LEPIDOPTERA

• PIERIDAE Duponchel,1835

  • PIERIS Schrank,1801

    
    

    • Pieris dulcinea (Butler, 1882)

Pieris dulcinea dulcinea (Butler, 1882)

• TYPE LOCALITY. "Posiette Bay" [Posiet, S. Ussuri region].

• RANGE. NE. China, the Amur and Ussuri regions to Korea and Japan.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The Amur and Ussuri regions, the Far East -nominate subspecies (= sichotensis Kurentzov, 1941; = sulphured Sheljuzhko, 1961); Sakhalin - ssp. saghalensis Nakahara, 1926; the Kuriles - ssp. tomariana Matsumura, 1928 (= kurilica Bryk, 1942).

• TAXONOMIC NOTES. Eitschberger (1983) considers P. tomariana as a separate species very close to P. dulcinea. In our opinion, however, it is no distinct species.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Widely distributed in the forest zone, flying along roads, at forest edges and in sparse woodlands. Flight period: May-August in two externally very different generations. Host plant (Kurentzov, 1970; Danchenko & Nikolaevsky, pers. corn.): Arabis sagittata, Cardamine leucantha. Pupa hibernating.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. P. melete: FW apical spot compact and rounded; ends of veins with distinct black dusting; UPF cell intensively dusted by black at wing base.

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997