Revision of the "celia clade" of Pseudodebis Forster, 1964, with Two New Species and Notes on Papilio phorcys Fabricius, 1793 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae).

Abstract

The species-level classification of the "celia clade" of the nymphalid butterfly genus Pseudodebis Forster, 1964, is revised as part of ongoing revisionary work on this genus. The "celia clade" contains three species, of which two, Pseudodebis darrenthroopi Nakahara & Willmott, n. sp. and P. tigrillo Nakahara & Willmott, n. sp., are described and named herein based on morphology and molecular data. Consequently, we increase the described species diversity of Pseudodebis to 13, with a remarkable six species occurring in the trans-Andean region. We discuss five specific epithets associated with the clade and designate a neotype for Papilio celia Cramer, 1780, and lectotype for Taygetis keneza Butler, 1869, based on the same specimen, thus retaining the status of the former name as a senior objective synonym. We also provide a brief historical review for Papilio phorcys Fabricius, 1793, an enigmatic name currently synonymized under Papilio celia. Nevertheless, we were unable to locate the syntype(s) for this name and the identity of Papilio phorcys remains uncertain, so we retain the current synonymy as a parsimonious approach.