Antennal ultrastructure in Patia (Pieridae, Dismorphiinae)

Abstract

In our previous work we studied the ultrastructure of the antennae of pierids through a character analysis. In this study we describe the antennal ultrastructure of three species and six subspecies of Patia focused on these traits at the intrageneric level. Patia is a genus of Dismorphiinae with the highest number of scaleless antennomeres (nudum = 11‒15). Therefore, the length of its antennal club is greater than that of any other genus of the subfamily. Several other features differentiate the species of Patia, particularly the number of sulci and pseudosulci and its contour or perimeter. A pattern was observed, especially in P. rhetes, in which the central sulci are disintegrated and surrounded by several pseudosulci in the basal antennomeres and along the club; in the medial and distal antennomeres, the pseudosulci merge to form sulci aggregates. Pseudosulci are uncommon on the distal antennomeres, even in P. rhetes. The central sulci are irregular and have a discontinuous edge when they are disaggregated and accompanied by pseudosulci; those that are elliptical and have a continuous contour, seldom have pseudosulci nearby. Another noteworthy feature is the different shapes of the distal antennomere that occur in the subspecies of P. cordillera and P. orise. In the former, this antennomere is quite elongated and ends at a point, whereas the distal one is less elongated and its apex blunt. Patia rhetes shows the lowest number of scaleless antennomeres (n = 11) while P. cordillera sspp. the largest (n = 14 or 15). The variety of the sensilla present in the Patia species does not provide specific differences, except in P. cordillera sororna where we discovered the presence of a claviform sensillum that does not present in any other species or subspecies. In our small sample size, we did not observe sexual dimorphism.

Ultrastructure of the proboscis sensilla of ten species of butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

“…The morphology of sensilla reflects taxonomic relationships and has been used to infer phylogenetic relationships [36, 40, 41]. Proboscis sensilla, morphological differences were found mainly in the length, shape and number of sensilla.…”