Punargentus Heimlich, 1963

Type species: Argyrophorus lamna Thieme, 1904 = Etcheverrius Herrera, 1965 syn. nov.

Type species Satyrus chiliensis Guérin-Méneville, [1830] = Palmaris Herrera, 1965 syn. nov.

Type species Hipparchia monticolens Butler, 1881

Diagnosis. Members of this genus can be distinguished by the oval shape of the hindwings with the termen entire to scalloped with the ventral side bearing round to lenticular black ocelli in each cell bordered by or superimposed upon elongated yellow streaks. The ventral side of the hindwing has a ripple pattern over most of the wing with veins highlighted in white to grey. The ventral side of the forewing bears an unpupillated apical ocellus between M1-M2, sometimes extending to M3. Antennae are spatulate in P. lamna and P. chiliensis, round in P. monticolens. Males bear androconia in P. monticolens and P. chiliensis. Although we were unable to detect androconia in P. lamna males, Heimlich (1963) states that androconia are present. Eyes are naked and foreleg tarsi are unsegmented in the males with as many as three segments in the females. Male genitalia with the uncus widest at the median.

Remarks. Although the hindwing patterning and silver coloration of P. lamna is similar to Argyrophorus argenteus, Punargentus is nonetheless phylogenetically distinct (Fig. 1). The original description states simply that this genus is more delicate and less colorful than Argyrophorus and Cosmosatyrus. The genera Etcheverrius and Palmaris were removed from Argyrophorus by Herrera (1965) based on minor differences in wing venation, foreleg segmentation, and genitalia. These names are here synonymized with Punargentus, which has priority under our circumscription.

Several species were not available for thorough study, but fit the current diagnosis of Punargentus more closely than that of any other genus. Cosmosatyrus tandilensis Köhler was placed in Etcheverrius by Herrera (1965); Satyrus gustavi and Punargentus penai were placed in Palmaris by Lamas & Viloria (2004); and Argyrophorus angusta Weymer was viewed as a subspecies of Argyrophorus lamna Thieme, by Heimlich (1963), who placed both in Punargentus. Pyrcz & Wojtusiak (2010) included Palmaris, Etcheverrius, and Punargentus in their broader circumscription of Argyrophorus, but these species, like others in this genus, bear a VFW ocellus that is unpupillated. Modolell et al. (2009) made a compelling argument that, based on similarities in male genitalic features and wing patterning, P. gu s t a v i and P. penai are closely related, if not conspecific, and Pyrcz (2012) has synonymized them. Punargentus angusta and P. gustavi exhibit silver scaling on the dorsal wings, as in Argyrophorus, but this feature is not exclusive to Argyrophorus, and can be seen in P. lamna (not to mention a variety of other satyrines). For each of these species, VHW wing patterning is similar to that of P. m on t i c ol en s, with little variation.