Hübner’s helicta, the Forgotten Neonympha: The Recognition and Elevation of Neonympha helicta (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) to Specific Status, the Designation of Neotypes for N. helicta and N. areolatus, the Subspecific Transfer of septentrionalis to helicta and the Description of a Third helicta Subspecies from South Florida

Authors

Ronald R. Gatrelle, International Lepidoptera Survey

Date of this Version

7-15-1999

Document Type

Article

Citation

Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey (July 15, 1999) 1(8): 1-8

Also available at https://lepsurvey.carolinanature.com/ttr/ttr-1-8.pdf

Comments

Copyright 1999, International Lepidoptera Survey. Open access material

License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-SA-NC 4.0 International)

Abstract

Hübner (1806) based the name Oreas fimbriata helicta on a John Abbot painting of a southeastern United States satyr without a written description. Subsequent lepidopterists have nearly ignored this taxon. Helicta is herein recognized as a valid species–Neonympha helicta. A neotype is designated for helicta from Aiken County, South Carolina and deposited in the Allyn Museum of Entomology Sarasota, Florida. A neotype is also designated for Papilio areolata J.E. Smith, 1797 from Chatham County, Georia and deposited in the Allyn Museum of Entomology. Septentrionalis Davis, 1924 is recognized as the northern United States subspecies of helicta not areolatus. An apparently isolated relict population of helicta south of Miami, Florida is described as new subspecies Neonympha helicta dadeensis.