Chonala laurae wuyishana Huang, Guo & Wang, 2023

Guo, Liang, Huang, Si-Yao, Wang, Min & Ma, Fang-Zhou, 2023, Description of a new subspecies of Chonala laurae Bozano, 1999 from Southeastern China (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), Zootaxa 5325 (4), pp. 593-600 : 594-596

Chonala laurae wuyishana Huang, Guo & Wang , ssp. n.

Figs 1–4 , 13, 14 , 17

Type material. Holotype: male, altitude 1800–1900 m, 11. VII. 2022, Huanggangshan, Mt. Wuyi , Fujian Province, China, leg. Teng-da Liang & Min Wang ( SCAU) . Paratypes: 1 male, same data as holotype ( SCAU) ; 1 male, same locality, but altitude 1600–1700 m, 8. VII. 2022, leg. Min Wang & Jun-ru He ( SCAU) ; 2 males, same locality and date, leg. Min Wang & Li-ping Zhou ( SCAU) ; 1 male, 2 females, same locality, but altitude 1800–2000 m, 13. VII. 2022, leg. Min Wang & Yu-long Zhang ( SCAU) ; 1 male, 1 female, same locality, but altitude 1700–1900 m, 29. VII. 2022, leg. Min Wang & Liang Guo ( SCAU) .

Diagnosis. Chonala laurae wuyishana ssp. n. can be distinguished from the nominate subspecies ( Figs 5–8 , 15, 16 , 18 ) from the central part of China by a larger and more prominent costal ocherous yellow spot on the upperside of the forewing in both sexes, a more sharply defined and generally larger ocherous yellow patch in space 2 on the upperside of the forewing in males (such a patch is diffused and blur in the nominate subspecies), and the ground color is tinted with reddish brown on both sides of wings in females (ground color is much greyish in the nominate subspecies). The new subspecies is also reminiscent of C. houae ( Figs. 9–12 , 19, 20 ) from Mt. Jinfo, Chongqing, but it can be easily distinguished by the following features in males: the pattern is less tint with ocherous on the forewing upperside, the coloration of the rectangular patch in space 2 on the forewing underside is uniform throughout (coloration of such a patch in C. houae is gradually changing from ochreous yellow in the outer half to ochreous in the inner half), and a much longer gnathos in genitalia. The female of C. houae is still unknown.

Description. Male. Length of forewing 27.5– 30 mm (n=7, 27. 5 mm in holotype). Antenna dorsally brown and ventrally dusted with white at base of each segment, with its tip dull yellow. Head, thorax, and abdomen dorsally brown. Upperside of forewing with ground color brown from base to discal area and pale black in submarginal and apical area, markings yellow with slight ochreous tint. Two dots present in subapical area with the lower one twice the size of the upper one. A rectangular patch present at upper angle of the cell at costa. An oblique short band dumbbell-shaped, extending from vein 6 to vein 4. A trapezoid patch present in the outer half of space 2. Cilia chequered with pale black and pale yellowish white. Upperside of hindwing with ground color brown, with ocelli sometimes present in spaces 2 and 3. Cilia as in forewing. Underside of forewing with ground color brown in basal half and black in distal half. The cell crossed by two reddish brown streaks with the inner one broken and incomplete. Costal patch and short band as in upperside. A black ocellus present in distal half of space 5, pupillated and ringed with yellow. Two white dots present beyond ocellus in spaces 6 and 7, with the lower one twice the size of the upper one. Two wavy submarginal white lines extending from costa to space 2. A rectangular patch present in space 2, uniform in color. Basal section of spaces 2 and 3 and area around cubital vein suffused with pale ochreous yellow. Hindwing underside, ground color mostly grey and become white around apical area. Basal and discal sections of wing scattered with several brownish red wavy lines. A series of ocelli extending from apex to tornus, with one in space 6 largest and one in space 1 bipupillated. Submarginal area with two white wavy lines. Female. Length of forewing 26.5– 28 mm (n=3). Similar to male, but forewing more rounded, forewing upperside with patch in space 2 much longer and larger, underside same as in male.

Male genitalia. Tegumen simple. Uncus moderately long, almost the same length as tegumen and slightly bent downwards medially. Gnathos almost one fourth of the length of uncus, gradually narrowed towards distal end and slightly curved upwards. Saccus short, swollen at distal end. Valva twice the length of uncus, broad at base, gradually narrowed towards tip. Tip of the valva, in dorsal view, enlarged near distal end and forming a triangular process extending interiorly with its distal end dentate. Aedeagus simple, moderately long, with a small bulge at basal one third.

Distribution. Northwestern Fujian Province (Huanggangshan, the summit of Mt. Wuyi Range), southeastern China ( Fig. 21 ).

Etymology. The subspecific epithet wuyishana is derived from the type locality, Mt. Wuyishan.

Remarks. This species is found flying with Chonala praeusta ( Leech, 1890) in its habitat.

Figures

FIGURES 21. Distribution map of Chonala spp. in the current study.

FIGURES 1–8. Male of Chonala sspp. 1–2, C. laurae wuyishana ssp. nov., holotype, Huanggangshan, Mt. Wuyi, Fujian (SCAU); 3–4, ditto, paratype, ditto (SCAU); 5–6, C. laurae laurae, holotype, Qinling, Shaanxi (ZFMK); 7–8, ditto, Shennongjia, Hubei, SATY0700 (CSYL). Scale=10 mm.

FIGURES 9–16. Adults of Chonala spp. 9–10, C. houae, holotype, Mt. Jinfo, Chongqing, SATY1156 (CQMNH); 11–12, ditto, paratype, ditto, SATY0466 (CQMNH); 13–14, C. laurae wuyishana ssp. nov., paratype, Mt. Wuyi, Fujian (SCAU); 15–16, C. laurae laurae, Shennongjia, Hubei (CSYL); 9–12 male, 13–16 female. Scale=10 mm.

FIGURES 17–20. Male genitalia of Chonala sspp. Depository of the genitalia: 17 in SCAU, 18 in CSYL, 19 & 20 in CQMNH. a=genitalia capsule with left valva and aedeagus removed; b=aedeagus in dorsal view; c=aedeagus in lateral view; d=left valva in dorsal view. Scale=1 mm.