Pieris dulcinea dulcinea (Butler, 1882)

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 dulcinea dulcinea (Butler, 1882)

Ganoris dulcinea Butler, 1882; Ann. mag. nat. Hist. (5) 9 (49): 18; TL: "Posiette Bay, Ussuri" [Posyet] (original description)

Pieris napi f. dulcinea (Butler, 1882); Seok (1941): Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses 20: 105 (as subspecies of Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758))

Pieris dulcinea (Butler, 1882); Sheljuzhko (1960): Zeitschrift der Wiener Entomologischen Gesellschaft 45: 4-13, 20-29, 36-51 (as distinct species)

Description.

Both wings white on the upperside and a pale yellowish hue (in summer forms whitish) on the underside. Spring form: small in size. Male (Fig. 9J ): apical spot blackish, triangular, extending along veins to outer margin without merging. All discal spots absent or only the 1st discal spot faintly developed, outer spot absent or vague on the upperside. Outer edge of hindwing slightly black powdered along vein tips. Female (Fig. 9K ): all veins narrowly brownish powdered on both sides. The 1st, 2nd and outer spot less distinctly present on both the upperside and underside, the 3rd spot absent. Summer form: large in size. Male (Fig. 9L ): apical spot blackish, extending along veins to outer margin without merging. The 1st discal spot strongly developed on both sides while the 2nd discal spot faint on the upperside (but rather distinct on the underside). Dark powder along veins rather narrow on the underside. Outer spot less developed on the upperside and absent on the underside. Female (Fig. 9M ): all veins rather narrowly brownish powdered on the upperside (relatively broader along outer margin of hindwings) while nearly absent on the underside. Apical spot dark brownish, extending along veins to outer margin without merging. The 1st and 2nd discal spot rather strongly developed on both sides while the outer spot distinct on the upperside but absent on the underside.

Distribution.

Far East of Russia (Amur and Ussuri regions), Northeast China.

Phenology.

Bivoltine from May to July.

Male genitalia.

(Fig. 5L ) tegumen broad with a distinct concave at almost its median part, distal margin of tegumen moderately-sclerotised as a pairs sub-lobe shaped convex; uncus with its basal width as wide as the distal part of tegumen, gradually tapering to a slender point.

Female genitalia.

(Fig. 7B ) posterior apophysis long and slender, extended beyond the 8th tergum; inner distal of sterigma short lobe shaped extend to center; inner basal of sterigma plate protrusion, rounded connected at the basal margin; signum cordiform-shaped with its terminal part broad and short, moderately tapering to the basal.

Note.

This species rather resembles P. euorientis but can be distinguished by a comparison of morphological characteristics (see notes in Pieris euorientis euorientis Verity, 1908). This species is sympatric with P. melete while sometimes the spring forms of the two species may be confused. Spring forms of P. dulcinea can be distinguished from P. melete by having: males: discocell pure white without any grey or blackish powder (in P. melete grey powdered on the proximal part); females: apical spot and dark powder of veins relatively distinct (less developed in P. melete ), all spots relatively narrower on the upperside (broader in P. melete ).

Figures

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

Figure 7. Female genitalia of P. napi - complex species. Scale bar represents 0.5 mm.

Figure 9. Habitus of P. napi - complex species occurring in China. Composite pictures on the left show the upperside, on the right show the underside. A - C Pieris narina stat. rev. Verity, 1908. D - I Pieris mihon Yakovlev, 2006 stat. nov. J - M Pieris dulcinea dulcinea (Butler, 1882). Scale bar represents 10 mm. (L, M reference Yakovlev, 2006).