Melitaea phoebe subsp. dorae, Graves, 1925

Russell, Peter J. C., Lukhtanov, Vladimir A. & Tennent, W. John, 2022, Reassessment of the status of some European and Asian Melitaea taxa described as subspecies of Melitaea phoebe ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775), with designations of lectotypes where appropriate (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Zootaxa 5141 (1), pp. 25-38 : 32

M. phoebe dorae Graves, 1925

[TL: Petra, Nabatea, Jordan]. Graves gave a long and detailed description of dorae and a related discussion, including details of localities of where the type series was collected. This might have been rather confusing— and appears to have been so to whoever labelled the specimens subsequently since a series of 13 ♂ and seven ♀ ‘ dorae ’ in the Natural History Museum London are labelled as ‘cotypes’ (i.e. syntypes). However, Graves very clearly said ( Graves 1925:104): “Described from 13 ♂ and 3 ♀, taken in the last half of March 1922 and 1923 at Petra in Nabataea (3,100 ft. approx. [ca 950 m]) by Mr H. St. J. Philby, and now in the B. M.”. This is emphasised in an “index of nigrescence of M. phoebe races” ( Graves 1925: 105) where 16 individual dorae specimens are listed numerically, all from Petra. Some of the NHM specimens labelled as cotypes are from, for example, the Bir Arub Road in Transjordania, and are specifically excluded ( Graves 1925: 104).

Described as a race of M. phoebe , the name dorae clearly refers to M. telona .We hereby designate a male lectotype ( Figs 14A, B, C ) of Melitaea phoebe dorae in the NHM, London, labelled as follows: (1) typed or handwritten “Trans Jordan: / Petra./ 19-iii-1923./ H.St.J.Philby./ Brit.Mus.1923-457”; (2) typed or handwritten “B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8269./ M. phoebe / dorae/ ♂ Graves”; (3) printed, red-bordered, circular “Type”; (4) typed “ LECTOTYPE:/ Melitaea phoebe dorae / Graves, 1925; designated/ by Russell & Tennent, 2022 / (= Melitaea telona / Fruhstorfer, 1908)” (5) printed purple-bordered, circular “ Lectotype ”.

We recognise 11 ♂ (we have not been able to identify the remaining ♂ syntype, presumably with the B.M. TYPE No. Rh 8279) and three ♀ paralectotypes, all in the NHM, London, labelled as follows: 1 ♂, (1) typed or handwritten “Trans Jordan:/ Petra./ 24.iii.1923./ H.St.J.Philby./ Brit. Mus. 1923-457”; (2) typed or handwritten “B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8271/ M. phoebe / dorae,/ ♂ Graves”; (3) printed, yellow-bordered, circular “Cotype”; (4) typed “ PARALECTOTYPE:/ Melitaea phoebe dorae / Graves, 1925; designated/ by Russell & Tennent, 2022 / (= Melitaea telona / Fruhstorfer, 1908 ” (5) printed blue-bordered, circular “PARA-LECTO-TYPE”; 1 male, ditto, but 26.iii.1923; B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8272; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8273; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8274; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8275, and label printed “Brit. Mus. 1922-466”; 1 male, ditto, but 30-31-iii-1922 and B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8276; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8277”; 1 male, ditto, but 28-iii-1923, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8278; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8280; 1 male, ditto, B.M. TYPE/No. Rh 8281, and label handwritten, in pencil “P35”; 1 male, ditto, but “B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8282”, and handwritten label, in pencil “P37”.

1 female ( Figs 15A, B, C ), (1) typed or handwritten “Trans Jordan:/ Petra./ 14-iii-1923./ H.St.J.Philby./ Brit. Mus. 1923-457”; (2) typed or handwritten “B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8270/ M. phoebe / dorae/ ♀ Graves”; (3) printed, red-bordered, circular “Type”; (4) typed “ PARALECTOTYPE:/ Melitaea phoebe dorae / Graves, 1925; designated/ by Russell & Tennent, 2022 / (= Melitaea telona / Fruhstorfer, 1908)” (5) printed blue-bordered, circular “PARALECTO-TYPE”; 1 female, (1) typed or handwritten “Trans Jordan:/ Petra./ 26-iii-1923 / H.St.J.Philby./ Brit. Mus. 1923-457”; (2) typed or handwritten “B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8284/ M. phoebe / dorae/ ♀ Graves”; (3) printed, yellowbordered, circular “Cotype”; (4) typed “ PARALECTOTYPE:/ Melitaea phoebe dorae / Graves, 1925; designated/ by Russell & Tennent, 2022 / (= Melitaea telona / Fruhstorfer, 1908)” (5) printed blue-bordered, circular “PARA-/ LECTO-/ TYPE; (6) printed “NHMUK 014172682”; 1 female, ditto, but 25-iii-1923, B.M. TYPE/ No. Rh 8283 and “NHMUK 014172683”.

Figures

FIGURES 13–16. 13, Lectotype of Melitaea phoebe amanica, Rebel, 1917. 14, Lectotype male of Melitaea phoebe dorae Graves, 1925. 15, Paralectotype male of Melitaea phoebe dorae Graves, 1925. 16, Holotype of Melitaea phoebe enoch Higgins, 1941. Fig. 13 © H. Bruckner. Figs 14–16 © J. Tennent.A = upperside, B = underside, C = labels on specimen pin.