585T, aly166.2.1: T183 A, aly166.2.1: T216 A, aly 1121.5.5: C102C (not A), aly1139.14.2: T75 T (not C) , aly221.16.17:C171C (not T), aly221.16.17:G174G (not A), aly770.12.2:G778G (not C); and COI barcode: T136 C, T355 T (not A) , C478 T, A451 T, C595 C (not T).

Barcode sequence of the holotype. Sample NVG-24028D11, GenBank PV550019, 658 base pairs: AACTCTATATTTTATTTTTGGAATTTGAGCAGGATTAATTGGAACTTCTTTAAGATTACTTATTCGAACTGAATTAGGAACTCCAGGATCTTTAATTGGCGATGATCAAATTTATAATACT ATTGTAACAGCTCACGCATTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCTATTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATTGATTAGTCCCTCTAATAATAGGAGCCCCTGATATAGCTTTCCCACGTA TAAATAATATAAGATTTTGACTTTTACCCCCATCATTAACTTTATTAATTTCAAGAAGAATTGTTGAAAATGGTGCTGGAACAGGATGAACAGTTTATCCCCCTCTTTCATCTAATATTGC CCACCAAGGAGCATCAGTTGACTTAGCAATTTTTTCTTTACATTTAGCTGGTATTTCTTCTATTTTAGGAGCTATTAATTTTATTACTACAATTATTAATATACGAATTAATAATTTATCT TTTGATCAAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGAGCTGTAGGAATTACAGCATTATTATTATTACTTTCATTACCAGTTTTAGCAGGAGCTATTACTATATTATTAACTGATCGAAACTTAAATACTT CATTTTTTGACCCAGCAGGAGGAGGAGATCCAATTTTATATCAACATTTATTT

Type material. Holotype: ♂ deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany ( MFNB), illustrated in Fig. 72b, bears the following six rectangular labels (first two handwritten, others printed), five white: [Blasius | Plötz. no 56 | taf. 93], [14:12.], [Coll. Weymer], [DNA sample ID: | NVG-

one red [HOLOTYPE ♂ | Telegonus (Rhabdoides) | elorianus Grishin]. On the first label, “taf[el]. 93” refers to the number of an unpublished drawing of Eudamus blasius Plötz, 1881 (type locality given as “ Cuba ”, likely in Southeast or South Brazil) by Plötz (1881). The label [14:12.] corresponds to the number for Telegonus blasius in Mabille’s catalog (1903).

Type locality. Not stated on the labels of the holotype, likely in Southeast or Southern Brazil .

Etymology. The name is formed from the name of its sister species, T. elorus , and is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Currently unknown, likely in Southeast and Southern Brazil.