Euriphellus euribates polygius - Euribates Scarlet-Eye (Latreille, [1824])

Lepidoptera: Bombycina: Papilionoidea (nowadays) / Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae: Eudaminae: Eudamini

Wingspan: ~60-62mm
Picture of the species Euriphellus euribates in the book Butterflies of Brazil (Borboletas do Brasil) by Haroldo Palo Jr. displaying a wingspan of 62mm (swipe to the second picture): http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1532519123/fullscreen

Date: 2017, I don't remember the exact date and time, but it was in the middle or before the middle of the year.
Location: Brazil, Santa Catarina, Benedito Novo (Lat: -26.77, Long: -49.36)

The distribution status of Euriphellus euribates polygius is doubtful but there are spottings in the Southern portion of Brazil, exactly where this one was found. Informations provided here about the species and subspecies need to be revised. Propose any true changes with proofs and you will be credited. Proposed changes without proofs will also be accepted but will be investigated before posting.

Euriphellus euribates polygius is a member of the order Lepidoptera, subdivision Bombycina, superfamily Papilionoidea (nowadays) / Hesperioidea, family Hesperiidae, subfamily Eudaminae (previously Pyrginae) and tribe Eudamini (requires confirmation). They are crepuscular in activity.

According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euriphellus), Euriphellus are monotypical and were previously inside Dyscophellus. George Traut Austin separated the genus Euriphellus from Dyscophellus in 2008. The only species in the genus Euriphellus is E. euribates, with two subspecies present:

Euriphellus euribates euribates (Latreille, [1824]), which are distributed from Costa Rica, South to Bolivia and Southern Brazil;

Euriphellus euribates polygius (Latreille, [1824]), with an unknown type locality and distribution, with spottings in the Southern part of Brazil. Subspecies Euriphellus euribates polygius is not present in the work of Haroldo Palo Jr., "Borboletas do Brasil" ("Butterflies of Brazil"), but this spotting shows that they can, indeed, be found in Southern Brazil.

Wikipedia cites their wingspan from 28 to 30mm, but this information is wrong. I remember the encounter and took a ruler post-encounter to measure through eye memory; The subject portrayed had a wingspan of approximately 60mm or more. Consulting "Borboletas do Brasil" ("Butterflies of Brazil"), the species Euriphellus euribates is displayed there as having a wingspan of approximately 62mm, further reinforcing that the Wikipedia article is partially wrong and so is this part of the work it was quoted from.

E. e. polygius has, more or less on the forewings, an overall brownish-orange coloring with three partially translucent large macules (middle one smaller in females and about the same size in males) and three subapical smaller macules with, more or less, the same characteristics as the previously mentioned ones. There seems to exist variations in which more macules are present such as a macule along the costal margin proximally to the thorax and one (right forewing of males) or two macules (right and left forewings of females) proximally to the inner margin of the forewings, all with the same characteristics of the previously mentioned macules; Females seem to present one macule on each forewing just below the three subapical macules, and the macules of females seem to be more translucent than the males. There might be variations I'm unaware of and dark spots are present on the forewings, randomically or not. The right hindwing is different from the left hindwing. The left hindwing possesses three partially translucent macules; Two proximally to the outer margin and one proximally to the thorax. The hindwings require confirmation. The right hindwing, as illustrated in the following link, has around 7 (females) or 8 (males) macules proximally to the outer margin and one (males) or three (females) macules proximally to the thorax. The illustration shows a macule on the subcostal area of the right hindwing of the male. The left hindwing of the females seem to have one subcostal macule and two smaller macules proximally to the inner margin. The left hindwing of males seem to possess one larger subcostal macule and two smaller (however, bigger than the females') macules proximally to the inner margin; dark macules or spots seem to be present next to these and lacking on females. Males seem to have a large thorax and a pointy abdomen, which shortens in width gradually, while the females seem to possess a smaller thorax and a rounded abdomen with no remarkable differences in width until the rounded tip. As such, the subject portrayed seems to be a male.

Illustration promised: http://butterfliesofamerica.com/L/euriphellus_euribates_polygius_illustrations.htm

The following description is quoted from Austin, George T., 2008, Insecta Mundi 0029: 1-36 for the Euriphellus genus as a whole:

"...palpi robust, more or less quadrate in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view, third segment extending slightly
beyond scaling of second segment; antennae 51% of forewing length recurved to long apiculus of about club length, nudum of 36-38 segments; legs with dense hair-like scales on posterior edge, mid-tibia without spines and with single pair of spurs, hind tibia with two pairs of spurs; ventral hindwing with relatively shallow groove lined with small hair-like scales of ground color expanding in width towards termen along 2A, recumbent hair-like scales above this on dorsal surface.

Male genitalia ...: tegumen robust, bulbous caudad in dorsal view; uncus robust, narrowing gradually caudad from tegumen in dorsal view, undivided; gnathos well developed, undivided; vinculum strongly angled from plane of tegumen; saccus robust, curved sharply dorsad; valva elongate, cephalic portion more or less rectangular, harpe with prominent serrated dorsal crest that bends variably inward; aedeagus moderately robust, shorter than valva; cornuti of apparently three series of spikes...

Female genitalia ...: lamella postvaginalis with broadly rounded lateral lobes separated by Vshaped notch on caudal edge; lamella antevaginalis with broad lateral plates, caudal margin dentate and armed with central spines and lateral hooks; antrum sclerotized leading to membranous curved tube entering side of broad ductus bursae anterior of its caudal end with weakly sclerotized oval plate just caudad of this junction, constricted slightly just before joining with bulbous corpus bursae."

http://www.digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1119&context=insectamundi

Synonyms include:

Papilio euribates (Stoll, 1872)
Dyscophellus euribates (Stoll, [1782])
Papilio nicias (Fabricius, 1787)
Telegonus hesus (Westwood, [1852])
Eudamus etias (Hewitson, 1867)
Telegonus gaurus (Plötz, 1882)
Telegonus tychios (Plötz, 1882)
Hesperia polygius (Latreille, [1824])

Informations are scarce. I do not know the egg-adult process, the lifespan or the host plants of the larvae and adults of E. e. polygius. Found in a secondary forest habitat.

http://butterfliesofamerica.com/L/euriphellus_euribates_polygius.htm

Identified by Cesar of Insetologia:

https://www.insetologia.com.br/2018/07/borboleta-euriphellus-em-santa-catarina.html

Text revision by Kel Silva: https://www.facebook.com/sckel