Delias mira roepkei Sanford & Bennett, 1955

Davenport, Chris & Grimaldi, Nicolas, 2019, A new subspecies of Delias clathrata Rothschild, 1904 and records of other Delias species occurring on Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Pierinae), Sugapa Digital 11 (2), pp. 53-67 : 57-58

Delias mira roepkei Sanford & Bennett, 1955 stat. rev.

( Figs 25-28 )

The type locality of Delias mira roepkei Sanford & Bennett, 1955 is Mt Hagen. The taxon was raised to species level by Van Mastrigt (2000) who mentioned the presence of two forms in the Hagen population; one with broad black borders on the upperside, the other with narrower borders and paler yellow hindwing patch on the underside that he speculated might represent a separate species. Males collected at the Murmur Pass locations exhibit a continuum of

individual variations in the upperside border depth and underside hindwing markings and are not readily dividable into two separate groups.

Specimens from Mt Wilhelm (Simbu Province) and the Eastern Highlands are also variable and, on average, have a more peach-colored anal patch on the hindwing underside.

Van Mastrigt’s decision to elevate roepkei to species level was based by the supposed sympatry of both roepkei and mira in parts of the Owen Stanley Mountains. Pending genetic analysis, the original taxonomy is adopted in this paper.

Among a number of typically white coloured females, two individuals with yellow-colored uppersides have been recorded. ( Figs 28-29 ). Similar yellow female forms have been recorded in a number of species of the D. iltis ̡ D. aroae and D. eichorni groups.

Figures

Figs 25-28. Delias mira roepkei Sanford & Bennett, 1955. 25. ♀ typical form, PNG, Mt Hagen, Murmur Pass (NG), dorso; 26. Idem, verso; 27. ♀ yellow form, PNG, Mt Hagen, Murmur Pass (NG), dorso; 28. Idem, verso.

Figs 29-30. Delias hapalina ssp. 29. ♂, PNG, Mt Hagen, Murmur Pass (NG), dorso; 30. Idem, verso.