Four commonly confused hairstreaks (lycaenidae, theclinae, eumaeini): Three need names, one does not

Abstract

The taxonomy of four relatively common Neotropical eumaeine hairstreak species has been confused. Newly described are Iaspis andersoni Robbins, new species, differentiated from J. talayra (Hewitson), 7. castitas (Druce), and I. exiguus (Druce); Michaelas Joseph Robbins, new species, differentiated from M. ira (Hewitson); and Ignota caldas Robbins, new species, differentiated from J. gadira (Hewitson). Iaspis andersoni is unnamed because of a taxonomic misidentification made more than a century ago. The latter two are undescribed because the types of M. ira and I. gadira are not the species that they had been thought to be. Populations in the Arawacus togarna (Hewitson) species complex from Mexico and Costa Rica have been treated as two distinct species, but new data on geographical variation of wing pattern and male genitalia suggests that this classification is incorrect. A lectotype for Thecla exiguus Druce, 1907 is designated because taxonomy of the Iaspis talayra group in the Amazon Region is unresolved. A lectotype for Thecla togarna Hewitson, 1867 is designated because an incorrect type locality has engendered confusion.