Parnassius arcticus arbugaevi Yakovlev & Shapoval, 2020

Yakovlev, Roman V., Shapoval, Nazar A., Bakhaev, Yuri I., Kuftina, Galina N. & Khramov, Boris A., 2020, A new subspecies of Parnassius arcticus (Eisner, 1968) (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) from the Momsky Range (Yakutia, Russia), Acta Biologica Sibirica 6, pp. 93-105 : 93

Parnassius arcticus arbugaevi Yakovlev & Shapoval subsp. nov.

Figs 1 , 3 , 4 , 6

Holotype.

♂. Wingspan 45 mm. Russia, North-Eastern Yakutia, Momsky District, 70 km E of Khonuu village, 1400 m, 22-24.06.2019, leg. Yu. Bakhaev, deposited in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg).

Paratypes.

11 ♂♂ and 3 ♀♀ , the same locality, date and collector as the holotype. Paratypes deposited in the ZISP (one female) and private collections of Roman Yakovlev (three males) and Yu. Bakhaev (eight males and two females).

Description.

Males. Wingspan 39-45 mm. Body and antennae black.

Forewing. Upperside white, with semi-transparent apex, small black blurred submarginal spots between veins R2+3-R4-R5-M1-M2, and small black blurred posdiscal spots in cells R2+3-R4+5-M1; fringe white; border black; discal spot black; basal area and costa with noticeable sputtering of black scales. Underside white, pattern similar to forewing upperside.

Hindwing. Upperside white, with small poorly noticeable black spot in cell Sc+R-Rs and distinct black spot in cell M1-M2; wing base and anal areas heavily blackened; fringe white with border brownish. Underside white, with distinct black pattern, prominent dark-grey spot in cell Sc+R-Rs and longitudinal black strokes in cells M3-Cu1-Cu2-2A; basal area with poorly noticeable blurred ochre-red strokes.

Variability. Forewing black spots between veins R2+3-R4-R5-M1-M2 submarginally reduced in one specimen; in several males red pattern on wing underside completely reduced.

Females. Wingspan 43-46 mm. Body and antennae black.

Forewing. Upperside smoky-black with poorly expressed cream fields in apical part and slight sputtering of cream scales throughout wing (especially in discal cell), series of slightly noticeable dark submarginal spots and large black blurred posdical spots in cells R2+3-R4+5-M1; discal spot large, black. Underside paler than upperside, slight sputtering of cream scales, pattern similar to upperside.

Hindwing. Upperside black with wide, light-cream submarginal band and distinct large black spots in cells Sc+R-Rs and M1-M2. Underside paler than upperside, pattern similar to upperside, but with slightly expressed series of black spots in submarginal light band; slight ocher strokes in dark spots in cells Sc+R-Rs and M1-M2; slight ocher pattern at base of wing.

Variability. The ocher pattern on hindwing underside completely reduced in two individuals; in one female, longitudinal black strokes present in cells M3-Cu1-Cu2-2A on hindwing underside.

Genitalia. Male genitalia is similar to the nominotypical P. arcticus (Fig. 3 ). Uncus forked, short, with uncinate apices diverged to sides; valve cup-like, with even edges, apically semicircular; conical harpe on inner surface of valve, slightly protruding beyond the apex of valve; juxta oval, with pair of flask-shaped processes directed dorsally; saccus robust, conical; phallus thin, slightly curved along all length, apically needle-like, 1/3 longer than valve.

Diagnosis.

From the nominotypical P. arcticus the new subspecies can be distinguished by more elongated wings; the absence of dark spot in the discal cell in both males and females ( P. a. arcticus has a more or less expressed black spot, especially distinct in females); the occasional presence of slightly noticeable blurred ochre-red strokes at the hindwing base; almost unicolorous, with poorly expressed pattern, forewing underside of females (in P. a. arcticus the wing is mottled, with alternating light and dark elements); the entirely black distinct spots on hindwing upperside of females in cells Sc+R-Rs and M1-M2 (in P. a. arcticus often the black spots have red centres). The new subspecies on an average is larger in size: male wingspan is 39-45 mm, females - 43-46 mm (in P. arcticus : 32-41 mm and 37-40 mm, respectively). Genetically, P. a. arbugaevi differs by two fixed substitutions from nominotypical P. arcticus within the studied 658 bp fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI.

Ecology.

The new subspecies inhabits dry scree slopes with poor vegetation at an elevation of 1400 m (Fig. 6c-d ). Adults nectar on Gorodkovia jacutica . Females were observed to oviposit on stones near the larval hostplant (Fig. 6f ), Corydalis gorodkovii , the same as for nominative subspecies.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Momsky Range, NE Yakutia).

Etymology.

The new subspecies is named after German Arbugaev (Yakutsk), who provided comprehensive assistance to the entomological research of Yu.I. Bakhaev in Yakutia.

Figures

Figure 1. Map of collecting localities of Parnassius arcticus: blue circles - P. a. arcticus, red circle - P. a. arbugaevi ssp. n.

Figure 3. Male genitalia of Parnassius arcticus: a - P. a. arcticus (slide coll. Yakovlev 2020 6); b - P. a. arbugaevi ssp. n. (slide coll. Yakovlev 2020 8).

Figure 4. Wing pattern of Parnassius arcticus arbugaevi ssp. n. (a-f) and P. arcticus arcticus (g-h): a - male, holotype; b-c - males, paratypes; d-f - females, paratypes; [Russia, NE Yakutia, Momsky Range, 70 km E of Khonuu village, 1400 m, 22 - 24.06.2019, leg. Yu. Bakhaev]; g-h - males, [Russia, NE Yakutia, Suntar-Khayata Range, ca. 95 km WSW from the Kyubeme vill., 13.06.2017 (g), 10 - 15.06.2018 (h), leg. Yu. Bakhaev]. Scale bar = 1 cm.

Figure 6. Parnassius arcticus arbugaevi, adult specimens in nature, host plants and habitat (photo by Yu. Bakhaev): a, b - P. a. arbugaevi ssp. n. in nature, male and female; c, d - habitat of P. a. arbugaevi; e - Gorodkovia jacutica, feeding plant of adults of P. a. arbugaevi; f - Corydalis gorodkovii - larval host plant of P. a. arbugaevi. Location of eggs laid on stones near the larval hostplant indicated by an arrow.