Revalidation of an endemic Cuban Skipper, Chiomara gundlachi (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Abstract

In the present work we reassess the taxonomic status of one species of Hesperiidae, subfamily Pyrginae, originally described from Cuba. As part of a larger project on the Greater Antillean butterflies, we obtained COI barcode sequences for Cuban specimens of Chiomara mithrax (Möschler, 1879). The comparison of these sequences revealed deep divergences from others belonging to continental specimens. Inspired by these results we performed morphological comparisons including genitalia structures, which revealed correlating differences between specimens from Cuba and the continent. Therefore, we propose the necessary changes in its taxonomy.DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and sequencing of the COI barcode region were performed by the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CCDB). Polymerase chain reactions used the primer pair LepF1-ATTCAACCAATCATAAAGATATTGG and LepR1-TAAACTTCTGGATGTCCAAAAAATCA (Hebert et al. 2004) which recovers a 658 bp region near the 5´ end of COI including the 648 bp barcode region for the animal kingdom (Hebert et al. 2003). Our two new sequences were submitted to GenBank: MK253654-55. COI barcode sequences of continental C. mithrax were downloaded from GenBank: JF777766, GU658613-14, GU658617-20, GU658246.. We examined adult specimens deposited at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM), Munich, Germany and the Institute of Ecology and Systematics (CZACC) in Havana, Cuba. Genitalia dissections were made using standard techniques. Abdomens were soaked in hot 10% potassium hydroxide for one hour before dissection. The structures were then dehydrated in an alcoholic series and mounted on slides using Euparal. FIGURES 1-3. Adults of Chiomara gundlachi stat. rev. 1-Outskirts of Vallecito village, Pinar del Río, Cuba. 2-same data, road kill. 3-La Movida, outskirts of Santa Clara city, Villa Clara Cuba. Photos: Tim Norriss.FIGURES 4-6. Adults of Chiomara mithrax. 4-Chiriqui, Panama. 5-Sinaloa, Mexico. 6-Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Scale bar 10 mm.

Lista taxonómica de las mariposas (Insecta: Lepidoptera) del sector Cupeyal del Norte, Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt, Holguín-Guantánamo, Cuba

“…Endemismo. Se registraron 15 especies endémicas y 16 subespecies endémicas para el SCN, las cuales representan el 19.23 % y 20.51 %, respectivamente, del total de mariposas endémicas cubanas (N = 78) (Mancina et al, 2020;Núñez y Barro, 2012;Núñez et al, 2019Núñez et al, , 2013Núñez et al, , 2018. Estos valores se consideran relativamente altos respecto al área total del sector.…”