A new species of the genus Pieris Schrank, 1801 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pierinae) with taxonomic notes on the Pieris napi group from India
Author
Das, Gaurab Nandi
0000-0002-4722-3100
gaurab 68 nandidas @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4722 - 3100
gaurab68nandidas@gmail.com
Author
Eitschberger, Ulf
Entomologisches Museum Humboldtstrasse 13 A, D- 95168 Marktleuthen, Germany.
Author
Singh, Navneet
0000-0002-6657-7983
nsgill 007 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 6657 - 7983
nsgill007@gmail.com
Author
Chandra, Kailash
0000-0001-9076-5442
kailash 611 @ rediffmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9076 - 5442
kailash611@rediffmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-07-22
5004
4
501
520
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.1
1175-5326
5140718
1F52E880-A352-4949-A937-802A462D9689
Pieris erutae erutae
Poujade, 1888
(
Figs 11–14
,
20
,
25, 26
,
36–38
,
45–47
,
54–56
,
62, 63
,
70–72
,
78–80
,
86
)
Pieris erutae
Poujade, 1888
: xix (
Type
locality: “Mou-Pin”).
Sbordoni
et al.
, 2015: 546
.
Pieris melete
var.
erutae
Poujade
; Leech, 1893: 450.
Pieris melete
var.
mandarina
Leech, 1893: 451
(
Type
locality: “North
China
”).
Pieris melete alpestris
Verity, 1908: 166
(
Type
locality: Ta-tsien-lou).
Pieris melete australis
Verity, 1911: 331
(
Type
locality:
Haut
Younnan
).
Pieris erutae erutae
Poujade
; Eitscherger, 1983: 370.
Winhard, 2000: 29
.
Tadokoro
et al
., 2017: 90
.
Pieris melete ajaka
Moore
;
Sondhi & Kunte, 2016: 9107
.
Material examined.
India
,
Arunachal Pradesh
:
1♂
,
Changlang
,
Namdapha
,
Anamika falls
,
413 m
,
13.iii.2017
,
leg
.
Saini
&
Party
(
gen. aest.
) (28717/
H9
, NZCZSI)
;
1♂
,
Dibang Valley
,
Pathar Nalah
,
2029 m
,
19.iv.2017
,
leg
.
Gayen
&
Das
(
gen. aest.
) (28718/
H9
, NZCZSI)
;
1♂
,
Dibang Valley
, near
Anini
,
1162 m
,
12.v.2017
,
leg
.
Gayen
&
Das
(
gen. aest.
) (28719/
H9
, NZCZSI)
;
1♂
,
Dibang Valley
, near
Anini
,
1381 m
,
20.iv.2018
,
leg
.
Ranjan
&
Das
(
gen. vern.
) (28721/
H9
, NZCZSI)
;
1♀
,
Dibang Valley
,
Anini
,
Maroli
,
1680 m
,
20.iv.2018
,
leg
.
Ranjan
&
Das
(
gen. vern.
) (28722/
H9
, NZCZSI)
;
1♂
,
Dibang Valley
,
Anini
,
Etabe
,
1397 m
,
16.v.2018
,
leg
.
Gayen
&
Tacho
(
gen. aest.
) (28720/
H9
, NZCZSI)
.
Diagnosis.
Forewing length: Male: 22.50–30.18 mm (
n
= 5); Female: 26.15 mm (
n
= 1).
Summer form (gen. aest.)
(
Figs 11, 12
).
P. erutae
is closely similar to
P. melaina
and
P. extensa bhutya
but can be distinguished in having weakly dusted wing bases and veins (in
P. melaina
the wing base is heavily dusted and in
P. extensa bhutya
wings have pure white ground colour and unmarked forewing cell). The nominate subspecies
P. e.
erutae
is distinct from its sister subspecies
P. erutae wangchucki
Tadokoro, Wangchuck & Wangdi, 2017
(distributed in
Bhutan
) in reduced markings on upperside of the forewing, which are prominent in the latter. The female of
P. erutae
is distinct from the female of its closely similar species,
P. melaina
and
P. extensa bhutya
, in veins being moderately suffused with black scales on the upper surface whereas, in
P. melaina
the veins are heavily suffused and in
P. e. bhutya
the veins are suffused only on the marginal and submarginal areas.
Spring form (gen. vern.)
(
Figs 13, 14
). In this form, the markings are weakly developed on upper surface whereas, the veins are more prominent on the under surface in comparison to the summer forms. The spring form of
P. e.
erutae
is distinct from
P. tadokoroi
,
sp. nov.
by its larger size and weakly dusted veins on the under surface.
Male genitalia (
Figs 36–38
,
45–47
,
54–56
,
62, 63
,
70–72
).
Male genitalia are variable in size, but are closely similar to
P. tadokoroi
,
sp. nov.
,
P. ajaka
and
P. melaina
, and the diagnostic characters are discussed under
P. ajaka
.
Female genitalia (
Fig. 86
).
Female genitalia as discussed under
P. ajaka
.
Androconia (
Figs 78–80
).
Closely similar to
P. tadokoroi
,
sp. nov.
,
P. ajaka
and
P. melaina
, but lamina neck is thicker in spring form than in summer form, and the diagnostic characters are discussed under
P. ajaka
.
Distribution.
NE
India
(including
Sikkim
) to mountains of
Vietnam
, through SE
China
,
Yunnan
and
Laos
.