Delias callista Jordan , 1930

Davenport, Chris & Grimaldi, Nicolas, 2019, A new subspecies of Delias clathrata Rothschild, 1904 and records of other Delias species occurring on Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Pierinae), Sugapa Digital 11 (2), pp. 53-67 : 59

Delias callista Jordan, 1930

( Figs 31-32 )

The type locality of D. callista porquaiensis Yagishita, 2003 is stated to be ’Porquia, PNG’ however no such place name is gazetted in PNG and it is assumed that it is a misspelling of Porgera, the site of a large gold mine in western Enga Province, approximately 80km west of Mt Hagen. Male specimens from Porgera and the Ok Tedi area agree with the original description of porquaiensis and are characterized by rich yellow coloration, broad black submarginal bands and triangular shaped black terminal vein markings on the hindwing underside.

Males of D. callista from Mt Hagen consistently differ from this phenotype by having a paler shade of yellow on the hindwing underside, narrow subterminal bands and terminal vein markings. A similar form has been recorded from Gumine (IFTA). Females from Mt Hagen have a series of 5 white apical spots on the forewing upperside and 4 – 5 white subterminal spots on the hindwing that are absent or poorly developed in more western areas. The taxonomic status of D. callista populations in PNG and western Papua is uncertain and will be reviewed in a further publication.

Figures

Figs 31-32. Delias callista ssp. 31. ♂, PNG, Mt Hagen, Murmur Pass (NG), dorso; 32. Idem, verso.