Piercolias huanaco (Staudinger 1894)

Piercolias huanaco (Staudinger)

Schmetterlinge Nr. 6.—Garlepp, 1892:275.—Staudinger, 1892:275.

Trifurcula huanaco Staudinger, 1894:43, 56–59, pl. 1: figs. 7, 16, 18.—Ehves, 1895:lxv.—Grote, 1900:20–21.—d'Almeida, 1943:104.—Hemming, 1967:448.

Piercolias huanaco.—Staudinger, 1894:56.—Grote, 1903:139.—Talbot, 1932.60.—Klols, 1932:218, 219.—d'Almeida, 1934:97. —Forster, 1955:138 [in part].—Field, 1958:115, 118, 124, 126, 128, 131, figs. 7, 15, 23, 31, 40.

Andina huanaco.—Röber, 1909a:97, pl. 28: fig. c–2; 1910:97, pl. 28: fig. c–2.—Dyar, 1913:629.—d'Almeida, 1943:74.—Ureta, 1947:50.—Zischka, 1951:29.

Piercolias coropunae.—Forster, 1955:138 [a misidentification, in part].

Piercolias andina [sic].—Forster, 1958:846 [a lapsus mentis, a nomen nudum].

Piercolias huanace [sic.].—Hemming, 1967:362.

Trifurcula huanace [sic].—Hemming, 1967:362.

MALE (Figures 28, 40, photographs of lectotype).—This species as illustrated with uppersurface of wings white and with a large dark bar at end of cell in forewing and large apical and subapical dark markings. The dark border on the forewing on this surface extends below vein Cu2 only about one-half the distance to vein 2dA thus differing from P. forsteri where this border extends to vein 2dA or almost to that vein. In P. huanaco also there is more white scaling in interspaces R1, R2 and R3 + R4+5 on this wing than in P. forsteri. Undersurface of hind wing and apex of forewing more uniformly gray in color than in P. forsteri with submarginal row of fuscous spots on hind wing faint or absent and with a faint white spot at the end of the cell. This gray ground color formed by a light tan that is heavily irrorated with black scales.

Length of forewing, 18–21 mm.

FEMALE (Figures 29, 41, photographs of one of the probably original syntypes).—As illustrated and similar to the male with dark markings on uppersurfaces more extensive and with a white to yellow ground color. Wings on undersurfaces with dark markings more extensive than in the male and differing from the female of P. forsteri, as the male does, in having the dark border on uppersurface of forewing extending only about one-half the distance to vein 2dA.

Length of forewing, 19 mm.

VENATION (Figure 178).—With characters as given in the description of the genus. Staudinger (1894: 56) selected the genus name Trifurcula (which unknown to him at the time was preoccupied) because of the venation, which as he says (translation from the German) “three veins arise almost from one point like a trident from the upper corner of the cell of the forewing and this occurs in this way in no pierid genus known to me.”

CLAW, PARONYCHIUM, AND PULVILLUS (Figure 196).—As illustrated with claw differing from that of P. coropunae (Figure 198) and P. forsten (Figure 197) in having the ventral tooth closer to upper element and with paronychium slightly broader than in P. coropunae.

MALE GENITALIA (Figure 143, drawn from preparation of lectotype).—As illustrated and similar to that of P. forsteri with subscaphium having its anterior process shorter and slightly blunt.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figure 160, drawn from preparation WDF 5346).—As illustrated, differing from P. forsteri in the shape of the inner genital plate, having the posterior process rounded at the end and with ventral margin of anterior process longer than the posterior margin of this process.

TYPE DATA.—The type-locality is “Bolivien… Huallatani” (= Huaillatani), near Cocapata, Province of Ayopayo, Department of La Paz, Bolivia. This species was described by Staudinger from 30 males and 7 females collected by Gustav Garlepp between 10 January and the beginning of March 1892. Most of this series was sold by Staudinger and many collections contain unlabeled syntypes. There are four male and four female syntypes remaining in the Staudinger collection in the Zoological Museum, Humboldt University, East Berlin. The late Dr. E. M. Hering sent us for study the male specimen figured by Staudinger (1892, pl. 1: fig. 16), and we designate this specimen as the lectotype and have placed upon its pin a designating label.

MISIDENTIFICATION