Euptychia lea [misidentification]: D’Abrera 1988: 768–769, figs. Systematic placement and diagnosis: As discussed under the immediately preceding taxon, C. esmeralda n. sp. is recovered as sister to C. lea n. comb. with a strong support (Fig. 1; SH-aLRT/UFBoot = 96.5/96). Our molecular phylogeny and DNA sequence divergence between these two species support its species-level status indicated by its distinctive male phenotype. Indeed, the iridescent greenish lilac scales possessed by the male of C. esmeralda n. sp. readily distinguish this species from the remainder of the genus and furthermore from all other known euptychiines. In addition, the more brownish ventral ground color, small ventral submarginal ocelli (smallest among all Cisandina n. gen. species), narrow and somewhat sinuate VHW postdiscal band, coupled with other narrow ventral bands (narrowest among all four similar-appearing Cisandina n. gen. species with iridescent scales) separate the male of this species from the other three Cisandina n. gen. species with iridescent scales discussed herein. The more elongate forewing is a character shared with the male of C. lea n. comb., but not with males of other taxa discussed herein. The female of C. esmeralda n. sp. is distinguished from the female specimens of C. lea n. comb. and C. castanya n. sp. by its lack of purple lilac scales on the dorsal surface thus the female of C. esmeralda n. sp. possesses a uniformly brown dorsal wing surface. Cisandina philippa n. comb. & reinst. stat. is similar in this respect because the female of C. esmeralda n. sp. Is brown dorsally. Nevertheless, the narrower ventral bands and smaller ventral submarginal ocelli of C. esmeralda n. sp., as well as its smaller adult size, can be used to separate females of these two species. Furthermore, the outward-curving VFW postdiscal band of the female C. esmeralda n. sp. is rather distinctive. See also ‘Remarks’ below for further information regarding the identity of the female of this species. Male (Fig. 2e): Forewing length 23 mm (n = 1). Head: See head description for Cisandina n. gen. above.

Published as part of Nakahara, Shinichi, Rodríguez-Melgarejo, Maryzender, Kleckner, Kaylin, Corahua-Espinoza, Thalia, Tejeira, Rafael, Espeland, Marianne, Casagrande, Mirna M., Barbosa, Eduardo P., See, Joseph, Gallice, Geoffrey & Lamas, Gerardo, 2022, Systematic Revision of a New Butterfly Genus, Cisandina Nakahara & Espeland, n. gen., with Descriptions of Three New Taxa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), pp. 1-30 in Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1) on page 19, DOI: 10.1093/isd/ixab028, http://zenodo.org/record/10116559