Euselasia

Euselasia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Riodinidae
Subfamily: Euselasiinae
Genus: Euselasia
Hübner, 1819
Species

~170

Synonyms
  • Erythia Hübner, [1819]
  • Marmessus Hübner, [1819]
  • Psalidopteris Hübner, 1823
  • Eurygona Boisduval, 1836

Euselasia is a genus in the butterfly family Riodinidae present only in the Neotropical ecozone.

Description

The wing veins are inconstant.Some species have 2, others 3, and one species (E. aurantiaca) even 4 subcostal branches. The genus is recognizable by the anterior radial vein either running directly in the elongation of the subcostal, or being connected with it by a very short anterior discocellular.

The butterflies often have the appearance of small Satyrids or Thecla species ; as for instance Eus. eutychus resembles (particularly beneath) exactly Euptychia helle flying in the same locality, or Thecla themathea ; or Eus. clithra resembles Euptychia chloris and so on. On the upper surface there is often a very bright reflection of a shining power otherwise not found in any lepidopteron and of a truly wonderful iridescence.

The larvae are somewhat of the shape of a wood-louse, very brightly coloured, behind the head there are two points.The pupae are covered with fine, fluffy hairs like the larvae, green, held by a belt. The imagines are partly extraordinarily rare and belong to the few Riodinidae that fly to a considerable height. They also clap their wings together when being at rest like other day-butterflies, unlike most of the other Riodinidae which spread them out like the Geometridae.[1]

Taxonomy

This is one of the largest genera in the family Riodinidae. As of 2004 there were almost 170 species and more are being described continually.[2] The type species of the genus is Euselasia gelon (Stoll, [1787])

Species

Species include:

References

  1. ↑ Seitz, A., 1916. Family:Erycinidae. In A. Seitz (editor), Macrolepidoptera of the world,vol. 5: 617–738. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Callaghan, C. J., et al. (2013). A new species of Euselasia Hübner from Meso-America and Mexico with notes on the eurypus group (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae). Zootaxa 3701 54-62.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hall, J. P. W. and K. R. Willmott. (2009). Two new species of Euselasia (Riodinidae: Euselasiinae) from western Ecuador. Trop Lepid Res 19(1) 52-55.

External links

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Bibliography