A new species of Neoxeniades Hayward, 1938 subgenus Neoxeniades Hayward, 1938 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from the semi-arid region of the Brazilian Northeast: threatened biodiversity in a recently declassified protected area

Abstract

A new species of skipper butterfly is described herein: Neoxeniades (Neoxeniades) borborema A. D. Medeiros, A. M. Medeiros & Kerpel sp. nov. from the Parque Estadual do Poeta e Repentista Juvenal de Oliveira (PEPRJO), a recently declassified protected area located in the semi-arid region of Paraíba state, Northeast of Brazil. The new species is morphologically close to Neoxeniades (Neoxeniades) ethoda (Hewitson, 1866) and Neoxeniades (Neoxeniades) angustior Grishin, 2023, but differs from them primarily by the ventral hind wing with a continuous and uniformly narrow oblique band extending from the costal margin to the upper half of CuA 1 –CuA 2.

The discovery of this new species in a formerly protected area underscores its critical conservation value for biodiversity maintenance and reinforces the urgency of recognizing and implementing a protected area encompassing the former PEPRJO, in order to ensure the preservation of locally adapted taxa.