Rienk de JONG National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, The Netherlands NOTES ON SALANOEMIA ELIOT, 1978, AND ISMA DISTANT, 1886 (LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERIIDAE), MAINLY FROM JAVA AND SUMATRA Jong, R. de, 2006. Notes on Salanoemia Eliot, 1978, and Isma Distant, 1886 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), mainly from Java and Sumatra. – Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 149: 15-20, figs. 1-14. [issn 0040-7496]. Published 1 June 2006. In spite of intensive collecting activities in Southeast Asia during more than 200 years some species of butterflies remain known from very few individuals only and old collections may still yield surprises. Most species of the hesperiid genera Salanoemia Eliot (seven species) and Isma Distant (ca 17 species) are rare and every new discovery extends our knowledge consider- ably. Salanoemia dissimilis is described as a new species (TL: West Java, Soekanegara) and new records are discussed for Salanoemia shigerui Maruyama (Sumatra, East coast, Laut Tador) and Isma cronus (de Nicéville) (West Java, Tjibodas). A key to the seven Salanoemia species currently recognised is provided. The taxonomic position of the two genera is briefly discussed. R. de Jong, National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected] Key words. – Hesperiidae; Salanoemia; Isma; new species; taxonomy; distribution; Oriental region. West Java is arguably the best collected area of genera. Eliot (1992) disregarded the subgroups, while Southeast Asia with regard to butterflies, collections Maruyama (1991) raised the Plastingia subgroup of dating back to well into the eighteenth century (De Evans to his Plastingia group, and united the Erionota Jong 2004). Yet, new records keep turning up. On and Unkana subgroups of Evans into the Erionota the other hand, unexpected discoveries can some- group. All these subdivisions are very unsatisfactory times be made in older collections. Here, two such because diagnostic characters are poor and possible cases are described from the collection of the National relationships with genera from other continents have Museum of Natural History, Leiden, one a new spe- not been considered. For instance, the superficial sim- cies of Salanoemia Eliot, 1978, the other a new record ilarity of genera of the African Ploetzia group (Evans, for Java of a species of Isma Distant, 1886, otherwise 1937) with the Erionota group is strong and deserves known from Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Most further investigation. However, this falls outside the species of the two genera are very rare and may have scope of the present paper. been overlooked over large areas. On the other hand, the two specimens concerned are almost 70 years Salanoemia Eliot, 1978 old now. In view of the fast disappearance of natural habitats during that period, it is possible that the spe- The genus Salanoemia was erected by Eliot (1978) cies do no longer occur at these localities, although to accommodate five species formerly included in the the may turn up in less disturbed and less frequently heterogeneous genus Plastingia Butler, 1870. It dif- visited areas. A record of another Salanoemia species, fers from the latter in having symmetrical genitalia, from Sumatra, is described, belonging to a species and the veins on the underside of the hindwing being that was recently described after a single male from concolorous with the ground colour. These charac- West Malaysia. Since there are no good figures of the ters would appear to be plesiomorphic and as such genitalia, they are depicted here. do not support the monophyly of the genus. In the The taxonomic position of the two genera is absence of a phylogenetic analysis of the genera of the still open to debate. Evans (1949) placed them in Plastingia group (sensu Eliot 1978), however, the di- the Plastingia subgroup of his Plastingia group of vision of Plastingia by Eliot (1978) into five genera 15 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 02:44:50AM via free access Tisi Enie, e 149, 2006 1 3 5 2 4 6 Figs. 1-6. Upper (odd numbers) and undersides of Salanoemia and Isma species. – 1, 2, Salanoemia dissimilis, holotype; 3, 4, Salanoemia shigerui (Sumatra, East coast, Laut Tador); 5, 6, Isma cronus (West Java, Tjibodas). has at least the advantage of creating morphologically more homogeneous groups. There is, moreover, a further difference not mentioned by Eliot (1978, 1992) and Maruyama (1991), viz. the position of the cell spots on the forewing. In Salanoemia Eliot, 1978, Pemara Eliot, 1978, and Xanthoneura Eliot, 1978 (the last two genera also separated from Plastingia s.l.), the spots are placed one above the other as in the related genus Isma Distant, 1886, while in Plastingia and Pyroneura Eliot, 1978, the upper cell spot is displaced outwardly. Most Salanoemia species are very rare, at least in Malaysia and