Anthocharis damone arachovae Back and Nazari, 2025

Naderi, Alireza, Back, Werner, Scalercio, Stefano & Nazari, Vazrick, 2025, Higher phylogeny of Orange Tips (Anthocharis) with a focus on population structure in A. damone (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), Ecologica Montenegrina 83, pp. 74-91 : 82

Anthocharis damone arachovae Back and Nazari , ssp. nov. ( Fig. 4 e–h )

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:70F922EB-360B-46D1-929B-F50482E3C2B7

Holotype: ♂, Greece: Arachova , 7.IV.1991, leg. W. Back (coll. Back).

Paratypes: Greece: 58♂ 27♀ same data as holotype (coll. Back) ; 2♂ Distomo-Arachova- Antikyra , Arachova to Mt. Parnassos ski centre, 22.IV.2007, BOLD SampleID: RVcoll.14-N539 (coll. CSIC-UPF) ; 1♂ Delphi , leg. Back & Wieser, DNAwback015 (coll. Back) ; 2♂ Fokida , 2-3 km. south of Vounihora, 23.IV.2007 (coll. CSIC-UPF) .

Distribution. Central Greece, possibly also including the population in Corfu Island.

Etymology: The species is named after its type locality, the Town of Arachova, Boeotia, Greece.

Description: Male. Wingspan 32–38 mm, mean: 36 mm (n=15), upfw with a slightly paler orange patch, often overlapping the black border and along the entire costa (approx. 85%). The discoidal patch well developed, visible within the orange apical patch and adjacent to the black border. Hws exhibit a clear translucence of the unhw elements. The vein endings are marked by strong black patches.

Female. Wingspan 36–42 mm (n=8), mean: 38 mm (n=8). Upfw apical marking light and crossed by a series of creamy spots, often with a distinct yellowish-orange suffusion; uphw more or less coated yellowish-ochre; veins endings with strong black patches.

Differential diagnosis. ♂ discoidal spot usually outside of the black border of the orange apical patch; ♀ upfw apex and unhw costa yellowish-ochre suffusion is not as intensive as in ssp. hollaenderi .

Note. Larval host plant is Isatis tinctonia .

Figures

Fig. 4. Holotype ♂ and paratype ♀ of the new subspecies of A. damone described in this study. A–D) A. d. calabra ssp. nov., ♂♀ Italy: Calabria, Balzate, 39.164, 16.3548, 12.V.2015, leg. S. Scalercio (coll. CREA-FL); E–H) A. d. arachovae ssp. nov., ♂ Greece: Arachova 7.IV.1991 (leg. and coll. Back); ♀ Greece: Delphi, e.o. 25.III.1992, Egg 9.IV.1991 (leg. and coll. Back); I–L) A. d. morea ssp. nov., ♂♀ Greece: Taygetos, 23.IV.2001 (coll. Back); M– P) A. d. shahrdarii ssp. nov. ♂ Iran: Alborz, Karaj, Azgi Dareh, 1600 m, 25.IV.2008, leg. A. Naderi (coll. MMTT); ♀ Iran: Alborz, Chalus road, Dizin road, 2200-2600m, 22.V.2001, (leg. and coll. Naderi).