Agradecimentos: We thank Elisa Ramos and Ricardo Costa for helping with fieldwork. To Ricardo Costa who kindly provided a photograph of a live adult. To Eurides Furtado, Curtis Callaghan, Keith Willmott, and Olaf Mielke for specimen information. Mirna Casagrande, Eduardo Carneiro, and Olaf Mielke for the access to material deposited in DZUP collection; Marcelo Duarte and Renato Silva for the access to material deposited in MZUSP collection; Márcio Félix, Felipe Moreira, and Claudia Rodrigues for the access to material deposited in CEIOC collection; Keith Willmott for the access to material deposited in FLMNH; Axel Hausmann and Ulf Buchsbaum for the access to material deposited in ZSM; Theo Leger and Viola Richter for the access to material deposited in ZMB; David Grimaldi for check for specimens in the collection of AMNH; Karina Silva-Brandão and Simeão Souza for check for specimens in the collection of ZMUH. For Nick Grishin and Jing Zhang for kindly sharing molecular data for several riodinid taxa, including one additional specimen of E. sanarita. Robert K. Robbins, Neil Rosser, and for the two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript. AVLF acknowledges support from FAPESP (BIOTA-FAPESP grants 2013/50297-0, 2021/03868-8), from the Brazilian Research Council–CNPq (303834/2015-3, 421248/2017-3 and 304291/2020-0) and from the National Science Foundation (DEB-1256742). AHBR thanks the CNPq (130314/2016-1). AHBR and PAM thanks the "Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–Brazil" (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 for their scholarship. PEG thanks FAPESP for a scholarship awarded (grant 2018/19171-3). This publication is part of the RedeLep "Rede Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Lepidópteros" - SISBIOTABrazil/CNPq (563332/2010-7). The present study is registered in the SISGEN (AE4B134) Ver menos

Abstract: The riodinid Eucorna sanarita (Schaus) is an "Endangered" (EN) butterfly with a confusing taxonomic history, restricted to a few sites of montane forest in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, Southeastern Brazil. This study aims to collate all previous and novel available information for this species, such as systematic position, taxonomic placement, and geographic distribution, and to identify potential areas of occurrence using niche-based models. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) and geographical range (area of occupancy (AOO) and extent of occurrence (EOO)) were estimated using a total of 14 known geographic sites for this taxon. Until recently, this species was included in the genus Voltinia Stichel, 1910, and based on molecular data, we find that it is sister to the recently reassigned Napaea Hübner, [1819]. Predictive maps generated from niche models extend the possible sites of occurrence and aid in EOO and AOO estimation, both of which are important in the application of IUCN assessments. Our findings can be applied to the identification of additional sites for populations of E. sanarita and possibly resolve its conservation status (based on geographical range).Implications for insect conservation Our study contributes to the filling of knowledge gaps in the ecology, systematics, and taxonomy of E. sanarita, an endemic butterfly to the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, and brings a new perspective on the use of ENM to AOO and EOO estimates that can directly inform the conservation status of the species following IUCN guidelines Ver menos