Anthocharis damone eunomia (Freyer, 1851)

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 : 83-84

Anthocharis damone eunomia (Freyer, 1851)

Pontia Eunomia Freyer, 1851 , Neuere Beitr. Schmett. 6: 149. Type locality: not stated. According to Hesselbarth et al. (1995), the type locality is “almost certainly” in Eastern Anatolia.

= Anthocharis damone pallida form. nov. Röber 1907, in Seitz, Gross-Schmett. Erde 1: 55. Type locality: “Mesopotamian”.

= Anthocharis damone fickleri n. subsp. Seyer 1985, Ent. Zeit. 95: 21. Type locality: “ Kars, Arastal , 1700 m ” [E Turkey]

Material examined: Armenia: 28♂, 3♀ Yerevan district, surroundings of Hybhye , 7.V.1995, leg. A. Bergmann (coll. Back) ; 22♂, 14♀ Urnus region, Kotayk , 800-2200 m, 8.-15.V.2007 (coll. Back) ; 1♂ Kotayk, Alibek Mt. , 6.VII.2006, leg. Louda (coll. Back) ; 1♂ Khosrov Reserve , 7.VI.2007, leg. K. SImek (coll. Back) ; 1♂ 1♀ Yeghegnadzor suburbs, 150 km SE Yerevan, Aiotdzorsky Mts. , mountain steppes, 1.VI.2007, leg. Y. Shevnin (coll. SZB) . Dagestan : 2♂ 1♀ Akhty , 1100m, 4.V.1994 (coll. Back) . Georgia: 1♂ Akhalkalaki , 30.VI.2013, leg. V.Lukhtanov (coll. ZIN-RAS) . Iran: 16♂ ♀ Kermanshah, Paveh, Shaoo Mt. , 3200 m., 9–13 June 2021, leg. A. R. Naderi ; 1♂ ibid (coll. P. Zehazd) ; 1♂ ibid (coll. A. H. Harandi) ; 1♂ ibid (coll. G. Betti) ; 1♂ 1♀ ibid (coll. W. Back) ; 1♂ W. Paveh, Teteh pass, 2700 m, 4 June 2015 (coll. Naderi) ; 1♂ 2♀ West Azerbaijan, Marmisho valley, border with Turkey , 14– 18.V.2004, leg. Karbalaye (coll. Back) ; Oshnavieh, Daranper Mt. , 15.VI.2004, leg. A. Harandi (coll. RCAH) ; 1♂ 1♀ ibid, 14.V.2005, leg. A. Karbalaye (coll. Back) ; 1♂ Kordestan, Ooramant, Jalaneh pass, 4.VI.2015, leg. A. Naderi (coll. Naderi) . Turkey: 3♂ Agri, Tahir Geçidi , 18 km W Elaskirt, 14.VI.2001, leg. W. ten Hagen (coll. Back) ; 1♀ ibid, 29.V.2008 (coll. ten Hagen) ; 1♂ Artvin, Kackar dagi, Yaylalar , 11.VII.1999 (coll. Back) ; 1♂ ibid, 23.VII.2000 (coll. Back) ; 1♀ Bitlis, 20 km E. Tatvan, 14.VI.1993, leg. R. Leestmans (coll. RCAF) ; 1♂ Erzincan, Kolcekmezdagi Geçidi , 16.VI.2009 (coll. Back) ; 2♂ Erzurum, E Erzurum, vic. Nenehatun , 30.V.2006, leg. W. ten Hagen (coll. Back) ; 2♂ 1♀ Hakkari, 20- 40 km W Yukesekova , 7.VI.2003, leg. ten Hagen (coll. ten Hagen) ; 1♂ ibid (coll. Back) ; 1♂ Dez Valley , 16.VI.1993, leg. R. Leestmans (coll. GCB) ; 6♂ 1♀ Bercelam yaylasi, 3.VIII.1978, leg. W. Eckweiler (coll. Back) ; 1♂ 1♀ Sirnak, Tanin-Tanin Pass , 2.VI.1981, leg. J. de Freina (coll. Back) ; 1♂ Van, Çatak , 20.VI.1992, leg. J.P. Borie (coll. GCB).

Distribution. Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Caucasus, NE Iraq, NE and W Iran.

Differential diagnosis. wingspan ♂ 31–35mm, fwl 17–20mm (n=6); ♀ 35–39mm, fwl 18- 22mm (n=6). Specimens with less intensive black elements; ♂ ups gc paler than in ssp. damone ; orange discoidal spot nearly always finished at black band; black band underdeveloped or absent; fw costa slight yellow, uph no blackish marginal lunules; ♀ upf black apical marking interrupted by whitish spaces, uph gc white, only near costa sometimes with an orange suffusion.

Notes. This subspecies includes numerous populations, some of which are geographically isolated and could potentially represent independent lineages, even though this may not be evident through their DNA barcodes. Marked morphological differentiation can be seen, for example, in populations from Kermanshah in Western Iran, where the gc is somewhat duller, forewings are more angled, the black line separating the orange apex from inner background is always well developed, and uns green patches are denser that populations from Azerbaijan or Turkey. The hostplant in W Iran is probably Isatis cappadocica , however two other species of Isatis ( I. lusitanica and I. tinctoria ) have also been reported form the region (Mozaffarian, pers. comm.). A gynandromorph specimen from Armenia has been illustrated by Tshikolovets (2013).