Colias arida cakana Rose & Schulte, 1992

Huang, Hao & Song, Kui, 2022, A review of the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Qinghai with descriptions of a new subspecies of Colias thrasibulus Fruhstorfer, 1910, Zootaxa 5105 (4), pp. 451-489 : 453-455

Colias arida cakana Rose & Schulte, 1992

( Figs. 2 , 4 , 6 , 41 , 43–44 , 46–47 , 49 –50, 54–56, 65, 68)

Colias arida cakana Rose & Schulte, 1992: 102 , pl. 2, figs. 1–3 (TL: south of Qagan Nur, ca 30 km NW. Chaka, Qinghai); Verhulst, 1994a: 512, 511- figs. for ♂ & ♀♀, 514- figs. for biotopes of the sympatric C. arida and C. baeckeri (synonym of C. wanda ) and foodplants; Hoshiai, 1996: 10, figs. 66–72 for ♂♂ & ♀♀, 217, map with localities; Verhulst, 2001: pl. 54, figs. 5–24 for ♂♂ & ♀♀; Dietz, 2002: 93, 94- figs. for ♂♂ & ♀♀; Grieshuber & Lamas, 2007: 136, synonymic list; Grieshuber et al., 2012: 64, discussions on type series and type locality, pl. 22, figs. 9–16 for ♂♂ & ♀♀ (type specimens), 58, sympatric record for C. arida and C. wanda , description of biotope and flight pattern; Grieshuber, 2014: 58, figs. for ♂ & ♀♀; Grieshuber, 2016a: figs. for historical ♂♂ from Kukunor.

Colias arida muetingi Rose & Schulte, 1992: 98 , pl. 1, figs. 5–11 (TL: 50 km or less SW. Jiayuguan, Gansu); Verhulst, 1994a: 509; Hoshiai, 1996: 10, figs. 58–61 for ♂ & ♀; Verhulst, 2001: pl. 53, figs. 13–24 for ♂♂ & ♀♀; Dietz, 2002: 93, 94- figs. for ♂♂ & ♀♀; Grieshuber & Lamas, 2007: 136, synonymic list, 165, synonymy for Colias arida cakana ; Grieshuber et al., 2012: 155–156, discussions on type series, type locality and taxonomic status.

Material examined. CHINA: Qinghai: 23 ♂♂ & 12 ♀♀ ( CSK, CHH), Dangjinshankou Pass, Aksai , 3500m, 17– 19.VII.2016, K. Song leg. ; 11 ♂♂ & 6 ♀♀ ( CHH, CLSY), Dangjinshankou Pass , 29.VII.2020, S.-Y. Lang leg. ; 3 ♀♀ ( CHH, CLSY), 20km N. of Wulan , 3400–3600m, 25.VII.2020, S.-Y. Lang leg. ; 28 ♂♂ & 1 ♀ ( CSK, CHH), Guanjiaoshan, Tianjun , 3400–3600m, 25.VII.2020, Y. Yang leg.

Diagnosis. Grieshuber’s (2014) following statements do not help much in distinguishing this species from C. wanda in many cases:

1) size usually larger than C. wanda [but very often there is no difference in size between the two species];

2) male hindwing underside dark submarginal spots obsolete or absent [such feature is frequently found in C. wanda too];

3) female upper side never dark as in C. wanda [some dark females of C. arida could be as dark as some light females of C. wanda , such as Specimens B 1 in fig. 2 and C 1 in fig. 3, but this character is usually useful; on the other hand, female of C. wanda yangguifei R.-X. Huang & Murayama, 1992 (= C. chrysotheme yangguifei: Grieshuber & Lamas 2007 ; treated as C. stoliczkana yangguifei by Hoshiai 1993) seems to break this rule greatly, discussed below in details];

4) style of flight being more straight and a bit higher above the ground, not so zigzag and near the ground as in C. wanda [such difference is only evident at a sympatric locality on Road from Caka to Tianjun as Grieshuber et al. (2012: 58) observed, however it has no absolute use for the specimens from other localities; the junior author observed that C. arida at Aksai flew very near the ground, C. wanda at Niuxinshan, Qilian flew much higher above the ground, C. wanda at Dulan flew high above the ground and often fell suddenly to the ground; the senior author observed that C. wanda at Demula, SE Tibet could fly in straight line; it seems that both C. wanda and C. arida fly higher at the biotopes with bushes but lower at the biotopes with only grasses].

Moreover, it is noted that size of cell spot on hindwing underside and red markings around cell spot are also individually variable and useless in distinguishing the two species.

Giving a limit for the populations from Qinghai and Gansu only ( C. arida cakana and C. wanda wanda ), the following characters are found useful in distinguishing the two species:

1) male upper side ground color is more with an orange hue in C. arida than in C. wanda - this is often useful for a close examination of specimens, but useless for photos;

2) female upper side black markings are often deeper and more in contrast with the pale ground color in C. arida than in C. wanda , but sometimes some females of C. arida could approach C. wanda in dull black markings;

3) females with pale ground color at subbasal area of forewing upper side all belong to C. arida ;

4) female hindwing underside submarginal spots are more uniform in color and less in contrast with the pale ground color in C. arida , but are usually uneven in color and more in contrast with the pale ground color in C. wanda .

These characters also work for C. arida arida from W. Kunlun Shan, W. Xinjiang, various populations of C. wanda wanda from Tibet and C. wanda demula Huang, 2021 from Demula, SE. Tibet. However, C. wanda yangguifei from E. Xinjiang seems to break this rule completely, being in common with C. arida arida and C. arida cakana but entirely different from C. wanda wanda and C. wanda demula in all the above-mentioned characters.

