Pieris melaina Roeber , 1907

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 melaina Roeber, 1907

Pieris melaina Röber, 1907; Gross-Schmett. Erde 1: 48, pl. 20 g; TL: “Tibet” (original description)

Pieris melaina melaina Röber, 1907; Eitschberger (1983): Herbipoliana 1(1-2): 406 (pictured)

Pieris melete melete ra. montana Verity, 1908; Eitschberger (1983): Herbipoliana 1(2): 406-408 (as a synonym of P. melaina )

Pieris melaina Röber, 1907; Tadokoro et al. (2017): Lepidoptera Science: 68(3-4): 81-91 (pictured)

Description.

Both wings whitish on the upperside while pale yellowish on the underside. Male (Fig. 13A, C ): apical spot blackish and sickle shaped. The 1st discal spot distinct and almost combined with the apical spot, the 2nd discal spot absent or faintly developed on the upperside while distinct on the underside. The outer spot distinct on the upperside while absent on the underside. Female (Fig. 13B, D ): extremely dark powdered along veins on the upperside, with the 1st and 2nd discal spot merging with the apical spot, thus brownish suffusion on almost all outer marginal area except slightly whitish area in the space between vein CuA2 and 2A.

Distribution.

East Tibet (Yadong, Bomi), India (border to Tibet)

Phenology.

Univoltine in high altitude habitat (occurs in July and August above 4000 m) while probably bivoltine in low altitude habitat (occurs in April and July below 3000 m).

Male genitalia.

(Fig. 5A ) tegumen broad, distinctly convex on its 4/5 apically; basal part of uncus moderately convex and with its apically distinctly narrowed towards tip.

Female genitalia.

(Fig. 8A ) sterigma with its inner distal bilobate lobe-shaped, shallowly expended to the centre; inner basal of sterigma arcuately protruding, smoothly connected at the basal margin; signum variable, cordiform to near cordiform-shaped.

Figures

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

Figure 8. Habitus of species similar to P. napi - complex distributed in China. Scale bar represents 0.5 mm.

Figure 13. Habitus of species similar to the P. napi - complex, distributed in China. Composite pictures on the left show the upperside, on the right show the underside. A - D Pieris melaina Roeber, 1907. E - F Pieris extensa Poujade, 1888. G - H Pieris chumbiensis gyantsensis Verity, 1911. I - L Pieris melete Menetries, 1857. Scale bar represents 10 mm. (C, D reference Eitschberger, 1983)