''Lamasina'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

gossamer-winged butterflies Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly ...

(

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Lycaenidae); the validity of its name is subject to dispute. Among its family, these

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

belong to the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Eumaeini The Eumaeini are a tribe of gossamer-winged butterflies (family Lycaenidae). They are typically placed in the subfamily Theclinae, but sometimes considered a separate subfamily Eumaeinae. Over 1,000 species are found in the Neotropical realm Sys ...

of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Theclinae The subfamily Theclinae is a group of butterflies, often referred to as hairstreaks, with some species instead known as elfins or by other names. The group is part of the family Lycaenidae, the "gossamer-winged butterflies". There are many tropi ...

. ''Lamasina''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are found mainly in northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, approximately to

the Guyanas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * G ...

. '' L. draudti'' is also found in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

south of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

. In the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, the genus extends somewhat further south; '' L. rhaptissima'' almost reaches

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

.Robbins & Lamas (2008), and see references in Savela (2011) The genus name has changed two times since the year 2000 for technical reasons. The question of which name is correct is not yet fully resolved, though ''Lamasina'' seems to be preferred.Robbins & Lamas (2008)

Description

They show some similarity to '' Evenus'' (probably a close relative) and ''

Paiwarria ''Paiwarria'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. The species of this genus are found in the Neotropical realm. Species *'' Paiwarria antinous'' (C. & R. Felder, 865 *'' Paiwarria aphaca'' (Hewitson, 1867) *'' Paiwarria chuchuvia ...

'' (probably a slightly more distinct member of the

). But whether ''Lamasina'' is in fact a close relative of the former is not thoroughly studied. The upperwings of ''Lamasina'' males and females are bluish, with broad black margins which are broader in females. The underwings are greenish to brown, with a striped or mottled pattern that distinguishes males from females. In some, the males have blue forewing undersides also. ''Lamasina'' has a fairly short forewing cell, measuring less than one-half of the costal length and in males only about one-third. In some ''Lamasina'' males,

androconia The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presen ...

("perfume" scales) form a characteristic orange or darkened patch on the dorsal forewing. There is a lobed tail at the hindwing tornus in some species. Together with the structure of the

genitalia A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

, members of this genus can thus be unequivocally recognized by this combination of characters, though most of these features are also found in other

Classification

The genus used to be known as ''Eucharia'', established by

Jean Baptiste Boisduval Jean Baptiste Alphonse Déchauffour de Boisduval (24 June 1799 – 30 December 1879) was a French lepidopterist, botanist, and physician. He was one of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, and was the co-founder of the Société entomol ...

in 1870, but that name had earlier been proposed for a genus of arctiid moths. The first attempt to establish a replacement name may have failed on technical grounds; the name chosen, ''Annamaria'', was subsequently argued to be a ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...

'' per Article 13.1 of the

ICZN Code The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the ...

, because an appropriate genus description was not given. ''Lamasina'' was validly established in 2002, but if ''"Annamaria"'' is valid after all, ''Lamasina'' is its

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

. The matter has been submitted to the ICZN for discussion.Brower (2008), Robbins & Lamas (2008), and see references in Savela (2011)

Species

Three to five

are currently accepted as valid. While '' L. saphonota'' might not belong into this genus (it was placed variously in '' Brevianta'' and '' Denivia'' in the past), '' L. ganimedes'' and '' L. rhaptissima'' might be

cryptic species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

es. * '' Lamasina columbia'' (Bálint, 2005) (may belong in ''L. rhaptissima'') * '' Lamasina draudti'' (Lathy, 1926) * '' Lamasina ganimedes'' (Cramer, 1775) (often misspelled ''ganymedes'', including ''L. lathyi'') * '' Lamasina rhaptissima'' (K.Johnson, 1991) (including ''L. rhapsodia'') * '' Lamasina saphonota'' (Constantino, Salazar & K.Johnson, 1993) (tentatively placed here)

Footnotes

References

* (2008): Tree of Life Web Project &ndash
''Lamasina''
Version of 2008-MAR-24. Retrieved 2008-NOV-12. * (2008): Nomenclature, variation, and the biological species concept in ''Lamasina'' (Lycaenidae: Theclinae: Eumaeini) nglish with Portuguese abstract ''Revista Brasileira de Zoologia'' 25(1): 116–127. PDF fulltext
* (2011): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms &ndash

Version of 2011-DEC-24. Retrieved 2012-MAR-31. {{Taxonbar, from=Q6480972 Eumaeini Lycaenidae of South America Lycaenidae genera

Description

Classification

Species

See also

Footnotes

References