Catasticta sibyllae is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is only known from two sites in western Panama and is represented by a single male specimen from each site. It was first described by Shinichi Nakahara, Pablo Sebastián Padrón, and John R. MacDonald in 2018.[1] The first specimen was caught in the 1980s and stowed in a drawer in the National Museum of Natural History.[2]
| Catasticta sibyllae | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Catasticta |
| Species: | C. sibyllae
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| Binomial name | |
| Catasticta sibyllae Nakahara, Padrón & MacDonald, 2018
| |
Its wings are black with two rows of cream-colored spots near the edges. It differs from other Catasticta species in the lack of markings on the medial surfaces of its black forewings and hindwings. According to DNA analysis, it is most closely related to Catasticta lisa Baumann & Reissinger, 1969, which has a broad white band on the upper surfaces of the wings.[1] The two specimens of C. sibyllae had forewing lengths of 30 and 33 mm (1.2 and 1.3 in) respectively.[1]
The name honors Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th-century European naturalist and entomologist who studied butterflies in South America.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Nakahara, Shinichi; MacDonald, John R.; Delgado, Francisco; Padrón, Pablo Sebastián (2018). "Discovery of a rare and striking new pierid butterfly from Panama (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)". Zootaxa. 4527 (2): 281–291. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4527.2.9. PMID 30651468.
- ^ "New butterfly named for pioneering 17th-century entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian". phys.org. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Laskow, Sarah (6 December 2018). "A Rare and Striking Butterfly Is Named for a Pioneering Female Naturalist". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 10 December 2018.