VOLUME 62, NUMBER 3 143 Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 62(3), 2008, 143-147 TAXONOMIC AND DISTRIBUTIONAL STUDIES ON THREE LASIOMMATA WESTWOOD SPECIES RESTRICTED TO NORTH-WEST HIMALAYA (NYMPHALIDAE: SATYRINAE) NARENDER SHARMA AND H.S.ROSE Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053, India; email:
[email protected] ABSTRACT. Three species of the genus Lasiommata Westwood, (maerula Felder, schakra Kollar, and menava Moore collected from North- West Himalaya have been examined in the light of genitalic studies. Illustrations and a new key to the three species are provided. Additional key words: Genitalia, brachia, angular appendices, signa, genital plate. Himalaya is the hub of a great many butterfly species 2. Forewing upperside with black ocellus ringed with occurring in different ranges. Recent field work in broad fulvous ring, subapical similar minute ocellus North-West Himalaya has led to the collection of three above it wanting; hindwing upperside with marginal species that have been identified as Lasiommata and submarginal lines distinct; female with addi- maerula Felder, schakra Kollar, and menava Moore. tional fulvous band on inner side; male genitalia with Marshall & de Niceville (1883) placed these species in brachia longer than half the length of uncus; female the genus Amecera Butler, which, with Lasiommata genitalia with lobes of lamella antevaginalis nearly Westwood, was synonymized under Satyrus Latreille by rounded schakra Kollar Bingham (1905). Without assigning specific reasons, 2a. Forewing upperside with black ocellus ringed with Evans (1932) and Talbot (1947) assigned these species ill-defined, faint, yellow ring, a similar but smaller to Pararge Hübner, with Satyrus Bingham (Not minute subapical ocellus present; hindwing upper- Latreille), Lopinga Moore, Lasiommata and Amecera as side with marginal and submarginal lines missing; its synonyms (Talbot 1947).