Lycoderides phasianus (Fowler, 1896)

Lycoderides phasianus (Fowler, 1896) View in CoL

( Fig. 8B View FIGURE 8 , 10C, 10G View FIGURE 10 , 11C, 11G View FIGURE 11 , 13A–E View FIGURE 13 , 14G–I View FIGURE 14 , 16D–H View FIGURE 16 )

Description: Male. Genitalia ( Fig. 13A–E View FIGURE 13 ): Lateral plate totally fused to pygofer. Styles attached to subgenital plate on basal 1/3 of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate bilobed, divided on apical 1/3, attached with VIII abdominal sternite. Styles with widest area subapically and then abruptly narrow; apex bilobed, one tooth directed obliquely dorsal- and laterally, and second tooth ventral directed. Aedeagus with anterior arm reduced, posterior arm in lateral view slender throughout, narrow toward apex, apex finger-shaped; anterior and lateral surface of apical 1/3 of posterior arm with denticles; in posterior view, subcylindrical.

Female. Genitalia ( Fig. 14G–I View FIGURE 14 ): Second valvulae blade-shaped, basal half narrower than apical half; apical half separated, dorsal margin of apical half with sub-quadrangular teeth; ramus extended to apical portion; pores over ramus and below dorsal margin of apical half and ventral margin of 1/3 apical area.

Late instar nymph ( Fig. 10C, 10G View FIGURE 10 , 11C, 11G View FIGURE 11 ): Dorsoventrally flattened. Color: brown with reddish spots throughout body. Surface: Dorsal tegument densely covered with short chalazal setae. Head: Ventrolateral lobes extended anteriorly 1×eye length; dorsal processes obsolete; in frontal view, ventro-anterior margin carinate, extended ventral and anteriorly, forming one wide arch. In lateral view, projected obliquely forward and downward; in dorsal view, more or less 4× wider than long. Thorax: Pronotum with dorsal margin conical in lateral view, metopidium obliquely directed dorsal- and posteriorly, with a dorso-anterior process, with small humps (suprahumeral horns) at each side of anterior of dorso-anterior process. Abdomen: In dorsal view, tergal segments IV–VIII with large lateral conical lamellae directed posterolaterally, with anterior margin widely arched posterad. Live specimens: Color could vary from green to brownish orange, seemingly by the place of the plant where is located the nymph.

Biology: Adults of this species are more gregarious, and nymphs form larger aggregations than those of other Lycoderides species examined in this study. The nymphs were tended by at least eight morphospecies of ants belonging to the genera Camponotus , Crematogaster , Dolichoderus , Ectatomma , Linepithema , and several unidentified myrmicines. This species was found on at least ten different morphospecies of Melastomataceae , all belonging or related to the genus Miconia , at various altitudes ranging from 200 to 1700 masl. It was also frequently observed forming mixed-species aggregations tended by ants in lowland areas between 200 and 700 masl ( Fig. 16E View FIGURE 16 ). Adults were found either solitary or in groups of up to nine individuals, usually on apical leaves or axils. Nymphs were often encountered in pairs or small groups on plants also hosting adults, but they could also form larger aggregations of up to 15 individuals ( Fig. 16D View FIGURE 16 ). As L. luteus , nymphs of this species were highly camouflaged with their host plants.

In PNN Tatamá, above 1100 masl, nymphs were found in smaller numbers and formed smaller aggregations, always located in axils. In contrast, at lower elevations (below 1100 masl), nymphs formed larger aggregations and were found on apical branches, though not exclusively in axils. This species frequently co-occurred in mixed-species aggregations with Erosne bracteata , Bolbonota sp. , Micrutalis sp. , and Stegaspis fronditia .

In PNN Farallones de Cali, this species was commonly observed (n> 30) forming mixed-species aggregations with Bolbonota (Bolbonota) sp. and Micrutalis sp. , and occasionally (n = 10) with a new species of Endoiastus Fowler , Bocydium sakakibarai , and/or Stylocentrus championi . Additionally, one aggregation of nymphs was observed living inside ant shelters alongside adults and nymphs of Bolbonota sp. ( Fig. 16F View FIGURE 16 ). In Nuquí (Chocó), a solitary female was found on Cerro Jánano, a mountain near the Pacific coast, on an unidentified Melastomataceae at 600 masl. In Mocoa (Putumayo), a solitary female was recorded in the Amazonian foothills on an unidentified species of Miconia . Additionally, in PNN Farallones de Cali and Leticia, some adults were found parasitized by entomophagous fungi ( Fig. 16G–H View FIGURE 16 ).

Examined material and distribution: COLOMBIA: Chocó: Nuquí ( Cerro Jánano - 400 masl) . Meta: San Martín de los Llanos ( Reserva Rey Zamuro — Matarredonda ) . Putumayo: Mocoa (400 masl) . Risaralda: Pueblo Rico ( Corregimiento Santa Cecilia — 300–600 masl; PNN Tatamá, vereda Montebello— 1200–1700 masl) . Valle del Cauca: Dagua (PNN Farallones de Cali, Alto Anchicayá — 600 masl) ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

Remarks: The lateral lamellae in nymphs of L. phasianus are consistently broader than in other Lycoderides species, thus lateral lamellae seem much more closed ( Fig. 11G View FIGURE 11 ). In general shape, these nymphs closely resemble those of L. luteus . However, unlike L. luteus , no variation in nymphal morphology related to host plants has been observed. Nevertheless, a systematic collection of L. phasianus nymphs from different host plants is necessary to determine whether nymphal variation, similar to that observed in L. luteus , also occurs in this species.