Uncovering the hidden diversity of the Neotropical butterfly genus Yphthimoides Forster (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae): description of three new species based on morphological and molecular data

Three new species belonging to the butterflies satyrine subtribe Euptychiina are described: (1) Yphthimoides gabriela n. sp. occurring in low to medium altitudes in the coastal forests between the states of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, (2) Yphthimoides bella n. sp., from Brazilian Cerrado savannas, known from only two localities in the State of Goiás, and (3) Yphthimoides iserhardi n. sp., occurring in high altitudes in the rocky outcrops of Chapada Diamantina, in the interior of the Bahia state. Descriptions are based on wing shape, wing pattern, and morphology of male genitalia. Furthermore, molecular data from the “DNA barcode” (Cytochrome C Oxidase I, ca. 658 bp) was obtained and used to validate the three new species. Additionally, information about geographic distribution and habitat for the three new species is provided, and the systematic position of each of the three species is discussed based on a molecular analysis using another 11 additional species of Yphthimoides.