Pieris napi napi (Linnaeus, 1758)

Ge, Si Xun, Jiang, Zhuo Heng, Wang, Jia Qi, Song, Kui, Zhang, Chao & Hu, Shao Ji, 2023, A revision of the Pieris napi - complex (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) and similar species with distribution in China, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 81, pp. 257-287 : 257

Pieris napi napi (Linnaeus, 1758)

Papilio napi Linnaeus, 1758; Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1: 468; TL: Sweden (original description)

Description.

Both wings white on the upperside, but with a pale yellowish (sometimes yellowish) hue on the underside. Male (Fig. 11M ): apical spot blackish but sometimes powdered slightly whitish, merging as a dark triangle on the apex. The 1st discal spot and outer spot distinct to faintly developed, the 2nd discal spot absent on the upperside (but mostly faintly developed on the underside). The 3rd discal spot mostly absent. Female (Fig. 11N ): grey or brownish powdered along veins; all discal spots and outer spot distinct except 3rd discal spot absent (a trend in some specimens). Apical spot variable, dark suffusion along veins but usually not merging inter-veins. Summer forms resembles spring forms but with a relatively larger size and more rounded wing shape. All spots of summer form are generally more developed than spring form.

Distribution.

Europe

Phenology.

Occurs from March to October, voltinism variable according to latitude and altitude.

Male genitalia.

(Fig. 5C ) terminal part of tegumen with a pair of lobes rising from its top, moderately convex and sclerotised, basal part of uncus almost as wide as terminal part of tegumen, gradually tapering to a slender point.

Female genitalia.

(Fig. 6A ) posterior apophysis long and slender, extended beyond the 8th tergum; sterigma with its inner distal short, lobe shaped extends to center; sterigma with its inner basal smoothly connected; signum cordiform-shaped, smoothly tapering basally with its margin irregularly concave.

Note.

This species is widely distributed and could be very variable. Many taxa historically considered as belonging to this species may include other taxa, which need to be further studied by a combination of methods. The nominate subspecies was included in our phylogenetic analysis to clarify the taxonomic status of other taxa.

Figures

Figure 5. Tegumen and uncus of male genitalia in dorsal view. Scale bar represents 1 mm.

Figure 6. Female genitalia of P. napi - complex species. Scale bar represents 0.5 mm.

Figure 11. Habitus of species related to Chinese species of Pieris napi - complex. Composite pictures on the left show the upperside, on the right show the underside. A - B Pieris ochsenheimeri ochsenheimeri Staudinger, 1886. C - E Pieris napi sauron Yakovlev, 2004 comb. nov. F - H Pieris napi bryonides Sheljuzhko, 1910 comb. rev. I - L Pieris napi muchei Eitschberger, 1983. M - N Pieris napi napi (Linnaeus, 1758). O - R Pieris bryoniae wolfsbergeri Eitschberger, 1983. S - V Pieris euorientis euorientis Verity, 1908 stat. rev. Scale bar represents 10 mm. (B, F, I, K, L, O-R, V reference Eitschberger, 1983; T and U reference Tshikolovets et al., 2009; C reference Yakovlev, 2004 as black and white photos consistent with original description).