Pieris erutae subsp. erutae erutae Poujade, Dibang Valley 1888
Creators: name: Das, Gaurab Nandi
name: Eitschberger, Ulf
name: Singh, Navneet
name: Chandra, Kailash
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Ericales
Ericaceae
Pieris
Pieris erutae
Pieris erutae erutae poujade, 1888

description: Pieris erutae erutae Poujade, 1888   
(Figs 11–14, 20, 25, 26, 36–38, 45–47, 54–56, 62, 63, 70–72, 78–80, 86)  
 Pieris erutae Poujade, 1888: xix (Type locality: “Mou-Pin”). Sbordoni et al., 2015: 546.   
 Pieris melete var. erutae Poujade; Leech, 1893: 450.   
 Pieris melete var. mandarina Leech, 1893: 451 (Type locality: “North China ”).   
 Pieris melete alpestris Verity, 1908: 166 (Type locality: Ta-tsien-lou).   
 Pieris melete australis Verity, 1911: 331 (Type locality: Haut Younnan).   
 Pieris erutae erutae Poujade; Eitscherger, 1983: 370. Winhard, 2000: 29. Tadokoro et al., 2017: 90.   
 Pieris melete ajaka Moore; Sondhi & Kunte, 2016: 9107.   
 Material examined. India, Arunachal Pradesh: 1♂, Changlang, Namdapha, Anamika falls, 413 m, 13.iii.2017, leg. Saini & Party (gen. aest.) (28717/ H9, NZCZSI); 1♂, Dibang Valley, Pathar Nalah, 2029 m, 19.iv.2017, leg. Gayen & Das (gen. aest.) (28718/ H9, NZCZSI); 1♂, Dibang Valley, near Anini, 1162 m, 12.v.2017, leg. Gayen & Das (gen. aest.) (28719/ H9, NZCZSI); 1♂, Dibang Valley, near Anini, 1381 m, 20.iv.2018, leg. Ranjan & Das (gen. vern.) (28721/ H9, NZCZSI); 1♀, Dibang Valley, Anini, Maroli, 1680 m, 20.iv.2018, leg. Ranjan & Das (gen. vern.) (28722/ H9, NZCZSI); 1♂, Dibang Valley, Anini, Etabe, 1397 m, 16.v.2018, leg. Gayen & Tacho (gen. aest.) (28720/ H9, NZCZSI).   
 Diagnosis. Forewing length: Male: 22.50–30.18 mm (n = 5); Female: 26.15 mm (n = 1). Summer form (gen. aest.) (Figs 11, 12). P. erutae is closely similar to P. melaina and P. extensa bhutya but can be distinguished in having weakly dusted wing bases and veins (in P. melaina the wing base is heavily dusted and in P. extensa bhutya wings have pure white ground colour and unmarked forewing cell). The nominate subspecies P. e. erutae is distinct from its sister subspecies P. erutae wangchucki Tadokoro, Wangchuck & Wangdi, 2017 (distributed in Bhutan) in reduced markings on upperside of the forewing, which are prominent in the latter. The female of P. erutae is distinct from the female of its closely similar species, P. melaina and P. extensa bhutya, in veins being moderately suffused with black scales on the upper surface whereas, in P. melaina the veins are heavily suffused and in P. e. bhutya the veins are suffused only on the marginal and submarginal areas.   
 Spring form (gen. vern.) (Figs 13, 14). In this form, the markings are weakly developed on upper surface whereas, the veins are more prominent on the under surface in comparison to the summer forms. The spring form of P. e. erutae is distinct from P. tadokoroi, sp. nov. by its larger size and weakly dusted veins on the under surface.   
 Male genitalia (Figs 36–38, 45–47, 54–56, 62, 63, 70–72). Male genitalia are variable in size, but are closely similar to P. tadokoroi, sp. nov., P. ajaka and P. melaina, and the diagnostic characters are discussed under P. ajaka.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 86). Female genitalia as discussed under P. ajaka.   
 Androconia (Figs 78–80). Closely similar to P. tadokoroi, sp. nov., P. ajaka and P. melaina, but lamina neck is thicker in spring form than in summer form, and the diagnostic characters are discussed under P. ajaka.   
 Distribution. NE India (including Sikkim) to mountains of Vietnam, through SE China, Yunnan and Laos.
description: Published as part of Das, Gaurab Nandi, Eitschberger, Ulf, Singh, Navneet & Chandra, Kailash, 2021, A new species of the genus Pieris Schrank, 1801 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pierinae) with taxonomic notes on the Pieris napi group from India, pp. 501-520 in Zootaxa 5004 (4) on pages 511-512, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5140718