Lethe elwesi (Moore, 1892)

Lang, Song-Yun & Bozano, Gian Cristoforo, 2015, Lethe elwesi (Moore) stat. rev., a distinct species, with description of a new subspecies from NW Yunnan, China (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), Zootaxa 4058 (1), pp. 127-134 : 128

Lethe elwesi (Moore, 1892) stat. rev.

( Figs. 7–10 , 38 )

Zophoessa elwesi Moore, 1892 . Lep. ind. 1: 298, pl. 92: 3, ♂. Type locality: E. Himalayas; Sikkim; Bhotan.

Lethe jalaurida elwesi: Fruhstorfer in Seitz, 1911. Macrolepid. world 9: 313; Evans, 1912. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 21 (2): 567; Talbot, [1949]. Fauna Brit. India, Butt. 2: 183; D’Abrera, 1985. Butt. Orient. 2: 416; Huang, 2001. Neue Ent. Nach. 70: 94; Lang, [2014]. Neue Ent. Nach. 70: 301, figs: 7.

Lethe jalaurida var. elwesi: Gaede in Strand, 1931. Lep. Cat. 43: 296.

Zophoessa jalaurida: Elwes (nec de Nicéville), 1888. Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1888: 320, pl. VIII: 4; Seitz, 1907. Macrolepid. world 1: 87, pl. 32: c.

Materials examined. 3 ♂♂, BHUTAN: Jakar, Bumthang trek, W of Phephe La, 2700 m, 4.VI.2008 leg. G. C. Bozano (GCB); 6 ♂♂, CHINA: Tibet, Medog, 62K to 52K, 2800–3400 m, 19.VII.2012, leg. S-y. Lang (LSY); 4 ♂♂, CHINA: Tibet, Medog, 62K, 2800 m, 13.VIII.2012, leg. S-y. Lang (LSY); 1 ♂, ditto (HH).

Diagnosis. Lethe elwesi can be distinguished from L. jalaurida by the combination of the following characters: a) Usually larger in size (forewing length: 24–27 mm in elwesi ; 24–25 mm in jalaurida ); b) Ventral forewing, dark postdiscal band, bordered distally by yellow, has an irregular shape, whereas it forms three sharp regular angles in spaces 1, 2 and 3 in L. jalaurida ; c) Ventral hindwing, silver discal band is continuous, whereas it is broken in cells 3 and 4 in L. jalaurida ; d) Ventral hindwing, basal half silver markings are more developed than those of L. jalaurida ; Male genitalia ( Figs. 20 , 26 , 32): e) The uncus of this species is longer than that of L. jalaurida ( Figs. 21, 22 ); f) The gnathos is longer than that of L. jalaurida ; f) The aedeagus has a slender dorsal ridge near its cephalic end, whereas the dorsal surface of aedeagus is smooth in L. jalaurida .

Distribution. China (SE Tibet), Sikkim, Bhutan.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Butterflies. 1, Lethe elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., male, holotype, SATY 0369 (Gongshan, Yunnan), dorsal; 2, ditto, ventral; 3, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., male, paratype, SATY 0356 (Gongshan, Yunnan), dorsal; 4, ditto, ventral; 5, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., male, paratype (Gongshan, Yunnan), dorsal; 6, ditto, ventral; 7, L. elwesi stat. rev., male, SATY 0368 (Medog, Tibet), dorsal; 8, ditto, ventral. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 16. Butterflies. 9, Lethe elwesi stat. rev., male (Bhutan), dorsal; 10, ditto, ventral; 11, L. jalaurida, male (Bhutan), dorsal; 12, ditto, ventral; 13, L. jalaurida, male (Bhutan), dorsal; 14, ditto, ventral; 15, L. jalaurida nuolaensis, male, SATY 0361 (Gongshan, Yunnan), dorsal (left) and ventral (right); 16, L. jalaurida plistia, male, SATY 0367 (Puge, Sichuan), dorsal (left) and ventral (right). Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURES 35 – 38. 35. Habitat of Lethe elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov. and L. jalaurida nuolaensis, altitude 3200 m, East slope of Mts. Gao-li-gong, Gongshan, NW Yunnan; 36. Habitat of L. elwesi stat. rev., altitude 2800 m, 62 K, Medog, SE Tibet; 37. L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov. in nature, altitude 3200 m, Gongshan, NW Yunnan; 38. L. elwesi stat. rev. in nature, altitude 2800 m, 62 K, Medog, SE Tibet.

FIGURES 17 – 22. Male genitalia. a. Male genitalia in lateral view with left valva and aedeagus removed; b. Aedeagus in lateral view. 17, Lethe elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., holotype, SATY 0369 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 18, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., paratype, SATY 0356 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 19, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., paratype, SATY 0363 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 20, L. elwesi stat. rev., SATY 0368 (Medog, Tibet); 21, L. jalaurida nuolaensis, SATY 0361 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 22, L. jalaurida plistia, SATY 0367 (Puge, Sichuan).

FIGURES 23 – 28. Tip of the male valva in dorsal view. 23, Lethe elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., holotype, SATY 0369 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 24, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., paratype, SATY 0356 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 25, L. elwesi houjiangae ssp. nov., paratype, SATY 0363 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 26, L. elwesi stat. rev., SATY 0368 (Medog, Tibet); 27, L. jalaurida nuolaensis, SATY 0361 (Gongshan, Yunnan); 28, L. jalaurida plistia, SATY 0367 (Puge, Sichuan).