Anthocharis damone calabra Scalercio, Nazari and Back, 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 : 80-81

Anthocharis damone calabra Scalercio, Nazari and Back , ssp. nov. ( Fig. 4a–d )

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:924995D5-B1B2-45CB-8C84-6524EDFADF8F

Holotype: ♂ Italy: Calabria, Balzate , 39.164, 16.3548, 12.V.2015, leg. S. Scalercio, BOLD SampleID: LEP-SS-00201 (coll. CREA-FL).

Paratypes: 1♂ 2♀ same data as holotype ; 1♂ Calabria, Fondo Lippi , 3.V.2015, leg. S. Scalercio (coll. CREA-FL) . 42♂ 29♀ Calabria, Cosenza, Corigliano (coll. Back) .

Distribution. S. Italy (Calabria).

Etymology: named after the Italian region of Calabria.

Description: Male. wingspan 33–36mm (n=5) (Holotype 33 mm). Ups yellow; fw with a large distal orange area imperfectly delimited proximally by a concave band of diffused black scales which goes from the tornus to mid costa, narrow until one third of its length becoming larger towards the costa; discal spot black, reniform, usually on the black band or, rarely, slightly displaced on the orange area; apex covered by black scales forming triangles in correspondence of distal parts of veins, also present along the inner margin except in correspondence of the anal vein; basal area covered by black scales; uns as the ups, but orange area without black band between orange and yellow areas; wing apex yellow, with few black scales mainly along the proximal margin; black basal area smaller than the ups. Hws basally black, rarely with small black scale spots along the inner margin in correspondence of vein ends; uns yellow with dark-green scales forming a net-shaped design also visible on the ups.

Female. wingspan 35–37mm (n=2). Fw white or pale creamy-white; discal spot black, reniform; dark apex larger than in ♂ s with very small yellow veins sometimes absent; basal area covered by black scales; uns as ups, but with yellow apex and yellow basal area. Hws light orange, basally black; uns as in ♂.

Differential diagnosis. On average a little smaller than ssp. damone . Orange apical spot mostly runs over the black band; discoidal spot mostly smaller, especially in ♀; yellow veins in the apex of ♀ s very small or disappeared (good characteristic of differentiation).

Notes. New subspecies discovered through DNA barcoding. On the Calabrian A. damone, Parenzan (1980) states: “It prefers sunny places and flies along valleys or slopes, always few in number. At the end of March, I captured it between 600 and 800 m above sea level, at the beginning of May in higher areas, up to 900-1000 m. Calabria: M. Giummella (Sila) 15/V (BELCASTRO); Cerenzia (Sila) 7/V (BELCASTRO); Rossano (heights at 600 m above sea level) 27 /III; Corigliano (Piana Caruso at 750-900 m above sea level) 27/III-9/V”. Jutzeler et al. (1998) studied the life- history of the population of A. damone calabra from Rossano. In the type locality we observed a ♀ laying an egg on a leaf of Isatis tinctoria . On the same plant, growing on a South-exposed and steep slope, we found seven more eggs. Caterpillars were reared in the lab until the pupal stage, but no adults emerged the Spring after.

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).