Russian Entomol. J. 24(4): 307–311 © RUSSIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL JOURNAL, 2015 On two recently published books on the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) Î äâóõ íåäàâíî îïóáëèêîâàííûõ êíèãàõ, ïîñâÿùåííûõ ðîäó Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) S.K. Korb1, O.G. Gorbunov2 Ñ.Ê. Êîðá1, Î.Ã. Ãîðáóíîâ2 1 Russian Entomological Society, Nizhny Novgorod Division, P.O.Box 97, Nizhny Novgorod 603009 Russia. E-mail: [email protected] Русское энтомологическое общество, Нижегородское отделение, а/я 97, г. Нижний Новгород 603009 Россия 2 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Leninskii Prospekt 33, Moscow 119071 Russia. Институт проблем экологии и эволюции А.Н. Северцова, Ленинский пр. 33, г. Москва 119071 Россия. KEY WORDS: Lepidoptera, Colias, new books, review. КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СЛОВА: чешуекрылые, желтушки, новые книги, обзор. ABSTRACT. In the present work some nomencla- authors are basing practically all of their conclusions on torial, taxonomic and zoogeographic errors, which were wing pattern, while making constant reservations about made in recently published revisions of the genus Co- its variability; in 99% of cases this serves them as the lias Fabricius, 1807, are examined and corrected. The basis for the synonymizations. The paradox is obvious: following nomenclatorial acts are applied: C. alta wor- the least reliable diagnostic characters for a species are thyi Zhdanko, 2012, stat.n., C. phicomone oberthueri applied, and then these same characters are used for the Verity, 1909, stat.rest., C. palaeno aias Fruhstorfer, synonymizations. 1903, stat.rev., C. alpherakii roschana Grum-Grshi- The authors obviously make a mockery of some mailo, 1893, stat.rest., C. hyperborea hyperborea aspects of nomenclature, giving lesser attention to oth- Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 = C. hyperborea puella Chur- ers of no lesser importance. This relates mainly to type kin et Grieshuber, 2001, syn.n., C. regia svetlanae localities and nomenclatorial types: in an attempt to Korb et Yakovlev, 1998, stat. rest. clarify a type locality with maximum details (often – with the geographical precision to seconds) the authors РЕЗЮМЕ. В настоящей работе изучаются и ис- rather rarely designate nomenclatorial types. Indisput- правляются некоторые номенклатурные, таксоно- ably, the exact knowledge of a place of collection of the мические и зоогеографические ошибки, сделанные nomenclatorial type is useful and the value of such в недавно опубликованных ревизиях рода Colias knowledge is great, however most of the sulfurs are Fabricius, 1807. Предлагаются следующие номенк- strong flyers and can migrate large distances. This латурные акты: C. alta worthyi Zhdanko, 2012, stat.n., makes unlikely the formation of a local subspecies, and C. phicomone oberthueri Verity, 1909, stat.rest., C. in turn, makes senseless an absolutely exact knowledge palaeno aias Fruhstorfer, 1903, stat.rev., C. alpherakii of a locality where a nomenclatorial type was collected. roschana Grum-Grshimailo, 1893, stat.rest., С. The first book [Grieshuber et al., 2012] is written as hyperborea hyperborea Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 = С. nomenclatorial and taxonomic revision with strong his- hyperborea puella Churkin et Grieshuber, 2001, syn.n., torical aspect; the second one [Grieshuber, 2014] is, as C. regia svetlanae Korb et Yakovlev, 1998, stat. rest. its author states, a brief review of the genus and serves in general for collections reorganization: “The present In 2012 and 2014 two books were published dedi- Guide, . permits a quick overview about this genus cated to the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 in the Old and to re-organize a collection”. In the first book there World [Grieshuber et al., 2012; Grieshuber, 2014]. is not a single illustration of genitalia. In the second one, Both works are notable with the pedantic German ap- there are three illustrations, and none is original. There proach, good knowledge of the subject and … rather are no illustrations of the female genitalia at all. Maps of poor grounding in general biology. No analysis of the the distribution areas of all the species lack excluded genitalia besides that already published by someone regions, thus often making distributions unreliably wide. else; not even hints about an attempt to build a natural It would be logical to place on the maps the localities systematic order (moreover, in the 2012 book the “Sys- known to the authors (as dots), as it is done in the tematic list of the genus Colias” is alphabetical); molec- overwhelming majority of modern scientific works, how- ular data are not applied absolutely (although there is ever the authors have decided not do this. It is not much available open access published data, etc.). The realistic for us to address the accuracy of all of the maps. 308 S.K. Korb, O.G. Gorbunov We shall elaborate below some examples of the incor- supposes, naming it ab. Sareptensis” [Alpheraky, 1875: rect indications of distribution areas. 