Two new Thereus species from Peru, with notes on ecological niche partitioning (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae).

Male hairstreaks (Theclinae) are often territorial, known for occupying their observation posts at a specific time during the day and at a certain height in the vegetation. The time and height for their perch vary from species to species but remain surprisingly stable year after year in any particular location. From these strategic observation posts males can check the passage of virgin females and chase away competing males. Consequently, these posts act as resources for the males and are not only vigorously defended from conspecific males but also form males of other species. In Peru, males of two closely related species belonging to the genus Thereus Hübner were observed in situ, defending their territories. One of them, Thereus tierralinda Faynel & Fåhraeus, sp. nov., is described here based on five male specimens from Cosñipata valley, Cusco, southern Peru. Further, it is compared to Thereus columbicola (Strand) and other close species in the Thereus eryssus species group. Observations over several years of T. columbicola and this new species show that they have different spatial and temporal characteristics for their perches, presumably to avoid competition with one another. Additionally, as a result of the partial revision of the group, a second new species, Thereus vicens Faynel & Fåhraeus, sp. nov., is also described based on one male and two females from Tingo María, Huánuco, central Peru. We also note that French Guiana is a new country record for Thereus eryssus (Herbst).

Considerations on the Systematics of Neotropical Pierina, with the Description of Two New Species of Phulia Herrich-Schäffer from the Peruvian Andes (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Pierinae, Pierini).

A comparative analysis of high-Andean Pierina was carried out, including a total of 25 species. Based on morphological evidence, with an emphasis on venation and genitalia and molecular data, using three genetic markers, we confirm the recent subjective synonymy of the generic names Tatochila Butler, 1870, Piercolias, Staudinger, 1894, Hypsochila Ureta, 1955, Infraphulia Field, 1958, Pierphulia Field, 1958, and Theochila Field, 1958 with Phulia Herrich-Schäffer, 1867. Two new species are described, namely Phulia stoddardi Pyrcz & Cerdeña n. sp., from the Andes of Central Peru, which occurs at an unusually high altitude of close to 5000 m a.s.l. in dry puna habitat, and Phulia phantasma Lamas, Willmott & Boyer n. sp., from dry montane forests in northern Peru and southern Ecuador. An overview of high-elevation butterflies is presented, with some discussion on adaptations to this environment.

Spontaneous muscle twitches during sleep guide spinal self-organization.

During development, information about the three-dimensional shape and mechanical properties of the body is laid down in the synaptic connectivity of sensorimotor systems through unknown adaptive mechanisms. In spinal reflex systems, this enables the fast transformation of complex sensory information into adequate correction of movements. Here we use a computer simulation to show that an unsupervised correlation-based learning mechanism, using spontaneous muscle twitches, can account for the functional adaptation of the withdrawal reflex system. We also show that tactile feedback resulting from spontaneous muscle twitches during sleep does indeed modify sensorimotor transformation in young rats in a predictable manner. The results indicate that these twitches, corresponding to human fetal movements, are important in spinal self-organization.