Archonias brassolis

not so long ago, in and around Sangay NP in Ecuador, we used to have two species of Archonias, each one with two subspecies; there were:

                - Archonias tereas with subspecies rubrosparsa and critias,

                - and Archonias negrina with subspecies negrina and cutila.

 

nevertheless today we have only one species, Archonias brassolis, with four subspecies.

 

but it should be noted that:

    - there are many instances of sympatry between former A. tereas and former A. negrina,

    - former A. tereas subspecies don't show any sexual dimorphism, when former A. negrina subspecies males and females are completely different,

    - former A. tereas subspecies have the typical behaviour of guarding forest paths, sitting on a perch about one meter from the ground and checking every passer by, while we never saw former A. negrina subspecies behave like that.

 

here are phenotypes collected from Mexico to Peru

 

Vera Cruz/Oaxaca limit, Mexico

 

Cartago, Costa Rica

 

 

Panama/Costa Rica border

 

Tachira, Venezuela

 

Barinas, Venezuela

 

Valle del Cauca, Colombia

 

Lita area, Ecuador

 

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

 

Santo Domingo de los Colorados area, Ecuador

 

Boyaca, Colombia

 

 

 

Napo, Ecuador - 500 m

this last female has to be a hybrid between former brassolis and former tereas; we spent years on the field in and around the Andes,

we've seen thousands of Archonias, but this is the one and only hybrid we ever saw.

 

Sangay NP North East, Ecuador - 1000/1500 m

obviously there are two "subspecies" flying together from, at least, Tena to Puyo - which is seventy kilometers -

and they do not cross-breed?

 

Sangay NP, Macas, Ecuador - 1100 m

 

Sangay NP, Sucùa, Ecuador - 1000 m

 

Sangay NP, Mendez, Ecuador - 700 m

the distribution of the various phenotypes apparently does not make sense;

we need to look for more specimens between Puyo and Mendez

 

Morona Santiago limit with Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

 

Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

 

Amazonas, Peru

 

San Martin, Peru

 

Huànuco, Peru

 

Junìn, Peru

 

Cuzco, Peru

 

Puno, Peru

 

Villa Tunari, Bolivia

 

Santa Catarina, Brasil

 

Sao Paulo, Brasil

 

 

 

Pitangui, Belo Horizonte, Brasil


 

Bolivar, Venezuela

 

Aragua/Yaracuy/Trujillo, Venezuela