''Iophanus'' is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
in the family
Lycaenidae
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 ...
described by
Max Wilhelm Karl Draudt
Max Wilhelm Karl Draudt (11 March 1875, Darmstadt – 4 April 1953 Darmstadt) was a German entomologist, who specialised in Lepidoptera.
His collections of the Lepidoptera of Mexico are conserved in various institutions such as Senckenberg Museu ...
in 1920. The single species of this genus, ''Iophanus pyrrhias'', the Guatemalan copper, was described by
Frederick DuCane Godman
Frederick DuCane Godman DCL FRS FLS FGS FRGS FES FZS MRI FRHS (15 January 1834 – 19 February 1919) was an English lepidopterist, entomologist and ornithologist. He was one of the twenty founding members of the British Ornithologists' Un ...
and
Osbert Salvin
Osbert Salvin FRS (25 February 1835 – 1 June 1898) was an English naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist best known for co-authoring ''Biologia Centrali-Americana'' (1879–1915) with Frederick DuCane Godman. This was a 52 volume en ...
in 1887. It is found in
Guatemala, the highlands of
Chiapas, Mexico
Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities a ...
, and apparently in a few other areas of the
Neotropical realm
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bi ...
.
Highlands of Chiapas
/ref>
Description
''Iophanus pyrrhias'' is a small butterfly. The hindwing ends in a short tail. The upperside is brown, with a distinct purple-metallic sheen on the males. The females are dull brown except for an iridescent blue field at the base of the forewings. Along the rear edge is an orange zigzag. The underside of the forewings is dull yellow with brown edges and brown stripes; the underside of the hindwings is brown with some darker markings.
Bibliography
* Godman, F. D. & Salvin, O. 1879-1901 (1881) ''Biologia Centrali-Americana''. London: Taylor & Francis. Vol. 2, plate LVIII.
* Heppner, J. B. 2007. "Notes on ''Iophanus pyrrhias'' in Guatemala (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)". ''Tropical Lepidoptera''. 17 (1-2): 14.
* Lamas, G. 2004. ''Lycaeninae''. pp. 137–138 in Lamas, G. (ed.) ''Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 4A Hesperioidea - Papiionoidea''. Gainesville: Scientific Publishers/Association of Tropical Lepidoptera.
References
External links
*
*
*
Butterflies of America: Lycaenidae: ''Iophanus pyrrhias''
(illustrations of museum and live specimens, variants)
Lycaeninae
Lycaenidae of South America
Taxa named by Max Wilhelm Karl Draudt
Monotypic butterfly genera
Lycaenidae genera
{{Lycaeninae-stub