Other Common Names
Qian's Flasher (Qian is pronounced as Tsien)
(1)Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Syns:
Telegonus fulgerator (Walch, 1775) - restricted to S. Amer.
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Telegonus azul (Reakirt, [1867]) - Two-barred Flasher, Flashing Astraptes - This is complex of continental species-level taxa. Type Locality: Mexico (Veracruz)
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Telegonus catemacoensis (H. Freeman, 1967) - Range: SE Mexico
(1) Explanation of Names
Telegonus tsongae Grishin, 2023
The name honors the collector of the holotype, Qian Cong (pronounced as Tsien Tsong, hence the spelling of the species name), who pioneered genomic sequencing in our lab and developed unique protocols to obtain whole genome shotgun datasets of historical specimens in collections regardless of their age. Without her contributions, this and all other genomics studies by our group would have been simply impossible.
(1)Identification
Several species of Astraptes have a similar metallic blue color on the body and inner wings.
One study in Costa Rica concluded that there were at least ten cryptic species within A. fulgerator there, with virtually identical adults but very different caterpillars, different host plants, and different ecosystem preferences.
Det. Frank R. Hedges, 1973
Range
c. TX (as a stray) to ne. Mex. -
Map (1)(MPG, BOA)
Food
Adults are nectar feeders, most often on woody plants.
Caterpillars of US populations feed on foliage of Coyotillo (
Karwinskia humboldtiana; Rhamnaceae).
Remarks
Type Locality: Texas, Starr Co., Roma, by the international bridge, 26.4047, -99.0186, 14-VI-2015 [USNM].
Field (1940) reports the first U.S. record was a single specimen taken at Donna, Hidalgo Co., Texas by Miss Calla Stainke on November 10, 1935.
Print References
Field, W.D. 1940. A new Skipper record for the United States (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Journal Kansas Entomological Society 13(2): 57. (
JSTOR)
Hebert, Paul D.N. et al 2004. Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the neotropical skipper butterfly
Astraptes fulgerator. PNAS 101(41): 14812-14817. (
PDF)
Li, Wenlin, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Jing Zhang, Winifred D. Hallwachs, Daniel Hunt Janzen and Nikolay Vyacheslav Grishin 2019. Genomes of skipper butterflies reveal extensive convergence of wing patterns. PNAS 116(13): 6232-6237, 3 figs., 2 tabs.
Zhang, Jing, Qian Cong, and Nikolay Vyacheslav Grishin. 2023. Thirteen new species of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Texas. Insecta Mundi 921: 1-58, 58 figs.
(1)Internet References
Interesting article about DNA testing on this species (which apparently shows it is more than a single species).
