Discovery of a remarkable new species of Lymanopoda (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) and considerations of its phylogenetic position: An integrative taxonomic approach

Abstract

A new species of Lymanopoda Westwood, a cloud forest Neotropical genus of Satyrinae, is described from the páramo grasslands on an isolated, peripheral massif in the Colombian Central Cordillera of the Andes: L. fl ammigera Pyrcz, Prieto & Boyer, sp. n. The genus Lymanopoda is species-rich (approx. 65 species) and its alpha taxonomy is relatively well researched. Relationships within the genus using molecular data have also been explored. The new species is outstanding for its golden yellow colour in males, not found in any other neotropical Satyrinae. Cladograms were constructed based on COI sequences of 47 species of Lymanopoda (~ 70% of the known species) including 17 from Colombia. The new species segregates in the "tolima" clade, which comprises four other high altitude Colombian species, as well as two from Ecuador. However, it is the comparative analysis of male genitalia, in particular the superuncus and valvae, which identifi ed its closest relatives, thus confi rming that genital characters can help refi ne molecular phylogenies. In addition to identifying species using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA barcodes), nucleotide sites with unique fi xed states used to identify nine species of Lymanopoda from Colombia are also presented.