Pieris erutae kneitzi Eitschberger, 1983

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 erutae kneitzi Eitschberger, 1983 comb. rev.

Pieris erutae kneitzi Eitschberger, 1983; Herbipoliana 1(1-2): 378; TL: "Tapaishan im Tsinling, Süd Shensi, China" [Taibai Mountain, Shaanxi, China] (original description)

Pieris dulcinea kneitzi ; Tadokoro et al. (2014): Butterflies 65: 20. [MisID]

Description.

Both wings pure white on the upperside and pale yellowish on the underside. Spring form: medium size. Male: Apical spot blackish and sometimes with slightly whitish powder, merging as a rather small dark subtriangular spot. All discal spots and outer spot absent on the upperside (sometimes the 1st discal spot and outer spot rather faintly developed). The 2nd discal spot vaguely developed on the underside or absent. Female: apical spot brownish, partly merging as a subtriangular spot on the apex. The 1st, 2nd and outer spot strongly developed in a rectangle on the upperside while faintly present on the underside (except outer spot absent). All veins with strong brownish powder on both sides, especially forewings on the upperside. Summer form: medium to large size. Resembles spring form but larger in size and with rounder wing shape. The apical spot of males (Fig. 10L, N ) rather small and the 1st discal spot of males present on both sides. The brown powder along veins is stronger in summer form of females (Fig. 10M, O ) than spring forms.

Distribution.

Central west China (Shaanxi)

Phenology.

Bivoltine, occurs from April to August.

Male genitalia.

(Fig. 5O ) tegumen relatively broad, without distinct convex on the distal margin; basal margin of the uncus slightly broader than tegumen, moderately tapering to a slender point.

Female genitalia.

(Fig. 7E ) posterior apophysis slender, extended reach the 8th tergum; inner distal of sterigma up-curved lobe shaped extend to center; inner basal of sterigma smooth quadrilateral shaped, smoothly connected at the basal margin; signum broad and shord, cordiform-shaped, distal margin obtusely concave and moderately tapering to the basal.

Note.

This subspecies rather resembles other P. erutae subspecies, but can be distinguished by the smallest apical spot and slightest dark powdering along vein tips on the outer margin of hindwings on the upperside of summer forms of males. We noticed that this taxon was moved to P. dulcinea by Tadokoro et al. (2014) as P. dulcinea kneitzi because of a single specimen which clustered with P. dulcinea in their phylogenetic results. However, the author failed to describe any morphological difference that supported this, but indicated "the wing expanse is as large as Pieris erutae or Pieris latouchei . ". Based on the collecting data of the sample which clustered with P. dulcinea : "China Wulingshan 07. 06. 9" and its note: "Specimens from Qingling-shan and beizing", we suggest that this sample is very likely mislabelled, because “Wulingshan” (Wuling Mountain) is in east Beijing (which is a known habitat of P. dulcinea dulcinea ), while “Qingling-shan” (Qinling Mountains) is the type locality of P. dulcinea kneitzi . These two different localities cannot be applied to a single sample, thus Tadokoro et al. (2014) probably mislabelled P. dulcinea as P. e. kneitzi and created a wrong combination.

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 10. Habitus of P. napi - complex species occurring in China. Composite pictures on the left show the upper sid, on the right show the underside. A - E Pieris latouchei Mell, 1939. F - K Pieris erutae erutae Poujade, 1888. L - O Pieris erutae kneitzi Eitschberger, 1983 comb. rev. P - R Pieris erutae reissingeri Eitschberger, 1983. S - T P. steinigeri Eitschberger, 1983. Scale bar represents 10 mm. (All type specimens reference Eitschberger, 1983).