Dianesia alayoi Álvarez, Núñez & Espeland, 2025

Dianesia alayoi Álvarez, Núñez & Espeland , sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E867E3FC-862B-431B-8450-C7898213C0CC

Figs. 2E–H View FIGURE 2 , 3J–L View FIGURE 3 , 5C–D View FIGURE 5 , 6K–L View FIGURE 6 , 7G–I View FIGURE 7 , 8 View FIGURE 8 , 9G–H View FIGURE 9 , 10D View FIGURE 10

Diagnosis. Dianesia alayoi sp. nov. most resembles the closely related D. flammata sp. nov. from which it can be separated by its darker UP and UN coloration, particularly in the female; the better development of the FW basal and discal dark brown bands and the postdiscal white band, particularly in the female; the poorer development of the submarginal orange band on both wings; UN with darker basal areas; a light area near costa between the black bands of the discal cell on the UNHW; the larger size of the UNHW tornal ocellus, which features a superior pupil of blue scales; male genitalia with narrower tegumen, shorter and blunter ventral uncus tooth-like protuberance, broader valvae; female genitalia with longer signa with sinuous inner margin. Final instar greener, with bolder, more marked lateral black spots and dorsal white lines. From the other species of the genus, it can be separated by the combination of pale orange-brown UP background color, no blurred blackish area interior to the FW black postdiscal line and well-developed FW postdiscal white band. Barcode rDNC: 85(C), 181(G), 400(G).

Description. Eyes naked, green in life. Antennal socket orange; antennae slender, 36–38 alternate blackish and white antennomers, club blackish with white tip. Head, thorax and abdomen dark orange-brown, the thorax with scattered light orange pubescence and the abdomen with light orange segment junctions. FW length: 13,0– 14,5 mm ♂, 14,1–14,5 mm ♀. Male UPFW pale orange-brown, darker from the postdiscal area towards outer margin, base bright orange with two dark brown concentric, discontinuous bands extending basally and discally, respectively, from the discal cell to 2A; a third incomplete band of the same color edging the discal cell, and a very small spot of the same color on the bifurcation of Cu 1 and Cu 2. A thin dark brown postdiscal line extending sinuously from costa to Cu 1 and then straight to inner margin, externally edged by a white band consisting of six spots, the two between R 2 –R 3 and R 3 –M 1 thinner and well-defined, the two between M 1 –M 2 and M 2 –M 3 shorter, broader and more diffuse, and the two between M 3 –Cu 1 and Cu 1 –Cu 2 larger, broader and more diffuse. A poorly developed submarginal curved broad orange band edged by diffuse blackish areas, interrupted by veins; an elliptical black ocellus on the anal angle, internally edged by the orange band. UPHW with similar pattern, but with basal orange color extending beyond the postdiscal brown line until the submarginal band, broader and more sinuous postdiscal brown line and submarginal orange band, the latter with more defined and broader black edging, no postdiscal white band, and a larger, square ocellus in the anal angle, internally edged by yellow and with an external metallic blue pupil. UNFW similar but paler with no orange color, basal half darker but whiter near inner angle and with the postdiscal white band much more defined and broader, extending towards inner angle; a light area near costa between the black bands of the discal cell; ocellus at anal angle larger and with an external superior small pupil of blue scales, internally edged by pale yellow scales. UNHW similar but paler with no orange color, basal half darker, basal and discal brown bands reduced, postdiscal brown band discontinuous, ocellus at anal angle with a greater cover of metallic blue scales. Genitalia with narrow, square-shaped tegumen; uncus weakly lobed, each lobe with a ventral blunt tooth-like protuberance; gnathi slender, smoothly curved upwards near tip; vinculum anteriorly concave, slender but broader near aedeagus; valvae broad, simple, as long as the tegumen, tip gradually narrowed, sclerotized but membranous near attachment to vinculum, dorsally attached to aedeagus by a weakly sclerotized peduncle; saccus short, lightly rounded; aedeagus elongate and thin, continued in a long, membranous duct ( Fig. 6K–L View FIGURE 6 ).

Female similar to male but with elongated, narrower wings with rounder outer margins; a darker background color on the UP, the basal orange more developed, extending beyond the postdiscal black line in the HW; and better developed postdiscal white band and marginal orange band, especially in the FW. Genitalia with ostium bursae compressed dorsoventrally, narrower towards the sclerotized antrum, lamella antevaginalis heavily sclerotized and spatulate, partially covering ostium bursae; lamella postvaginalis weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae narrow and membranous, punctate surface with several small, irregular folds; corpus bursae progressively broadening, flattened dorsoventrally, surface uniformly punctate, with numerous folds around junction with ductus bursae; two mid-lateral heavily sclerotized long flat cylindrical signa with pointed tips and sinuous inner margins ( Fig. 7G–I View FIGURE 7 ).

