Lethe jianqingi Lang, 2016

Lethe jianqingi Lang, 2016

Figs. 9–15 View FIGURES 9–17 , 18 View FIGURES 18–20 , 37, 38 View FIGURES 37–40 , 51 View FIGURES 47–56 , 63 View FIGURES 57–63 , 65 View FIGURES 65–67

Lethe armandina jianqingi Lang, 2016a: 37 , figs 1–5, 11–13.

Lethe jianqingi : Lang 2016c: 342; Lang 2017: 54.

Lethe armandina yanbiana Lang, 2016: 342 .

Material examined: Holotype (fig. 9): male, altitude 3000 m, 14. VIII. 2014, Mt. Luoji , Puge County, Sichuan Province, China, leg. Song-yun Lang, genitalia preparation No. SATY0246 , androconia preparation No. ANDR0046 ( CQMNH); holotype of Lethe armandina yanbiana Lang, 2016 (figs. 11, 37): male, Gesala , Yanbian County, Sichuan Province, China, leg. Song-yun Lang, genitalia preparation No. SATY0413 ( CSYL); SICHUAN: 1 male, altitude 3000 m, Gesala , Yanbian County, Sichuan Province, China, leg. Song-yun Lang, genitalia preparation No. SATY0419 ( CSYL); YUNNAN: 2 males, Li-kiang (Lijiang) , Provinz Nord-Yuennan (Yunnan), 22.7.1935, H. Höne ( ZFMK); 4 males, 1 female, same data, but 30.7.1935 ( ZFMK).

Diagnosis. Lethe jianqingi can be distinguished from the reminiscent L. armandina armandina (figs. 16, 19, 39, 52, 66) and L. armandina wumenga (figs. 17, 20, 40, 53) by the presence of a male brand on the forewing upperside (in most individuals), the obsolete pale band next to the postmedial band and the less prominent pale area between the two dark cell bars in the discal cell on the forewing underside.

Discussion. 1) This taxon was first described as a subspecies of L. armandina and, shortly after the publication, raised to specific rank by Lang (2016c) due to the sympatric distribution with L. armandina yanbiana in southern Sichuan. Later, Lang (2019) synonymized L. armandina yanbiana with L. jianqingi due to no significant difference found between the two taxa apart from the absence of the male brand in the former. This treatment was confirmed by the examination of more individuals from its distribution range. We discovered a series of specimens of L. jianqingi in the collection of ZFMK collected from Lijiang, northern Yunnan, and the male brand of these individuals shows considerable variation regarding the size, from fully developed (fig. 12) to obsolete (fig. 15). According to our observation and other studies, the development of the male brand in members of the subgenus Zophoessa can vary greatly within a single species, e.g. in L. helle helle and L. helle uemurai Sugiyama, 1994 ( Lang 2019; Yoshino 2023), whose only difference only lies in the presence or absence of the male brand which can be variable in the size. Therefore, we believe these populations and individuals of L. jianqingi shall still belong to a single species.Although the male genitalia of L. jianqingi display no significant difference from those of L. armandina , a recent field survey conducted by the second author in the type locality of L. jianqingi, Mt. Luoji ( Fig. 67 View FIGURES 65–67 ), unexpectedly revealed the sympatry of L. jianqingi and L. armandina armandina ( Figs 65, 66 View FIGURES 65–67 ). Considering the differences in morphology as well as the sympatric distribution, we regard L. jianqingi as a bona species different from L. armandina . However, molecular approaches are still expected to confirm the status of L. jianqingi , pending future study.

2) The female of L. jianqingi is here reported for the first time. Compared with the female of the two subspecies of L. armandina , the female of L. jianqingi can be distinguished by the smaller size, the more yellowish ground color on the upperside of both wings and the presence of three prominent white dots in the postmedial zone of spaces 3 to 5 on the forewing upperside.

Distribution. southwestern China (northern Yunnan, southern Sichuan) ( Fig.64 View FIGURES 64 ).