New species and subspcies of butterflies from Vietnam

Family Pieridae, subfamily Pierinae

Delias sanaca bidoupa Monastyrskii & Vu subspec. nov. (Fig. 1)

Figure 1. Delias sanaca bidoupa Monastyrskii & Vu subspec. nov. – A-B - (HT) ♀, central Vietnam, Lam Dong province, Bidoup –N.P.; C-D-PT ♀; upperside on the left; underside on the right

Description: Female. Length of forewing: HT 44mm; PT 48 mm; antennae black with greyish club, 18.0–19.0 mm. Male is unknown.

Distribution: Females of this rare taxon are thus far known only from the vicinity of Mt. Bi Doup where they were discovered along an evergreen forest stream at 1,600 m.

Talbotia nagana aurelia Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov. (Fig. 2)

Figure 2. Talbotia naganum aurelia Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov. A–B—HT♂: central Vietnam, Gia Lai province, Kon Ka Kinh N.P.; E–F—PT♀ same location as the male. Talbotia naganum pamsi Vitalis de Salvaza, C–D—♂: northern Vietnam, Lang Son province, Mau Son; G–H—♀: northern Vietnam, Vinh Phuc province, Tam Dao N.P.

Description: Male. Length of forewing: ♂HT 30 mm; ♂PTs 30, 27.5, 31, 29, 26, 28, 27, 29, 28.5, 29, 27, 27.5, 30, 27.5, 25, 30, 29.5 mm (n=17; x=28.32). Female: Length of forewing: PTs 28, 27, 26, 27, 23 mm (n=5; mean= 26,2).

Distribution: The new taxon is distributed from Quang Nam to Gia Lai province.

Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Limenitidinae

Abrota ganga pulcheria Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov. (Fig. 3)

Figure 3. Abrota ganga pulcheria Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov.: A–B—HT♂: central Vietnam, Gia Lai province, Kon Chu Rang N.R.; C–D PT ♀, same locality and date as in HT

Description: Male: Length of forewing: ♂HT 39 mm; ♂PT 38, 42 mm (n= 2). Female: Length of forewing: ♀PTs 47.0, 45.0, 48.0 mm (n = 3).

Distribution: The new taxon has been recorded in the Vietnamese Central Highlands from Quang Nam to Lam Dong provinces

Bassarona recta consonensis Monastyrskii & Vu, subspecies nov. (Fig. 4)

Figure 4. Postdiscal band on the forewing in the male of: A–B—Bassarona recta consonensis Monastyrskii & Vu subspec. nov.—HT♂, Con Son Is. (southern Vietnam); C–D—B. recta monilis Moore; Cat Tien N.P. (southern Vietnam, Dong Nai province); postdiscal band on the forewing in the female of: E–F—Bassarona recta consonensis Monastyrskii & Vu subspec. nov.—PT♀, Con Son Is. (southern Vietnam); G–H—B. recta monilis Moore; Cat Tien N.P. (southern Vietnam, Dong Nai province)

Description: Male. Length of forewing: ♂HT 33 mm; ♂PT 32.5; mm (n= 2). Female: Length of forewing: ♀PTs 39, 38, 35, 38.5 mm (n=4; x=37,63).

Distribution: The new subspecies is distributed only in the Con Dao Archipelago: Con Son Is. and Hon Ba Is.

Pantoporia bieti aurantina Monastyrskii & To, subspecies nov. (Figs. 5A, B)

Figure 5. Pantoporia bieti aurantina Monastyrskii & To, subspec. nov. A–B—♀HT, central Vietnam, Gia Lai province, Kon Ka Kinh N.P.; C–D—P. b. paona Tytler, 1915, Type, ♀, Kirbari, Naga Hills; E–F—P. b. bieti (Oberthür, 1894), Type, ♂, western China, Ta-Tsien-Lou

Description: Female: Length of forewing HT: 25 mm.

Distribution: Currently only recorded from Central Vietnam, Gia Lai province, Kon Ka Kinh N.P.

Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Satyrinae

Ragadia latifasciata Leech, 1891 (Fig. 6)

For many years, this half-forgotten species was known only from type specimens collected in Moupin [Baoxing, Sichuan] (western China) deposited in NHM: Type ♂, B.M. Type NoRh2682, Moupin, July 1890; Type ♀ B.M. Type NoRh2683, Moupin, July 1890 (Figure 8). A female similar to R. latifasciata was mentioned by Nishimura (2008) from northern Vietnam (Ha Giang province). It was the first record of R. latifasciata from Vietnam. However, the taxon was regarded as a form of R. crisilda.