Borneo, and except for S. sala (Hewit- son, [1866]) which occurs from India to Palawan and Bali, the species are known from few localities only in the area from Burma to Borneo. So far, only one species, S. sala (Hewitson, [1866]), has been recorded from Java (and going east as far as Bali) (Maruyama 1991). Below, a second species is described from Java as new. The specimen was collected in 1937 and since the type locality is in a well-populated area with much agriculture, the habitat may exist no longer. In addition to the five species recognised by Eliot (1978, 1992) in the genus, Maruyama (2000) de- Fig. 7. The known localities of Salanoemia dissimilis (trian- scribed a new species, S. shigerui, based on a single gle) and S. shigerui (dots). male, from West Malaysia. Below, a second specimen of this species is recorded from Sumatra. A key to the seven species of the genus is provided. Salanoemia species are generally found in primary lowland forest and for this reason they may be under threat of extinction over very wide areas. 16 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 02:44:50AM via free access De Jong: Salanoemia and Isma 8 9 12 13 10 11 14 Figs. 8-13. Male genitalia of Salanoemia and Isma. – 8, 9, S. dissimilis (holotype) (8, inside of right valva; 9, dorsal view of tegumen and uncus); 10, 11, S. shigerui (Sumatra, East coast, Laut Tador) (10, inside of right valva; 11, dorsal view of tegumen and uncus); 12-14, Isma cronus (West Java, Tjibodas) (12, inside of right valva; 13, inside of left valva; 14, dorsal view of tegumen and uncus, seen obliquely from the left). Salanoemia dissimilis sp. n. uncus; costa undifferentiated, widening to ca. 37 % of height of valva near distal end of costa; sacculus Type material. − Holotype: male. W Java, 900 indistinct, gently folding inward, ventrodistal part of m, Soekanegara,15.x.1937, L.J. Toxopeus. National valva (‘cucullus’) most prominent structure, almost Museum of Natural History, Leiden (locality, fig. 7). 70 % of total length of valva, dorsodistal part broadly Only a badly worn male specimen (figs. 1, 2) avail- serrate, proximad of this part a distinct, serrate prong able, but the genitalia are still relatively intact. covering the distal end of the costa. Descriprion Discussion Length forewing, 15 mm. Upperside forewing With Evans (1949) the specimen quickly keys to similar to S. similis Elwes & Edwards, 1897, but S. similis because of the very small upper cell spot markings more extensive, basal half of costal area on the forewing and the markings on upperside of solid yellow, outer edge of yellow area in space 1b in forewing are different (see key, below). The yellow line with outer edge of spot in space 2, about half of costal streak on upperside forewing is more pro- spot in space 3 overlapping spot in space 2, lower cell nounced than in S. similis, in this respect reminding spot as long as spot in space 3, upper cell spot about of S. noemi. The latter species, however, has larger one third the size. Upperside hindwing similar to and sub-equal cell spots, and the spots on under- S. similis. Underside forewing as in S. similis except side hindwing are much heavier (nice illustration in for the more extensive spotting. Underside hindwing de Nicéville 1885, pl. 2, fig. 15). In the male geni- as in S. similis, but black spots minute. talia the new species does not resemble any other Male genitalia (figs. 8, 9). Uncus elongate, almost Salanoemia species. cylindrical, about as long as tegumen, but no clear distinction between the two. In dorsal view tegumen Salanoemia shigerui Maruyama, 2000 with two lateral, blunt, more or less conical tuber- ances, and centrally a wing-like structure widening Material examined. − One male, ‘Sumatra, E. coast, to a triangular plate with obtuse angles covering the Laut Tador, 80 m, 4.i.1950, R. Straatman’, National basis of the uncus. No gnathos visible. Aedeagus bro- Museum of Natural History, Leiden (figs. 3, 4; local- ken. Valva simply built, elongate and almost paral- ity, fig. 7). lel-sided, slightly longer than length of tegumen plus 17 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 02:44:50AM via free access Tisi Enie, e 149, 2006 The unmistakable species was described after a Alphabetical list of species single male from West Malaysia (Johor, Jason Bay, Salanoemia Eliot, 1978 near Kota Tinggi) (Maruyama 2000). Understand- S. dissimilis sp. n. ably it was not included in Eliot (1992). The species S. fuscicornis (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) is characterised by the white hyaline spots, the cream- S. noemi (de Nicéville, 1885) coloured area in space 1b of the forewing upperside S. sala (Hewitson, [1866]) and in the discal area of the hindwing upperside, and S. shigerui Maruyama, 2000 the broad dark border of the hindwing underside. S. similis (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) The second specimen known, mentioned under S.