An international team of entomologists has described two new species of satyrid butterflies from the lowland tropical forests of the upper Amazon basin, and named one of them after the famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
The Attenborough’s black-eyed satyr (Euptychia attenboroughi): male (upper row) and female. Scale bars – 1 cm. Image credit: Andrew Neild / Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.
Both new species belong to Euptychia, a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae (brush-footed, or four-footed butterflies).
The first, named Euptychia attenboroughi, is known from Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil, according to research team leader Dr Andrew F. E. Neild of the Natural History Museum, London.
“We name this butterfly to honor the great English naturalist, author, and TV presenter, Sir David Attenborough, in gratitude for opening the eyes and hearts of millions to the natural world through his inspiring and edifying work,” Dr Neild and co-authors said.
The proposed English name is the Attenborough’s black-eyed satyr.
“Other animals and plants have previously been dedicated to Sir David Attenborough, but it makes us happy and proud to be the first to dedicate a butterfly species in his name,” Dr Neild added.
“Although we are a large team from several countries from across four continents and speaking different languages, we have all been deeply influenced and inspired by Sir David’s fascinating and informative documentaries.”
The Euptychia attenboroughi’s atypical wings in comparison to its relatives, have been the reason Dr Neild and co-authors took to plenty of diagnostic characters to define its taxonomic placement. The peculiar patterns and morphology initially led the team to think the species could be even a new genus.
“It was a surprise for us that DNA data supported inclusion of this new species in the existing genus Euptychia, since this species lacked a distinctive structural character which was considered to be shared by all members of the genus,” explained team member Dr Shinichi Nakahara, of the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Euptychia sophiae, male. Scale bar – 1 cm. Image credit: Thamara Zacca.
The second new species, Euptychia sophiae, is only known from the type locality in Serra do Divisor National Park, Acre, in the extreme west of Brazil.
Euptychia attenboroughi and E. sophiae are described in an article published online this week by the journal ZooKeys.
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Neild A.F.E. et al. 2015. Two new species of Euptychia Hübner, 1818 from the upper Amazon basin (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). ZooKeys 541: 87-108; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.541.6297
