Psychostrophia nymphidiaria ( Oberthuer , 1893)

Huang, Si-Yao, Wang, Min & Fan, Xiao-Ling, 2019, Notes on the genus Psychostrophia Butler, 1877 (Lepidoptera, Epicopeiidae), with description of a new species, ZooKeys 900, pp. 111-127 : 114-116

Psychostrophia nymphidiaria ( Oberthuer, 1893) Figs 5-8 , 11-14 , 15

Abraxas nymphidiaria Oberthür 1893: 34, pl. 2, fig. 28. [Type locality: “Rencontrée pendant le voyage de Ta-Tsien-Lou à Mou-Pin" (Road from Kangding to Baoxing)].

Psychostrophia nymphidiaria ( Oberthür): Leech 1897: 189; Seitz 1912: 278; Minet 2003: 473, 479, fig. 4.

Stiboges lushanica Chou and Yuan 2001: 142, fig. 15, 16. syn. nov. ( Riodinidae ).

Material examined.

Photos of holotype of Stiboges lushanica , male, printed label in Chinese "[Sichuan, Lushan, leg. Bing-hong Wang]"/ printed red label “Holotype” / red label " Stiboges lushanica Chou et etc., IDENT. IO CHOU" (NWAFU); 1 male, 22.VI.2003, Nanling Mts, Guangdong Province, leg. Min Wang, PSY009 (SCAU); 1 female, 2.VIII.2003, Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture, leg. Min Wang (SCAU); 1 male, 10.V.2018, Luding County, Sichuan Province, leg. Min Wang (SCAU); 1 male, altitude 1700-1900 m, 13.VI.2012, Mt Niba, Yingjing County, Ya’an City, Sichuan Province, leg. Xiao-hua Deng & Hou-shuai Wang, PSY007 (SCAU); 1 male, 11.VIII.2016, Shuangxikou Town, Jinyun County, Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, leg. Shu-qin Ji & Hou-shuai Wang, PSY006 (SCAU); 1 male, 25. VII– 15.VIII.2018, Qingyuan County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, leg. Qing-song Wu, PSY008 (SCAU); 1 male, altitude 1500 m, 3. VI. 2019, Guanmenshan, Shennongjia, Yichang City, Hubei Province (SCAU); 2 males, 21.V.2011, Huanggangshan, Mt Wuyi, Fujian Province, leg. Zhen-fu Huang & Qi-tong Huang (SCAU); 2 males, altitude 1300 m, 13.VIII.2014, Mt Tianping, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, leg. Lan-lan Huang, Wan Lu, Qi-tong Huang & Min Wang (SCAU).

Remarks.

Taxon Stiboges lushanica Chou & Yuan, 2001 was described based on two specimens taken in Lushan County, Ya’an City in western Sichuan Province. Kishida (2006) was first to point out that this “butterfly” taxon is conspecific with P. nymphidiaria , but did not synonymize it formally. With the help of Dr Guo-xi Xue and the permission from Dr Xiangqun Yuan, the photographs of the holotype could be examined. The holotype is a male of the oriental swallowtail moth species P. nymphidiaria . Although the male genitalia were not illustrated, the description by Chou and Yuan (2001) as well as the photographs suggest that these individuals are undoubtedly conspecific with this epicopeiid moth species commonly found in that area, rather than a bona species of the riodinid butterfly genus Stiboges Butler, 1876. Although their mimicry relationship makes them morphologically similar, one can easily recognize this moth species simply by the filiform antenna. Thus, S. lushanica is considered a junior synonym of P. nymphidiaria (syn. nov.).