Type material. Holotype — ♂ CUBA , Santiago de Cuba , Baconao, Sigua (near “Costa Morena” hotel), 19º53’N, 75º31’W, 2/ VIII /2023, col. A. Serrano, DNA voucher Y164, YAC (YAC-0428). Paratypes — 13♂, 6♀. Same data as for holotype, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0426, YAC-0429); same locality, 2/ V /2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers DC-83, DC-85, DC-86, DC-89, ZUEC (2♂: 14729, 14729), YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0585, YAC-0586); same locality, 10/VII/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0615, YAC-0616); Daiquirí, Baconao, Santiago de Cuba , VI/1954, col. P.Alayo, CZACC (4♂: 7-503423, 7-503424, 7-503428, 7-503430); Playa Berraco, Baconao, Santiago de Cuba 19º53’N, 75º34’W, 19/VII/2022, col. A. Serrano, DNA voucher Y060, YAC (1♂: YAC-0084); Near Playa “Hacienda el Indio”, Mi Retiro, Baconao, Santiago de Cuba , 19º54’N, 75º37’W, 6/ VIII /2023, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂: YAC-0435); Punta de Maisí, Maisí, Guantánamo, 20º14’N, 74º08’W, 27/I/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (2♀: YAC-0737, YAC-0738); Terrazas de Maisí, Maisí, Guantánamo, 20º13’N, 74º09’W, 30/I/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂, 1♀: YAC-0706, YAC-0707); Boca de Jauco, Maisí, Guantánamo, 20º05’N, 74º20’W, 23/VII/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (1♂: YAC-0857).

Additional material. CUBA , Santiago de Cuba , Baconao, Sigua, near “Costa Morena” hotel, 19º53’N, 75º31’W, 2/ VIII /2023, col. A. Serrano, three larvae in ethanol, DNA vouchers JA1, JA2, JA3, ZFMK.

Etymology. Named after Pastor Alayo, a prominent Cuban entomologist of the last century, who devoted a great part of his life to the study of Cuban butterflies, the original discoverer and collector of this new species, and a personal idol of the first author.

Distribution. Known only from scattered localities of the southern coast of Santiago de Cuba (Playa Siboney, Playa Daiquirí, Playa Hacienda del Indio, Playa Berraco, Sigua) and Guantánamo (Yunque de Baitiquirí, Terrazas de Macambo, Imías, Jacabo Arriba, Playitas de Cajobabo, Boca de Jauco, Ovando, Maisí) provinces ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 ).

Habitat. Dwarf dry coastal scrub-woodland and dry coastal scrub-woodland ( Fig. 9G–H View FIGURE 9 ).

Biology. This butterfly is locally common in well-preserved patches of dry scrub-woodland near the shoreline and inland wherever the host plant grows. Its flight is quick and not easily followed, describing an irregular path amongst deep scrub. Adults visited flowers of Anastraphia calcicola Britton ( Asteraceae ), Bourreria suculenta ( Boraginaceae ), Rauvolfia tetraphylla L. ( Apocynaceae ) and Guaiacum officinale L. (Zygophillaceae). Adults are on the wing year-round, although they are more common from June to August, and, on the account of Alayo & Hernández (1987), they have an activity peak in the twilight hours, but we have seen it flying from the early morning until late afternoon. Adults from the dry season (November–April) can show a reduction of the orange color on the UP ( Fig. 5C–D View FIGURE 5 ).

Immature stages. Final instar ( Fig. 10D View FIGURE 10 ): Head capsule orange, covered with numerous whitish setae. Prothoracic shield green yellow, covered by whitish setae and a pair of lateral black setae. Body green, dorsal and lateral areas delimited by a lateral diffuse white band from the sixth to the tenth segments, yellowish near anal plate; segment junctions whitish; white band running mid-dorsally along the body, broader and more marked in the final segments; two dorsolateral white bands, broader and more marked in the first three segments; a lateral broad, round black spot edged with white on the fourth and fifth segments; each segment with a lateral white spiracle opening and a tuft of long whitish setae. Males with yellow-orange testicles visible dorsally in the seventh segment. Anal plate yellow, covered by numerous external long whitish setae.

Host plant. Buxus glomerata ( Buxaceae ).

Remarks. This species remained undetected since its first discovery by Pastor Alayo in June 1954 near Playa Daiquirí, Santiago de Cuba ( Alayo & Hernández, 1987) until it was briefly spotted in January 2011 near Sigua, a few miles to the east of the former locality ( Núñez & Barro 2016). However, no specimen was collected until July 2022 and August 2023 when new populations were discovered in nearby areas. This butterfly is surely more widespread and continuously distributed along the southeastern coast of eastern Cuba than what the current data suggest, given that its host plant is uniformly present in this area ( Köhler 2014).