An international team of scientists from Italy, Venezuela, and Ecuador identified a new genus of butterflies in the Andes, named Andinoia. This discovery was announced by the National Biodiversity Institute (Inabio) of Ecuador, one of the institutions involved in the research.
The name Andinoia arose from the combination of “Andean,” referring to its habitat, and the suffix “-oia,” used in butterfly subgenera of the group Catasticta. This new genus groups species that can be classified into three groups, differentiated by color patterns on their wings.
The butterflies of this genus are characterized by their distinctive thick yellow submarginal stripes, shaped like a drumstick with a slight or no widening at the base. Additionally, both males and females have discal bands in shades of red or orange-red.
The genus Catasticta, to which Andinoia is related, is one of the most diverse among neotropical butterflies, with 101 species and 264 subspecies distributed in Central and South America, especially in mountainous regions. However, its taxonomic classification was complex, with studies initially based on phenotypic characteristics and, more recently, on molecular analyses that raised new questions about its nomenclature.
## Discovery of Two New Subspecies
In parallel, another research revealed the existence of two new subspecies of butterflies in the western area of Pantepui, a region shared by Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil. These are Tepuinoia duida occidentalis and Catasticta sisamnus mauritiana.
The first, Tepuinoia duida occidentalis, was found at the western end of Pantepui and shares habitat with Catasticta sisamnus mauritiana, whose males were observed feeding on Chromolaena flowers. On the other hand, Catasticta sisamnus mauritiana is named after Maurizio Bollino, in recognition of his contribution to the study of the genus Catasticta. This subspecies was identified only in the Serranía del Cuao, at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,740 meters above sea level.
Serranía del Cuao, also known as Macizo del Cuao, consists of sandstone and quartzite plateaus of the Roraima Group, reaching altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters. Its location on the western boundary of Pantepui makes it one of the least explored mountainous areas in the region.
## Participating Institutions
Both investigations involved scientists from Inabio (Ecuador), Salento Natural History Museum (Italy), Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), University of Azuay (Ecuador), and Central University of Venezuela. Additionally, experts from the University of Florida (United States) participated in the study on the new subspecies of Pantepui.
These discoveries highlight the unique biodiversity of the Andean and Pantepui ecosystems, as well as the importance of continuing to explore and document the richness of neotropical fauna.
## The Insect that Displays the Colors of a Nation on its Wings: the Argentine Flag Butterfly
The Argentine flag butterfly inhabits jungle regions in central-eastern South America. This explains its presence in the riparian forests and talares of Buenos Aires Province, Entre Ríos, and Corrientes in Argentina. There are also records of the species in Misiones and Chaco, as well as in Uruguay and southern Brazil.
An important population currently resides in the reserve of the large dry lagoon, Madariaga district, Buenos Aires Province, due to the presence of an ancient crown tree forest, the tree on which the species feeds during its caterpillar stage.
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