Notes on the genus Psychostrophia Butler, 1877 (Lepidoptera, Epicopeiidae), with description of a new species
Author
Huang, Si-Yao
Author
Wang, Min
Author
Fan, Xiao-Ling
text
ZooKeys
2019
900
111
127
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.900.46973
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.900.46973
1313-2970-900-111
23EA5A19B3BE403FAA45E0EE56E98C8C
AC97E0F717D459C3952120A235E8E91B
Psychostrophia
nymphidiaria (
Oberthuer
, 1893)
Figs 5-8
,
11-14
,
15
Abraxas
nymphidiaria
Oberthuer
1893
: 34, pl. 2, fig. 28. [Type locality:
"Rencontree
pendant le voyage de Ta-Tsien-Lou
a
Mou-Pin" (Road from Kangding to Baoxing)].
Psychostrophia nymphidiaria
(
Oberthuer
):
Leech 1897
: 189;
Seitz 1912
: 278;
Minet 2003
: 473, 479, fig. 4.
Stiboges lushanica
Chou and Yuan 2001
: 142, fig. 15, 16. syn. nov. (
Riodinidae
).
Material examined.
Photos of holotype of
Stiboges lushanica
, male, printed label in Chinese "[Sichuan, Lushan, leg. Bing-hong Wang]"/ printed red label
"Holotype"
/ red label "
Stiboges lushanica
Chou et etc., IDENT. IO CHOU" (NWAFU); 1 male, 22.VI.2003, Nanling Mts, Guangdong Province, leg. Min Wang, PSY009 (SCAU); 1 female, 2.VIII.2003, Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture, leg. Min Wang (SCAU); 1 male, 10.V.2018, Luding County, Sichuan Province, leg. Min Wang (SCAU); 1 male, altitude 1700-1900 m, 13.VI.2012, Mt Niba, Yingjing County,
Ya'an
City, Sichuan Province, leg. Xiao-hua Deng & Hou-shuai Wang, PSY007 (SCAU); 1 male, 11.VIII.2016, Shuangxikou Town, Jinyun County, Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, leg. Shu-qin Ji & Hou-shuai Wang, PSY006 (SCAU); 1 male, 25.
VII-
15.VIII.2018, Qingyuan County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, leg. Qing-song Wu, PSY008 (SCAU); 1 male, altitude 1500 m, 3. VI. 2019, Guanmenshan, Shennongjia, Yichang City, Hubei Province (SCAU); 2 males, 21.V.2011, Huanggangshan, Mt Wuyi, Fujian Province, leg. Zhen-fu Huang & Qi-tong Huang (SCAU); 2 males, altitude 1300 m, 13.VIII.2014, Mt Tianping, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, leg. Lan-lan Huang, Wan Lu, Qi-tong Huang & Min Wang (SCAU).
Remarks.
Taxon
Stiboges lushanica
Chou & Yuan, 2001 was described based on two specimens taken in Lushan County,
Ya'an
City in western Sichuan Province.
Kishida (2006)
was first to point out that this
"butterfly"
taxon is conspecific with
P. nymphidiaria
, but did not synonymize it formally. With the help of Dr Guo-xi Xue and the permission from Dr Xiangqun Yuan, the photographs of the holotype could be examined. The holotype is a male of the oriental swallowtail moth species
P. nymphidiaria
. Although the male genitalia were not illustrated, the description by
Chou and Yuan (2001)
as well as the photographs suggest that these individuals are undoubtedly conspecific with this epicopeiid moth species commonly found in that area, rather than a bona species of the riodinid butterfly genus
Stiboges
Butler, 1876. Although their mimicry relationship makes them morphologically similar, one can easily recognize this moth species simply by the filiform antenna. Thus,
S. lushanica
is considered a junior synonym of
P. nymphidiaria
(syn. nov.).
Nevertheless, according to Dr Guo-xi Xue and Dr Xiangqun Yuan, there is another specimen also bearing the holotype red label of
S. lushanica
in the collection of NWAFU, and this specimen is illustrated here for the first time (
Fig. 16
). The information on the labels is interpreted as follows: "[Sichuan, Lushan, leg. Jing-hua Wang]"/ printed red label
"Holotype"
/ red label "芦山白蚬蝶,
Stiboges lushanica
Chou et Yuan, IDENT. IO
CHOU
". This specimen is a female of
Stiboges elodinia
Fruhstorfer, 1914 in the opinion of
Callaghan (2009)
.
Chou and Yuan (2001)
stated in English that the sex of the holotype of
S. lushanica
was female, which would suggest that this taxon is a true butterfly. However, the descriptions in both Chinese and English have all clearly expressed that the holotype is conspecific with the male of
P. nymphidiaria
and definitely not a female riodinid butterfly. According to Article 73.1.1 of the Code (
ICZN 1999
), if an author, when establishing a new nominal species-group taxon, states in the original publication that one specimen, and only one, is the holotype, or "the type", or uses some equivalent expression, that specimen is the holotype fixed by original designation. The specimen of
P. nymphidiaria
pictured in figure 16 of
Chou and Yuan (2001)
was fixed as the holotype of
S. lushanica
since the word
"holotype"
was plainly used in Chinese in the legend under this figure. The holotype status of that female riodinid butterfly, which was subsequently labeled as the holotype of
S. lushanica
, is therefore invalid, making the true holotype of this taxon the specimen of
P. nymphidiaria
shown in figure 16 of
Chou and Yuan (2001)
.
During the study of the populations of
P. nymphidiaria
from various localities, it was found that males vary externally and in their genitalia. The median white zone on the dorsal forewing varies in shape and size, and the genitalia vary in the shape of the valva, length and width of the praesacculus, and the ratio of the aedeagus to the coecum (
Figs 5-8
,
11-14
). It is possible that cryptic species still exist within
P. nymphidiaria
sensu lato, a possibility that deserves a more careful investigation including the examination of more adults and genitalia of both sexes, as well as conducting DNA barcoding in the future.
Distribution.
China (Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) (
Fig. 25
)
Figures 15-18.
Adults of
Psychostrophia
spp. and
Stiboges
sp.
15, 17-18
male
16
female:
15
Psychostrophia nymphidiaria
, holotype of
Stiboges lushanica
, Lushan, Sichuan
16
Stiboges elodinia
, mislabeled specimen of
"holotype"
of
Stiboges lushanica
, Lushan, Sichuan
17
Psychostrophia picaria
, Shennongjia, Hubei, PSY017
18
holotype of
Psychostrophia endoi
, Xam Neua, Laos, from
Inoue (1992)
. Scale bars: 1 cm.