Pieris napi sauron Yakovlev, 2004

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 sauron Yakovlev, 2004 comb. nov.

Pieris euorientis sauron Yakovlev, 2004; Helios 5: 233, pl. 16, f. 1-8; TL: "East Kazakhstan, Saur Mts, Chagan-Obo, 1600-1800 m, 47°02N, 84°54E " (original description)

Description.

Male (Fig. 11C, D ): both wings white on the upperside, but yellowish on the underside. Apical spot blackish with an inward suffusion. Outer margin border blackish from apical spot to vein CuA2. The 1st discal spot mostly present but more or less faint. The 2nd and 3rd discal spot absent or only indicated on the upperside (The 2nd discal spot mostly present on the underside but rather faint). Outer spot on the hindwing present but faint. Outer margin border blackish. Female (Fig. 11E ): both wings intensively brownish or grey suffusion on the upperside, especially forewings. Forewing underside with a grey hue but yellowish apically, hindwing underside dark-yellowish. The 1st and 2nd outer spot distinct, and the 3rd discal spot usually present on the upperside, but all spots (except absent outer spot) faintly present on the underside.

Distribution.

East Kazakhstan (Saur Mountains)

Phenology.

Unknown but occurs in June.

Male genitalia.

(Fig. 5D ) tegumen narrow and long, terminal part moderately sclerotised as almost lobe-shaped convex; basal part of uncus distinctly narrowed as terminal part of tegumen; uncus with steeply convex at its median part and averagely tapering to the end.

Female genitalia.

(Fig. 6B ) posterior apophysis short and slender, almost reach the 8th tergum; inner distal of sterigma lobe shaped, almost contact in the center; inner basal of sterigma with distinct convex; signum cordiform shaped, broad at the terminal margin and moderately tapering to the basal.

Note.

This taxon was first published as a subspecies of P. euorientis Verity, 1908. However, in the original description, the author did not claim any morphological characteristics that show the taxon belongs to P. euorientis . In fact, this subspecies is morphologically different from P. euorientis , and the morphological characteristics of males rather similar to those of P. napi . Females of this taxon are morphologically very close to some subspecies of P. napi (e.g. P. napi adalwinda Fruhstorfer, 1909). Our phylogenetic results indicate that this taxon belongs to P. napi . Although the P. napi subspecies show great morphological variability, it is more appropriate to classify this taxon as a subspecies of P. napi .

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).