Figure 6. Ragadia latifasciata cristata Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov.; A-B – HT ♂ - northern Vietnam, Ha Giang province, Dong Van district; C-D – PT ♀ - ditto HT

Ragadia latifasciata cristata Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov. (Fig. 7)

Description: Male. Length of forewing HT: 22.5 mm. Female: length of forewing: PTs 24.0; 24.5; 25 mm.

Distribution. The new taxon is known only from Ha Giang province (northern Vietnam), though it may occur in southern China.

Ragadia latifasciata crystallina Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov. (Fig. 7C-F)

Figure 7. A–B—Ragadia latifasciata critias Riley & Godfrey, 1921 stat. rev., ♂—southern China; C–D—R. latifasciata crystallina Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov., ♂HT—central Vietnam, Thua Thien Hue province, Bach Ma N.P.; E–F—Ditto, ♀PT—central Vietnam, Kon Tum province.

Description: Male: length of forewing: HT 21 mm; PTs 23, 24, 21, 20 mm. Female: length of forewing: 2PTs 20, 24 mm.

Distribution : Central Vietnam: Ha Tinh province (Vu Quang N.P., Huong Son SFE), Thua Thien Hue province (Bach Ma N.P.); Quang Nam province (Saola N.R.), Kon Tum province (Ngoc Linh N.P.); Gia Lai province (Kon Ka Kinh N.P., Kon Chu Rang N.R.) (Monastyrskii, 2005a).

Family Nymphalidae: Subfaily Satyrinae and Amathusiini

Aemona infuscata Devyatkin & Monastyrskii, 2008 stat. rev.

A. infuscata Devyatkin & Monastyrskii, 2008 was originally described as a subspecies of A. tonkinensis Rothschild, 1916. The status of the latter taxon was established by Devyatkin & Monastyrskii (2008) showing that A. amathusia (Hewitson, 1868) and A. tonkinensis are separate species. Aemona infuscata is smaller than A. tonkinensis. The hindwings are ochreous brown and darker than the forewings with faint submarginal lunules. The original description does not describe genitalia. However, since the description of infuscata, we have been able to examine the genitalia of many specimens and find that the phallus has a conspicuous, sclerotised rib, the centre of which bears a few spines. In A. infuscata, only the distal margin of the clasper’s tip is covered by spines, while in A. tonkinensis spines cover around half of tip. This difference, in concert with differences in size and wing colouration demonstrate that infuscata should be elevated to the species level.

Aemona gialaica Monastyrskii, K. Saito & Vu spec. nov. (Fig. 8)

Figure 8. A-B – Aemona gialaica Monastyrskii, K. Saito & Vu, subspec. nov., HT ♂ – central Vietnam, Gia Lai province, Kon Ka Kinh N.P.; C-D – ditto, PT ♀ - Gia Lai, Pleiku

Description: Male: length of forewing: 37-38 mm. Female: length of forewing: PT 41.2 mm.

Distribution and habitat: This newly elevated species from Quang Ngai and Gia Lai (Kon Chu Rang N.R. and Kon Ka Kinh N.P.) provinces increases the remarkable number of Aemona species found in the Central Vietnamese Highlands. These species are distributed from lower forest habitats (400-600 m) to high montane forest at 1,600-1,700 m). The new species was discovered between 900-1,000 m.

Faunis indistincta luctus Monastyrskii & Vu subspec. nov. (Figure 9)

Figure 9. A-B – Faunis indistincta luctus Monastyrskii & Vu, subspec. nov., ♂ holotype; C-D – F. caelestis Monastyrskii & Lang, 2016, ♂ holotype

Description: Male: length of forewing: HT: 45.0 mm; PTs: 46.0; 45.0; 46.0 mm; antennae dark brown (22.0 mm). Female: unknown.

Distribution and habitats: The new taxon has been recorded only at Hoang Lien National Park in the vicinity of Fan Si Pan peak and the forest ranger station at elevations around 2,000 m.

Source: Vu Van Lien, Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST
Link to Vietnamese version