Notes on Colias wanda yangguifei . By the help of Dr. X. Zhang (Urumqi), the senior author examined the photos of the holotype of C. wanda yangguifei (Fig. 73). C. wanda yangguifei was originally described as C. chrysotheme yangguifei on 5 ♂♂ and 2 ♀♀ from “Aqikfu, Aljin, East Kunlun (meaning the contiguous area between Aljin and East Kunlun)”, with 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ figured (R.-X. Huang & Murayama 1992: 2, figs. 7–8). R.-X. Huang & Murayama (1992) did not indicate the status of the figured specimens. This pair of specimens were traced and photographed by Dr. X. Zhang who visited Prof. R.-X. Huang a few years ago. According to Dr. X. Zhang (pers. comm.), this pair of type specimens were not labeled at all (the senior author visited Prof. R.-X. Huang in 1993 and found that he used to give no label to many specimens kept in his collection, and often changed the labels of the specimens exchanged to him). However, they fit the original figures except for the antennae glued from other specimens. The female paratype (Fig. 74) is actually a C. chrysotheme (Esper, [1781]) as Hoshiai (1993) indicated. The type locality of C. wanda yangguifei is clarified as follows. R.-X. Huang (1986) gave the collecting data of C. wanda yangguifei (misidentified by him at the time as Colias fieldii ) in his early publication as: Kalachuka Shan, East Kunlun, 4350m on 23.VII.1984 at grassy slopes. Zhang et al. (1986) published a brief overview of the 1984 expedition joined by R.- X. Huang and gave a detailed map of the routes and spots explored. Kalachuka Shan is situated to the SE. of Aqikfu lake and a camp is marked at the foot of the mountain, near the co-ordinates 36.9365N, 88.6674E.

The holotype from Kalachuka Shan, more like a male of C. wanda wanda from E. Kunlun Shan, Qinghai, appears not so bright as in specimens from the Aljin Shan area between Ruoqiang and Mangai. By the help of Mr. R. Xing (Urumqi) and Mr. Z.-Y. Qi (Shanghai) the senior author examined a few specimens from Aljin Shan and Qimantag Shan, in addition to the specimens figured in literature ( Grieshuber et al., 2012; Grieshuber, 2014); these newly collected specimens are in common with Grieshuber’s (2014) specimens in detail. However, Dietz (2002: 95, figs. 1 & 4) figured a very dark female from a locality “ 125 km south of Miran” under the name, C. baeckeri , which cannot be distinguished from C. wanda wanda from Qinghai. It is noted that all these lately collected specimens are not topotypic, being obtained from the localities in Aljin Shan and Qimantag Shan, more than 150 km away from the type locality of C. wanda yangguifei . By these insufficient and contradictory data, the authors could not make a conclusion on the status of C. wanda yangguifei , leaving this to a further study in future. Without a further study on more topotypic specimens (especially ♀♀) from Kalachuka Shan, a final conclusion on the taxonomy of C. wanda yangguifei is impossible. The specimens from Aljin Shan and Qimantag Shan might not belong to C. wanda yangguifei , whilst the holotype of C. wanda yangguifei from Kalachuka Shan might belong to C. wanda wanda .

Identification. Specimens from Wulan-Tianjun area, neighbouring to the type locality, are identical with the type specimens of C. arida cakana . Specimens from Aksai (previously recorded by Hoshiai 1996) are somewhat closer to the populations from W. Qilian Shan (named as C. arida muetingi , later treated as a synonym of C. arida cakana ). However, the authors agree to Grieshuber & Lamas (2007) opinion that C. arida muetingi is not constantly different and does not merit being retained as a valid subspecies. Male specimens from Aksai tend to have an obsolete reddish marking alongside the cell spot on hindwing underside; female specimens from Aksai tend to have a paler ground color on hindwing upper side. As stated for the case of C. arida muetingi by Grieshuber & Lamas (2007), such variations are slight and not constant, and are more possibly caused by different climates rather than geographical isolation.

Flight period. Early July to early August, depending on localities and years. It flies earlier at Wulan-Tianjun area than at Aksai in the same years.

Altitude. 3400–3600m.

Distributional notes. C. arida cakana and C. wanda wanda are sympatric in a few localities ( Verhulst 1994a; Grieshuber et al. 2012). Our collecting data confirmed this at least at Guanjiaoshan, Tianjun where the two taxa were collected from the same locality on same days in early July. C. arida cakana seems not to be found to the east of Qinghai lake.

Figures

FIGURE 41. ♂ genitalia and 8th tergum (with superuncus) in lateral view at same scale. Serial numbers corresponding to those of specimens. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 43. 8th tergum in dorsal view at same scale to show superuncus. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 44. ♂ genitalia in dorsal view at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 46. Ring in lateral view and scaphium in ventral view at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 47. Phallus in lateral view and coecum-process in full-face view at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 49. Juxta in full-face view (nearly posterior view) at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm. FIGURE 50. Valva in inner lateral and anterior views at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 1–3. Habitus of Colias taxa ♂♂ & ♀♀ at same scale (Upper half- upper side; lower half- underside). 1—Colias adelaidae adelaidae; 2—Colias arida cakana; 3—Colias wanda wanda. Serial number unique for each specimen. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 4–5. Habitus of Colias taxa ♂♂ & ♀♀ at same scale (Upper half- upper side; lower half- underside). 4—Colias arida cakana; 5—Colias wanda wanda. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 6–7. Habitus of Colias taxa ♂♂ at same scale (Upper half- upper side; lower half- underside). 6—Colias arida cakana; 7—Colias wanda wanda. Scale bar = 1 cm.