153; translated from Russian]. According to ICZN Art. The most obvious remarks (by far not all) on select- 46.2, when lowering or raising the status of a species- ed Palaearctic species: group taxon, its type material remains unchanged with C. hyale (Linnaeus, 1758). For this species, two the same type specimen (specimens) for which the taxon subspecies are cited (the nomenotypical one and palidis was first established regardless of the materials initial Fruhstorfer, 1910) with the separation in Altai. The status (q.v. Arts. 72.1.1, 73.2 and 74.1). Hence the distribution of C. hyale is shown as uninterrupted from lectotype designation of sareptensis by the authors of the Atlantic to Pacific coast. However, in the deserts and the books being reviewed is not valid. We resolved this semi-deserts of Central and Southern Kazakhstan this problem by fixing a valid lectotype for sareptensis in species doesn’t occur. It is assumed that these desert the O. Staudinger’s type series, however this fact is areas provide natural borders between the european, ignored in the books reviewed. It should be noted also, south-siberian and tian-shanian populations of the spe- that we see as incorrect the total synonymization of all cies. Additionally, this species doesn’t occur in the the subspecies within alfacariensis: differences between considerable region of the trans-uralian steppes (q.v., irano-turkish and european macropopulations are rather e.g. Lukhtanov, Lukhtanov, 1994: 64, map). Therefore, considerable (lighter coloration, thinner (partially re- synonymization of the taxon grieshuberi Korb, 2004 duced) elements of the wing pattern); existing natural with the nomenotypical subspecies is seen by us as obstacles make impossible a regular process of gene erroneous, while distribution of the nomenotypical sub- exchange (Caucasus Mts. and Black Sea basin), but this species in the East is limited by the Ural Mts. Beyond question requires further investigations. the Urals, behind the wide belt of the trans-uralian C. poliographus Motshulsky, 1860. Synonymiza- steppes, begins the distribution area of another subspe- tion of the island subspecies is questionable because of cies: palidis (hence the border comes not in the Altai as prolonged isolation without contact with the mainland J. Grieshuber demonstrates, but along the Ural). The subspecies. Quite strange is the fact that J. Grieshhuber distribution area of grieshuberi is separated from pali- [2014] did not illustrate males of the island subspecies; dis by the wide areas of the deserts of South-East all of the males illustrated in the book are from the Kazakhstan (Sary-Taukums, Kyzyl-Kums etc.). The tax- mainland; the only illustration presented of island but- onomic arrangement of C. hyale is thus: C. hyale hyale terflies is a female from Tanigumi (Japan). The status of (Linnaeus, 1758); C. hyale palidis Fruhstorfer, 1910; C. the mainland subspecies (naukratis Fruhstorfer, 1910, hyale grieshuberi Korb, 2004. manchurica Kishida, 1935, amdensis Bollow, 1930) C. alta Staudinger, 1886. We agree with the synon- need additional clarification; here we provisionally ac- ymization of C. alta = C. worthyi Zhdanko, 2011, cept that the single subspecies naukratis (this is the however the latter taxon undoubtedly is a good subspe- senior available name) occurs over all of the mainland cies. The area of distribution of worthyi is situated in area, while the islands are inhabited by the nomenotyp- Interior Tian-Shan (the Baydulu, Naryn-Too and Moldo- ical subspecies (but that clarification is needed for the Too mountains ranges), the distribution of alta includes taxa formosana Shirôzu, 1955, tokotana Bryk, 1942 Pamir-Alai and the eastern part of Gissar-Darvaz. Thus and tomarias Bryk, 1942, which described from the between the areas of alta and worthyi the vast regions of different islands of Japan archipelago). Interior Tian-Shan are situated, and the natural border C. phicomone (Esper, 1780). Synonymization of all between these two taxa is the Kara-Darya river and the the known subspecies to the nomenotypical one appears Fergansky mountain range. Because of their wide geo- unconvincing. The area of distribution of the species is graphic separation, it is incorrect that both populations disjunctive-montane: Central and Southern Alps (first represent a single subspecies. The taxonomic scheme of disjunction) and Pyrenees (second disjunction) (see, for the species: C. alta alta Staudinger, 1886; C. alta wor- example: Kudrna et al., 2011: 141, map). The author thyi Zhdanko, 2012, stat.n. mentions a large variability of the species (which is C. alfacariensis Ribbe, 1905. The taxon sarepten- characteristic for all the genus Colias, that would be sis, established as an aberration by O. Staudinger and sufficient to mention once in the introduction). Pyrene- subsequently raised in rank to a variation by S. Alpher- an butterflies in general are darker than the Alpine ones aky, is treated by the authors of both books as a taxon, and deserve separation into their own subspecies; the described by S. Alpheraky separately from O. senior available name for this action is C. phicomone Staudinger’s description. On this basis, the authors oberthueri Verity, 1909, stat.rest.