Polycaena kansuensis kansuensis ( Nordström, 1935 ), Nordstrom, 1935

Huang, Hao & Li, Yu-Fei, 2016, Notes on the genus Polycaena Staudinger (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) with descriptions of two new species from China, Zootaxa 4105 (6), pp. 575-590 : 578-581

Polycaena kansuensis kansuensis ( Nordström, 1935)

( Figs. 1–8 , 43 , 52 , 61 , 68 , 74 , 85 )

Polycaena lama Leech , [1893]: 294, specimens from “Dshachar mountains in eastern Thibet”; South, 1902: 109, specimens from “Dshachar mountains”. Misidentification

Polycaena lama forma vernalis Oberthür, 1903: 268, TL: “Amdo, Chine occidentale, Thibet oriental” (NE Qinghai). Infrasubspecific

Hyporion lama subsp. kansuensis Nordström, 1935: 29 , TL: S. Kansu.

Polycaena ? sp.? subsp.: D’Abrera, 1993: 393, figs. for ♂♂ & ♀ from “Amdo” and “Kuki Nor” (both Qinghai).

Polycaena lama qinghaiensis Chou & Yuan, 2001: 142 , figs. 5–6 for ♀, 7–8 for ♂, TL: Huzhu, NE Qinghai. New synonym

Polycaena kansuensis: Sugiyama, 2015: 36 , fig. 5 for ♂ genitalia, pl. 3, figs. 3–5, 17–19 for ♂♂ and ♀.

Material. CHINA: Gansu province: 4♂♂, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Xiahe County, 3000–3200 m, 24–26.VII.2015, Hao Huang leg.; Qinghai province: 1♂, Xining City, Xishan, ca 2500 m, 20.VI.2010, Kui Song leg.

Nomenclature. Though Leech (1893) stated some specimens were from “Dshachar mountains” (current NE Qinghai) under his description of Polycaena lama , his description is not applicable to these specimens. Another name, vernalis ( Oberthür, 1903) that might appear to have priority over the name, kansuensis ( Nordström, 1935) , is infrasubspecific as in the case of aestivalis ( Oberthür, 1903; discussed above) and is invalid.

Identification. This taxon was originally described from two males and two females from southern Gansu, without further information on collecting locality. One of the male syntypes ( Figs. 1–2 ) has been published by the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm on the internet (http://www2.nrm.se/en/lep_nrm/l/ polycaena _lamakansuensis.html), its wing-pattern fits the original description ( Nordström, 1935). It bears the label: “Sven Hedins/ Exp. Ctr. Asien/ Dr. Hummel”, in accordance with the original description ( Nordström, 1935). Specimens from Xiahe, southern Gansu ( Figs. 3–6 ) agree with this syntype in all details of wing-pattern. The male specimen from eastern Qinghai ( Figs. 7–8 ) has been dissected and shows no difference in male genitalia from the specimens from Gansu.

Wing-pattern. The following combination of characters is considered important in distinguishing this species from the similar species: both wings in male have a submarginal series of small reddish dots on upper side; hindwing upper side in both sexes usually has no clear marking or pale patch in postdiscal area, or at most has three white dots at costal half of hindwing; discocellular cell of hindwing underside in both sexes has a black spot in costal half and a radial black streak in anal half.

Male genitalia. Uncus in dorsal view has no branch. Fenestrula between tegumen and scaphium is restricted to lateral sides and not present at middle. Valva is shorter than in P. l ama, without the ventral branch found in P. l am a. Ampulla of valva is mostly overlapped by harpe. Harpe of valva possesses a serrate inner process rising from sacculus, the tip of which extends well beyond the border of the valva. Posterior branches of central plate are narrow and angled at tip in dorsal view, and bifurcate at tip in lateral view. Juxta has dorsal part extending more posteriorly than anteriorly in lateral view. Phallus in lateral view is simply pointed at tip, without a dorsal process. Coecum penis in dorsal view is not expanded laterally.

Remarks. This taxon deserves full specific rank because of its significant differences in male genitalia from P. lama as described above. Sugiyama (2015) first recognized P. kansuensis as an independent species from P. l am a, but his conclusion was based upon a misidentification in which the specimens of P. l am a used for comparison actually belong to P. wangjiaqii sp. n. (described below).

