Colias fieldii chinensis Verity, 1908

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 : 457

Colias fieldii chinensis Verity, 1908

( Figs. 8 , 42–43 , 45–46 , 48–49 )

C. fieldii Men. var. chinensis Verity, 1908 : pl. xlvi, figs. 22–25, pl. 3, figs. 21–24 (TL: Ta-tong-kiao, Yenchuan & Traku, Siaolou, Mo-sy-mien, all from Sichuan)

Material examined. CHINA: Qinghai: 22 ♂♂ & 14 ♀♀ ( CSK) from Huangzhong ( Shuangzhai village ; Lusha’er), Hualong (Chapu) and Dulan (Xiariha). More than 46 specimens ( CHH) from various localities in Sichuan, Gansu, Yunnan and Tibet.

Flight period. End of May to early September in Qinghai .

Altitude. 2400–3700m in Qinghai .

Distributional notes. The distributional boundary between C. fieldii fieldii Menetries, 1855 and C. fieldii chinensis is not clearly defined in Tibet. Specimens from Nielamu, Yadong and Chentang are all small, belonging to C. fieldii fieldii . Specimens from Lhasa are usually as large as those from Sichuan or even larger. Specimens from Shannan Prefecture (Cuona, Cuomei) and Linzhi Prefecture (Sejila shan, Bayi, Pai, Bomi) are variable, with both large and small forms found. Such subspecific separation is meaningful only on account of the vast ranges of both subspecies in the west and the east, without a clear boundary in the middle.

Figures

FIGURE 42. ♂ genitalia and 8th tergum (with superuncus) in lateral view at same scale. Scale bar = 1 mm.

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

FIGURE 45. ♂ 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 48. 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 8–13. Habitus of Colias taxa ♂♂ & ♀♀ at same scale (Upper half- upper side; lower half- underside). 8—Colias fieldii chinensis; 9—Colias poliographus; 10—Colias montium; 11—Colias lada; 12—Colias adelaidae adelaidae; 13—Colias grumi. Scale bar = 1 cm.