FOREST-PARAMO ECOTONE BUTTERFLIES OF THE GENUS CATASTICTA IN THE TAMA RANGE, VENEZUELA - COLOMBIA BORDER: C. URICOECHEAE INOPA NEW SUBSP.  AND C. TRICOLOR TOMASI NEW SUBSP.

* Zoological Museum of the Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków, Poland
* Museo de entomología.  Decanato de Investigación.  Universidad Nacional del Táchira, (U.N.E.T.)
   Apdo. 436 San Cristóbal,   Edo.Táchira, Venezuela. frey@unet.edu.ve

Abstract: Two new subspecies of the genus Catasticta (Pieridae) are described: C. uricoecheae inopa and C. tricolor tomasi. The systematics of the group uricoecheae are revised.  The habitat and behaviour of the new subspecies are briefly discussed.

Key words:  Andes, Bogota, bouvieri, Chocó, Eastern Cordillera,  flava, sympatry, territorial.

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Introduction

Catasticta uricoecheae Felder & Felder and allied species are rather spectacular pierine butterflies occurring in the uppermost forest and on the edge of paramo in the central and northern Andes.  They are generally scarce and difficult to observe in the field.  However, the males are territorial and sometimes gather around outstanding topographical points such as tall trees or hills, known as "picachos" (APOLINAR, 1926).  Even though there are only a couple of species and a handful of describes taxa standing well apart from other sections of the genus for their characteristic colour pattern, current systematic arrangement of the group uricoecheae is confusing and outdated which is due to deficient distributional data and errors in literature.  Recent field studies carried out in the Andes of Colombia and Venezuela and the discovery of the reference collection of E. Krüger permitted lo clear up the issues concerning the relations of affinities within this group of butterflies.
 

Catasticta uricoecheae variation flava (Krüger, 1925) described from the Colombian Central Cordillera is in our opinion a northem subspecies of  Catasticta tricolor flava - Catasticta tricolor Krüger new stat.  Catasticta uricoecheae bouvieri new syn. (APOLINAR, 1926) described from the "Chocó" (Western Cordillera) is its junior synonym.  Both taxa, bouvieri and flava were omitted by REISSINGER (1971) in his revision of the genus Catasticta.  The taxon flava was also ignored by ROBERT (in D'A,BRERA, 1987, addenda & corrigenda to D'Abrera, 1981).  The specimen illustrated by D'Abrera (1981) as Catasticta tricolor ssp. is in fact the subspecies flava Krüger.  Two syntypes (male and female) of Catasticta tricolor flava were found in the Museum of the Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.  The male lectotype was designated by Lamas.
 

Catasticta uricoecheae (Felder & Felder) described as from the area of Bogotá, southern Eastern Cordillera is restricted to this range.  C. uricoecheae differs basically from C. tricolor Butler in that its upperside discal markings are grey instead of yellowgreen.  Their respective versos are almost indistinguishable.  C. uricoecheae and C. tricolor would seem to be sister species replacing each other allopatrically on the opposite sides of the valley of Magdalena.  However, quite surprisingly during our last expedition to the Tamá range at the northern tip of the Eastern Cordillera in 1996 two different species, one closely allied to tricolor and another, clearly a subspecies of uricoecheae, were collected together in the same spot.  They proved to be undescribed taxa.
 

Catasticta uricoecheae inopa  Wojtusiak & Rey new subsp.

Male: Forewings narrower than in the nominate, emargination below the apex more pronounced.  Forewing length 25-27 mm.  Grey markings en the forewing (discal cell patch, postdiscal patches and submarginal spots) and red markings on the hindwing upperside (median suffusion and submarginal triangular patches) reduced.  The same applies to white and pale yellow markings on the underside.  Hindwing suffused with grey.  Yellow discal cell spot elongated.

Female:  Hitherto unknown.

Male genitalia: as illustrated.

Holotype: male, Picacho de la Cueva del Oso, Páramo El Tamá, Parque Nacional El Tamá, Táchira State, Venezuela, 3100 m, 14.04.1996, leg.  T. Pyrcz & F. Rey, (*A) to be depositad in the Museo de Zoología Agrícola de la Universidad Central de Venezuela  ( MIZA), Maracay, Venezuela.  Paratypes: 1 male, same data; depository: Zoological Museum of the Jagiellonian University (MZUJ), Kraków, Poland; 2 males, collection of Fernando Rey, San Cristóbal, Táchira State, Venezuela.

Etymology: inopa (lat., adj.) = weak
 

Catasticta tricolor tomasi  Wojtusiak & Rey new subsp.

Male: Forewing length: 24-28 mm.  Hindwings wider than forewings. Forewing median markings and submarginal spots greyish green instead of dusty yellow in the nominate or ochreous in flava.  Larger, particularly in the cell Cu 1 and discal cell.  Hindwing red markings on the contrary extermely reduced, barley visible as traces of red in the postbasal area and as a row of faint postmedian dots.

Female: Hitherto unknown.

Male genitalia: as illustrated.

