225. A southern range extension for Morpho amathonte Deyrolle, 1860 (nymphalidae, morphinae) in western Eecuador Ana the description of a new subspecies

Titre : A southern range extension for Morpho amathonte Deyrolle, 1860 (nymphalidae, morphinae) in western Eecuador Ana the description of a new subspecies

Auteurs : Shinichi Nakahara and Patrick Blandin

Date : 2010

Revue : Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 20 (2)

Pagination : p. 85, 86, 87

Résumé : The geographical distribution of the nymphalid butterfly Morpho amathonte Deyrolle, 1860, extends from Nicaragua (Chontales and Zelaya provinces) through Central America to the lowlands of north-western Ecuador, and encompasses 4 subspecies (Blandin, 2007a,b). Until recently, the southern limit for this species west of the Andes was Río Palenque, Los Ríos, Ecuador, as reported for M. amathonte ecuadorensis Le Moult and Réal, 1962, in an unpublished list for the Río Palenque Research Station compiled by Tom Dodson (K. Willmott, personal communication). During a survey trip to south-western Ecuador by the first author (SN) in August 2008, three males and one female of this species were collected at La Troncal, Cañar, extending the known range southwards by approximately 120 km. A comparison of the wing patterns and coloration of the specimens from Cañar with those from further north revealed consistent and significant differences, and we therefore describe a new subspecies for the Cañar population.