Lethe elwesi (Moore, 1892)

Das, Gaurab Nandi, Lang, Song-Yun, Singh, Navneet & Chandra, Kailash, 2020, Taxonomic notes on the jalaurida-subgroup of the genus Lethe (Lepidoptera Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), Zootaxa 4789 (1), pp. 281-290 : 283-284

3. Lethe elwesi (Moore, 1892)

( Fig. 3 )

Zophoessa elwesi Moore, 1892 . Lep. Ind. 1: 298, pl. 92: 3, ♂, type locality: E. Himalayas; Sikkim; Bhotan.

Zophoessa jalaurida: Elwes (nec de Nicéville), 1888. Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1888: 320, pl. VIII: 4; Seitz (nec de Nicéville), 1907. Macrolepid. World 1: 87, pl. 32: c.

Lethe elwesi: de Nicéville, 1894 . Sikk. Gaz. 1894: 125; Lang & Bozano, 2015. Zootaxa 4058 (1): 130, figs. 9, 10.

Lethe jalaurida elwesi: Fruhstorfer in Seitz, 1911 . Macrolepid. World 9: 313; Evans, 1912. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 21 (2): 567; Talbot, [1949]. Fauna Brit. India, Butt. 2: 183; D’Abrera, 1985. Butt. Orient. 2: 416.

Lethe jalaurida var. elwesi: Gaede in Strand, 1931 . Lep. Cat. 43: 296.

Materials examined. INDIA: 1 ♂, Sikhim / 4035 Coll. Nicév. / 4746—H9 ( ZSI) ; BHUTAN: Photo, 1 ♂, Jakar , Bumthang trek, W of Phephe La, 2700 m, 4.VI.2008 leg. G. C. Bozano ( GCB) .

Diagnosis. 1) Dorsal forewing discal area in spaces 1b, 2, 3 has male brands, they are not so distinct as those in Lethe atkinsonia (only L. elwesi and L. atkinsonia in this subgroup have visible male brands); 2) ventral side pale markings and stripes are yellowish white on forewing and white on hindwing; 3) uncus is heavily bent downwards near the apex; 4) valva apex is evenly serrated; 5) aedeagus is without a dorsal ridge.

Distribution. C & E Nepal, India (northern West Bengal, Sikkim), Bhutan.

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Butterflies. 1, Lethe atkinsonia (Hewitson), male, 4023 (Sikhim, India), dorsal, labels, ventral; 2, L. jalaurida (de Nicéville), male, 785 (Simla, India), dorsal, labels, ventral; 3, L. elwesi (Moore), male, 4035 (Sikhim, India), dorsal, labels, ventral. Scale bar = 10 mm.