Talicada nyseus lami Lo, Li & Ding

Lo, Yik-Fui Philip, Li, Fei & Ding, Liang, 2017, Description of a new subspecies of Talicada nyseus (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) from Hainan, China (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), with notes on the genus Talicada Moore, 1881, Zootaxa 4269 (4), pp. 586-592 : 587-589

Talicada nyseus lami Lo, Li & Ding subsp. nov.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, China: Hainan Island, Baisha County, Yinggeling NNR, Gaofeng River , 15– 16.XII.2007, Coll. Y. F. Lo, pupa on Bryophyllum pinnatum , emgd . 18.XII.2007 (IOZ). PARATYPES: 2♂1♀, locality and date as holotype, Coll. Y. F. Lo (IOZ, YFLC) (1♂ dissected, genitalia YFL ly0015). 4♂3♀, locality and date as holotype, Coll. Y. F. Lo, reared from Kalanchoe integra , emgd. 09–15.I.2008 (YFLC, KFBG). 2♂1♀, locality and date as holotype, Coll. Y. F. Lo, reared from Bryophyllum pinnatum , emgd. 16.II.2008 (YFLC, BMNH). 3♂, locality as holotype, 14–16.V.2008, Coll. Y. F. Lo (YFLC, NTNU). 1♂, locality as holotype, 11.I.2009, Coll. Y. F. Lo (YFLC). 1♂, China: Hainan Island, Changjiang County, Nanyao River, Huangdi Cave , 26.IV.2009, Coll. Y. F. Lo ( YFLC) . 2♂, China: Hainan Island, Changjiang County, Nanyao River, Huangdi Cave , 06.VI.2009, Coll. Y. F. Lo ( YFLC) . 1♂1♀, locality as holotype, 03.IX.2010, Coll. F. Li, reared from Kalanchoe integra , emgd. XI.2010 (YFLC). 1♂, China: Hainan Island, Dongfeng County, Exianling , 14.I.2012, Coll. Y. F. Lo ( YFLC) . 3♂, China: Hainan Island, Changjiang County, Bawangling NNR, Donger , 25.XI.2013, Coll. Y. F. Lo & F. Li ( YFLC, SYSU) .

Male ( Figs. 1–2 ): Length of antenna 6.7–7.7mm (7.2mm ± 0.3mm, n=17). Wingspan 23.9–27.7mm (25.8mm ± 1.2mm, n=13). Forewing: Upperside ground color dark brown. Underside ground color white. Central symmetry system with distal band forming a series of dark bars. The bar in cell M2 twice as width as others while the bars completely dislocated inward in cell CuA1 and bent outwards in cell CuA2. Proximal band represented by 1 to 2 dark dots in discoidal cell. Discal spot represented by a dark bar. Element “g” prominent forming a continuous dark band with dark scales extending to marginal band along each vein. Marginal ocelli present in each cell as a series of barely connected dark oval spots. Parafocal element forming a continuous dark line along the margin. Hindwing: Upperside ground color dark brown. Bright orange band with wavy outer margin present at outer half of postdiscal and marginal area from cell M1 to A. “Tail-like” projection of CuA2 short, dark with white tip. Underside ground color white. Central symmetry system with distal band forming a series of dark bars, completely dislocated outward in cells M1 to M3, displaced inward in cells CuA1 and CuA2, becoming a stand alone dark spot in cell 2A and also in 3A in some individuals. Proximal band forming two dark spots in Sc+R1 cell and discoidal cell. Discal spot represented by a dark bar. Element “g” prominent represented by a continuous band with color scales extending to marginal band along each vein, dark in cells Sc+R1 and R2 while bright orange from cells M1 to 2A. Marginal ocelli present in each cell as a series of dark oval spots. Parafocal element forming a continuous narrow dark line along the margin. Fringes of both wings distinctly chequered with dark and white cilia.

Female ( Figs. 3–4 ): Length of antenna 6.2–7.7mm (6.9mm ± 0.5mm, n=6). Wingspan 25.2–28.7mm (26.6mm ± 1.2mm, n=6). Wing pattern resembles to that of the male.

Distribution and habitat. This subspecies is known only from well preserved natural forests in mountainous area of Baisha, Changjiang and Dongfang counties on Hainan Island, China. It prefers shrubs adjacent to bare rock in karst landscape or along stream, where its hostplants present.

Host plant. The immature of this subspecies is apparently associated with the family Crassulaceae . Kalanchoe integra and Bryophyllum pinnatum , a naturalised plant with African origin, were utilized by larvae in the wild.

Immature bionomics. ovum ( Fig. 5 ) is laid singly on the underside of leaf blade. Once hatched, larva bores into leaf of hostplant as leaf miner and feeds on tissue in mesophyll layer ( Fig. 6 ). Larva does not emerge unless the original leaf is completely consumed. Mature larva pupates on the underside of leaf of hostplant ( Figs. 7–8 ). The entire immature stage, from egg to emergence of adult, takes 61–62 days (n=3) under indoor uncontrolled condition.

Voltinism. Multivoltine, adult occurs all year round.

Etymology. The name of the subspecies is dedicated to Alexander Lam’s family in Boston, USA, for their love and care to the senior author during his undergraduate study in Boston.

Diagnosis. The male genitalia ( Figs. 9–12 ) of T. n. lami resembles that of nominate subspecies and T. n. delhiensis in general, with long and tapering uncus, prominent brachium, broad valvae with harpe modified to long spine-shaped projection. The size of T. nyseus lami is similar to T. n. annamitica and both are the smallest among all subspecies. Interestingly, the wing pattern of T. nyseus lami seems like a combination of several other subspecies. First of all, the wavy outer margin of the orange band on upper hindwing and dark marginal ocelli from cell M1 to 2A on underside hindwing are features only found in three eastern subspecies, T. n. metana , T. n. annamitica and T. n. lami . However, dark spots in the middle of discoidal cell is a trait only shared by T. n. macbethi and T. n. lami . Furthermore, T. n. lami is similar to T. n. burmana the most in that the arrangement of distal band of central symmetry system, but all the spots are detached from the band of element “g” as defined by Nijhout (1991).

Six distinctive underside patterns, assigned as A to F hereinto, can be identified among the nine subspecies: three subspecies, macbethi (A), burmana (B) and lami (C), have unique pattern and the rest three patterns are shared by three subspecies pairs, nyseus & delhiensis (D); khasiana & assamica (E); metana & annamitica (F), respectively.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Talicada nyseus lami subsp. n .. 1, holotype ♂, upperside; 2, ditto, underside; 3, paratype ♀, upperside; 4, ditto, underside. (scale bar = 10 mm)

FIGURES 5 – 8. Immature stages of Talicada nyseus lami subsp. n .. 5, ovum on underside surface of Bryophyllum pinnatum; 6, last-instar larva (epidermis of the hostplant removed); 7, pupa on underside surface of Kalanchoe integra, lateral view; 8, ditto, dorsal view.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Male genitalia of Talicada nyseus lami subsp. n .. 9, lateral view; 10, dorsal view; 11, ventral view. (scale bar = 0.5 mm)