Holotype: male, Picacho de la Cueva del Oso, Páramo El Tamá, Parque Nacional El Tamá, Táchira State, Venezuela, 3100 m, 14.04.1996, leg.  T. Pyrcz & F. Rey, (*B*) to be deposited in the Museo de Zoología Agrícola de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay, Venezuela.  Paratypes: 4 males,  (14.04.1996), same data; depository: 2 males, Zoological Museum of the Jagiellonian University (MZUJ), Kraków, Poland; 2 males, collection of Femando Rey, San Cristóbal, Táchira State, Venezuela.

Etymology: subspecies named after Tomasz Pyrcz.

Discussion:

The fact that C. tricolor and C. uricoecheae are sympatric in the Tamá range is rather surprising.  In particular the presence of C. tricolor in this part of the Andes is unexpected considering that thus far this species was known exclusively from the Colombian Central Cordillera and Ecuador.  It is a very wide disjunction of its specific range.  However, there are other examples of taxa with a similar distribution pattern.  One of them is the recently describes Catasticta revancha Rey & Pyrcz, 1996 known exclusively from the Tamá.  Its closest ally is Catasticta pojadei occurring in Ecuador (and perhaps southernmost Colombia).  Another example is found among the pronophiline satyrids. The closest allies of Pedaliodes sp.  Pyrcz, Viloria & Le Crom ms. an upperrnost forest Pedaliodes endemic in the Tarmá, are clearly two species occurring in the Central Cordillera, Pedaliodes thiemei Weymer (Tolima) and Pedatiodes wilhelmi Pyrcz (Huila).  These cases of disjunct distribution are so far the only proofs of close fauna affinities between the northern tip of the Eastern Cordillera and main stem of the Andes.  Further research will possibly put in evidence more similar cases.  This stunning zoogeographical problem needs to be further investigated.  On the other hand, most cloud forest and paramo species found in the Tamá have their close relatives in the Eastern Cordillera, particularly the Cocuy arca, and in the Perijá range. C. tricolor viridia was also collected in the paramo of Perijá.  To date, we do not know whether C. uricoecheae also exists in that range.

The males of C. uricoecheae inopa and C. tricolor tomasi were collected flying together, along with C. semiramis Lucas, around a steep peak just above the timber line at 3100 metres (en the path to La Línea, the site called El Picacho de la Cueva del Oso).  Furthermore, males of C. tricolor were seen at 2400 metres in a place were locally the paramo reaches at this elevation its lower limit.  They were flying around a tall, lone bamboo.  The males of both species demonstrate strong territorial behaviour.  They are very persistent in their tenure and will not be chased away, even by snapping several times with a butterfly net.  This, of course, makes their capture somewhat easier.

Acknowiedgements

The authors wish lo thank INPARQUES (Instituto Nacional de Parques Nacionales) Venezuela for issuing research and collecting permits for the Tamá National Park, and for assistance in Betania.  We would like lo thank the staff of the Natural History Museum, London, and particularly Phil ACKERY, for allowing us to study their collection and Mary EAVES for help with corrections in the text.The field reserach in Venezuela was supported by a DS grant of the Institute of Zoology of the Jagiellonian University.

References

APOLINAR, Hermano María, 1926.  Algo sobre piéridos colombianos. Boletín de la Sociedad Colombiana de Ciencias Naturales, 84; 15 - 22.

D'ABRERA, B., 1981.  Butterflies of the Neotropical Region, Part 1. Papilionidae & Pieridae, Lansdowne Editions.  XVI + 172 pp., colour plates throughout.

DE VRIES, P. J., 1987.  T'be Butterflies of Costa Rica and their Natural History.  Princeton University Press. XXII + 327 pp., 50 pls, 35 figs., 3 tabs., 2 maps.

KRUGER, E., Einige neue Falterformen aus Kolumbien und Surinam.  Iris. 1925: 146-151.

NIJHOUT, H. F., 1991.  The dcvclopment and evolution of butterfly wing pattern.  Smithsonian University Press, London & Washington. 297 pp.

PYRCZ, T. W., 1995.  A new genus, Tamania, and a new specics, Tamania jacquelinae from the Tama Range, Venezuela Colombia border and some thoughts on the diagnosis of the tribe Pronophilini (Lepidoptera, Satyridac). Lambillionea. 95(4): 519-525.

REISSINGER, E., 1972.  Zur Taxonomie und Systematik der Gatiung Catasticta Butler (Lepidoptera, Pieridac). Entomologische Zeitschrift, 82 (10,11): 97-124.
 

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90                                                    Lambillionea, XCIX, 1, Mars 1999
 
 
 
 
 

1. Catasticta uricoecheae inopa male, recto.	2. Catasticta uricoecheae inopa male, verso.

3. Catasticta tricolor tomasi,  male, recto.	4. Catasticta tricolor tomasi,  male, verso.

5. C. tricolor tomasi,  male genitalia, A, lateral view, B, aedeagus.	6.C. uricoecheae inopa male genitalia, A, lateral view, B, aedeagus.

(*A) y (*B*) Nota:  Los Holotipos fueron llevados al MIZA. Julio 2000. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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