Nevertheless, according to Dr Guo-xi Xue and Dr Xiangqun Yuan, there is another specimen also bearing the holotype red label of S. lushanica in the collection of NWAFU, and this specimen is illustrated here for the first time ( Fig. 16 ). The information on the labels is interpreted as follows: "[Sichuan, Lushan, leg. Jing-hua Wang]"/ printed red label “Holotype” / red label "芦山白蚬蝶, Stiboges lushanica Chou et Yuan, IDENT. IO CHOU ". This specimen is a female of Stiboges elodinia Fruhstorfer, 1914 in the opinion of Callaghan (2009). Chou and Yuan (2001) stated in English that the sex of the holotype of S. lushanica was female, which would suggest that this taxon is a true butterfly. However, the descriptions in both Chinese and English have all clearly expressed that the holotype is conspecific with the male of P. nymphidiaria and definitely not a female riodinid butterfly. According to Article 73.1.1 of the Code ( ICZN 1999), if an author, when establishing a new nominal species-group taxon, states in the original publication that one specimen, and only one, is the holotype, or "the type", or uses some equivalent expression, that specimen is the holotype fixed by original designation. The specimen of P. nymphidiaria pictured in figure 16 of Chou and Yuan (2001) was fixed as the holotype of S. lushanica since the word “holotype” was plainly used in Chinese in the legend under this figure. The holotype status of that female riodinid butterfly, which was subsequently labeled as the holotype of S. lushanica , is therefore invalid, making the true holotype of this taxon the specimen of P. nymphidiaria shown in figure 16 of Chou and Yuan (2001).

During the study of the populations of P. nymphidiaria from various localities, it was found that males vary externally and in their genitalia. The median white zone on the dorsal forewing varies in shape and size, and the genitalia vary in the shape of the valva, length and width of the praesacculus, and the ratio of the aedeagus to the coecum ( Figs 5-8 , 11-14 ). It is possible that cryptic species still exist within P. nymphidiaria sensu lato, a possibility that deserves a more careful investigation including the examination of more adults and genitalia of both sexes, as well as conducting DNA barcoding in the future.

Distribution.

China (Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) ( Fig. 25 )

Figures

Figure 25. Distribution map of the genus Psychostrophia. Records of distribution are taken from Inoue (1992), Chou and Yuan (2001), Owada (2011), Huang et al. (2019), An Identification Guide of Japanese Moths Compiled by Everyone http: // www. jpmoth. org, Shiiba Research Forest, Kyushu University http: // www. forest. kyushu-u. ac. jp / miyazaki / index. php, and the present study.

Figures 1 - 8. Males of Psychostrophia spp. 1 Psychostrophia micronymphidiaria sp. nov., holotype, Weixi, Yunnan, PSY 001 2 ditto, paratype, Weixi, Yunnan, PSY 002 3 ditto, paratype, Lushui, Yunnan, PSY 003 4 ditto, paratype, Dali, Yunnan, PSY 004 5 Psychostrophia nymphidiaria, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, PSY 006 6 ditto, Qingyuan, Zhejiang, PSY 008 7 ditto, Nanling, Guangdong, PSY 009 8 ditto, Yingjing, Sichuan, PSY 007. Scale bar: 1 cm.

Figures 9 - 14. Male genitalia of Psychostrophia spp. 9 Psychostrophia micronymphidiaria sp. nov., holotype, Weixi, Yunnan, PSY 001 10 ditto, paratype, Weixi, Yunnan, PSY 002 11 Psychostrophia nymphidiaria, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, PSY 006 12 ditto, Qingyuan, Zhejiang, PSY 008 13 ditto, Nanling, Guangdong, PSY 009 14 ditto, Yingjing, Sichuan, PSY 007. a = male genitalia capsule with juxta removed; b = aedeagus lateral view; c = aedeagus dorsal view; d = juxta. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figures 15 - 18. Adults of Psychostrophia spp. and Stiboges sp. 15, 17 - 18 male 16 female: 15 Psychostrophia nymphidiaria, holotype of Stiboges lushanica, Lushan, Sichuan 16 Stiboges elodinia, mislabeled specimen of " holotype " of Stiboges lushanica, Lushan, Sichuan 17 Psychostrophia picaria, Shennongjia, Hubei, PSY 017 18 holotype of Psychostrophia endoi, Xam Neua, Laos, from Inoue (1992). Scale bars: 1 cm.