Hyantis

Hyantis is a monotypic nymphalid butterfly genus. Its sole species is Hyantis hodeva, which is found in New Guinea. It is uncertain which tribe this butterfly should be placed within.

Hyantis hodeva
Hyantis hodeva helvola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Tribe:
Amathusiini* (see text)
Genus:
Hyantis

Species:
H. hodeva
Binomial name
Hyantis hodeva
Hewitson, 1862[1]

Distribution

The species is distributed in the following islands: New Guinea, Waigeo, Misool, Yapen and D'Entrecasteaux Islands.[2]

Morphology
Illustrations of Hyantis hodeva in Hewitson 1867-1871[lower-alpha 1]

The species has three pairs of six well-developed ocellus on the ventral side of the wings: one pair on the forewings near the apex and two pairs on the hindwings.[2] Each eyespot is large and bordered with yellow, and the black "pupil" has plural small white dots inside.[2][4] This species is similar to Taenaris, but can be easily identified from that genus, which generally has only two or four ocellus with single white spot on its hindwings.[2]

This species is also unique in having a closed discoidal cell on each hindwing.[2][4] This morphological character is also shared by the genus Morphopsis and is generally found in the subfamily Satyrinae.[2]

The early stage is unknown.[2]

Mimicry

This species is very similar to Taenaris species, especially T. catops. Hyantis is also imitated by Mycalesis drusillodes (Satyrini), Taenaris by Elymnias agondas (Elymniini). It should be considered that these species may be involved in some kind of mimicry complex, but the details are not known.[2]

Systematics

The genus Hyantis (and putatively related Morphopsis) has traditionally been placed within tribe Amathusiini,[5] even though there are differences in wing venation structures.[6] Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have been gradually resolved the confusion in the phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily Satyrinae[7][lower-alpha 2], but the phylogenetic status of this genus remains confused, with several methods of analysis showing different results.[5] For example: within the clade of Melanitini + Dirini (Peña & Wahlberg 2008), appears to be related with Elymnias (Wahlberg et al. 2009, Fig.1s), as sister to Amathusiini (Wahlberg et al. 2009, Fig.5s) and within Zetherini (Wahlberg et al. 2009, Fig.3s and Penz 2017). In any case, further studies are needed to clarify the phylogenetic position of this genus.[5]

Classification

This species contains 3 to 5 subspecies.[2] The lower classification shown here is according to Wahlberg (2018), which recognizes 4 subspecies.

Hyantis Hewitson, 1862
  • Hyantis hodeva Hewitson, 1862
  • Hyantis hodeva hodeva Hewitson, 1862
  • Hyantis hodeva helvola Stichel, 1905 (syn. Hyantis hodeva hageni Röber, 1903)
  • Hyantis hodeva fulginosa Grose-Smith, 1898 (syn. Hyantis hodeva xanthophthalma Röber, 1903)
  • Hyantis hodeva emarginata Fruhstorfer, 1916

Notes
  1. These illustrations are signed "W.C. Hewitson del et lith. 1862". "del et lith." is a signature indicating by whom the illustration was drawn and printed on the lithograph.[3] Thus, this illustrations were drawn and printed on the lithograph by Hewitson in 1862 (although the whole book was published between 1868 and 1871).
  2. The tribes that formed subfamily Morphinae, such as tribe Amathusiini, are now included in the subfamily Satyrinae based on molecular phylogenetic analyses.[5][7]

References

Citations
  1. Wahlberg 2018; Shimomura 2015; ftp.funet.fi.
  2. Shimomura 2015.
  3. "Glossary. What Do The Words On An Antique Print Mean?". Fine Rare Prints.
  4. Hewitson 1867-1871.
  5. Marín et al. 2011.
  6. Brower 2006.
  7. NYMPHALIDAE.net.

Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyantis hodeva.
Wikispecies has information related to Hyantis.


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