P. lama qinghaiensis is considered as a subjective junior synonym of P. kansuensis , because both male holotype (wrongly labeled as female paratype in original description) and female paratype (wrongly labeled as male holotype in original description) have all characters of wing-pattern in common with P. kansuensis . A male collected from the same area as P. lama qinghaiensis has been dissected and shows no difference in male genitalia from the specimens from southern Gansu. Chou & Yuan (2001) overlooked Hyporion lama subsp. kansuensis Nordström when they described their Polycaena lama qinghaiensis .

Distribution. Southern Gansu, northeastern Qinghai (east of Qinghai Lake).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 24. Habitus of Polycaena taxa at same scale. 1 – 8 — Polycaena kansuensis; 1 – 2 — syntype ♂ and its labels; 3 – 6 — ♂♂ from Xiahe, S Gansu; 7 – 8 — ♂ from Xining, NE Qinghai. 9 – 13 — P. lama; 9 — syntype ♂ (after Leech [1893]); 10 — syntype ♀ (after Leech [1893]); 11 — ♂ from Litang; 12 — ♀ from Kangding; 13 — ♂ from Yajiang. 14 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype ♂. 15 – 18 — P. sejila; 15 – 16 — holotype ♂; 17 – 18 — paratype ♂. 19 – 20 — P. lua taibaiensis, ♂♂ from Chang-an, Shaanxi. 21 – 22 — P. lua lua; 21 — ♂ from Huangyuan, NE Qinghai; 22 — ♂ from Guoluo, Qinghai. 23 – 24 — P. m i no r; 23 — ♂ from Batang, W Sichuan; 24 — ♂ from Yushu, SE Qinghai. 1, 3, 5, 7, 15, 17 — upper side; 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 18 — underside; 9 – 14, 19 – 24 — upper side (left half) and underside (right half).

FIGURES 41 – 49. ♂ genitalia in lateral view at same scale. 41 — Polycaena lama (specimen shown in Fig. 11); 42 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype (Fig. 14); 43 — P. kansuensis (Fig. 5); 44 — P. sejila, holotype (Fig. 15); 45 — P. lua lua (Fig. 22); 46 — P. lua lua (Fig. 21); 47 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 19); 48 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 20); 49 — P. minor (Fig. 23).

FIGURES 50 – 58. Tegumen and scaphium in dorsal view (50 – 52, 55 – 58 at same scale; 53 – 54 at an enlarged scale). 50 — Polycaena lama (specimen shown in Fig. 11); 51 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype (Fig. 14); 52 — P. kansuensis (Fig. 7); 53 — P. sejila, holotype (Fig. 15); 54 — P. m i no r (Fig. 23); 55 — P. lua lua (Fig. 22); 56 — P. lua lua (Fig. 21); 57 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 19); 58 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 20).

FIGURES 59 – 65. Inner lateral view of left valva (left half) and outer lateral view of left valva (right half) (59 – 61 at same scale; 62 – 65 at an enlarged scale). 59 — Polycaena lama (specimen shown in Fig. 11); 60 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype (Fig. 14); 61 — P. kansuensis (Fig. 7); 62 — P. sejila, holotype (Fig. 15); 63 — P. minor (Fig. 23); 64 — P. lua lua (Fig. 22); 65 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 19).

FIGURES 66 – 72. Inner lateral view of right valva, central plate, juxta and phallus and dorsal view of juxta (at left bottom) (66 – 68 at same scale; 69 – 72 at an enlarged scale). 66 — Polycaena lama (specimen shown in Fig. 11); 67 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype (Fig. 14); 68 — P. kansuensis (Fig. 7); 69 — P. sejila, holotype (Fig. 15); 70 — P. lua lua (Fig. 22); 71 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 19); 72 — P. minor (Fig. 23).

FIGURES 73 – 79. Lateral view of central plate (at top), dorsal view of central plate (at center) and lateral or ventral view of phallus (at bottom) (73 – 75 at same scale; 76 – 79 at an enlarged scale). 73 — Polycaena lama (specimen shown in Fig. 11); 74 — P. kansuensis (Fig. 7); 75 — P. wangjiaqii, holotype (Fig. 14); 76 — P. sejila, holotype (Fig. 15); 77 — P. lua lua (Fig. 22); 78 — P. lua taibaiensis (Fig. 19); 79 — P. minor (Fig. 23).

FIGURES 80 – 88. Upper (left half) and under (right half) sides of antennal club. 80 — Polycaena carmelita; 81 — P. matuta shii; 82 — P. chauchowensis chauchowensis; 83 — P. princeps minensis; 84 — P. lama; 85 — P. kansuensis; 86 — P. sejila; 87 — P. minor; 88 — P. lua lua.