Chonala houae Lang, Li & Deng, 2017

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 : 596-599

Chonala houae Lang, Li & Deng, 2017

Figs 9–12 , 19, 20

Chonala houae Lang, Li & Deng, 2017: 35 , figs 1, 2 & 9; Lang 2017: 115, pl. XIV, fig. 4.

Material examined: Photos: holotype, male, China, Chongqing, Nanchuan, South slope of Mt. Jinfo, N29°00.367’, E107°11.858’, 1500–2000 m, 4.VII.2007, leg. Xiaodong Yang, SATY1156 ( CQMNH); paratype: 1 male, same data as in holotype, SATY0466 ( CQMNH) .

Remarks. Before the discovery of Chonala laurae wuyishana ssp. n., it is considered that this species was the closest relative of C. laurae and might even only represent a southwestern subspecies of the latter (Lang, pers. comm.) due to the similarities in the forewing pattern and the male genitalia. However, after a thorough survey of these three taxa, we consider that C. houae should still be treated as a bona species for the following reasons. First, the markings on both sides of the forewing are more ochreous than those of the both subspecies of C. laurae , and the rectangular patch in space 2 on the underside has its inner half nearly fused with the large diffused patch covering the cubital vein and the basal section of spaces 2 and 3, and the boundary between them is obscure. Whereas in both subspecies of C. laurae , the rectangular patch is more uniform in color, and the boundary between it and the diffused patch is distinct. Second, in male genitalia, both subspecies of C. laurae have their gnathos about one fourth of the length of uncus, while in C. houae the gnathos is shorter, less than one fifth of the length of uncus. Although Chonala laurae wuyishana ssp. n. has a prominent and well-defined patch in space 2 on the upperside of the forewing which is similar to that in C. houae , other substantial characters, e. g. the coloration of the upperside markings, the markings in space 2 on the underside of the forewing and the gnathos in male genitalia, all indicate that it is much closer to C. laurae than to C. houae . Hence Chonala laurae wuyishana ssp. n. does not represent the expected intermediate form connecting these two species, and, in the characters mentioned above, no continuous variation is detected among the known individuals of these three taxa. Therefore, there is no reason to downgrade C. houae to be a subspecies of C. laurae .

Distribution: Chongqing (Mt. Jinfo), southwestern China ( Fig. 21 )

Figures

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

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.