NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS YPTHIMA HUBNER ( LEPIDOPTERA : PAPILIONOIDE : SATYRIDAE ) FROM NORTH-WEST INDIA

The genus Ypthima Hubner is represented by about 100 species distributed in the Palaeotropical and East Palaearctic regions. Identification of certain species and population complexes is, in fact, an intricate problem. Consultation of relavent literature (vide Marshall & de Niveville, 1883; Moore, 1890, 1892; Elwes & Edwards, 1893; Evans, 1932; Talbot, 1947; Shirozu & Shima, 1979) has critically been made. Shirozu & Shima (loc.cit.) dealtwith seventy three described species from Asia, South Pacific Islands and Australia. They have studied the male genitalia of as many as fifty-three species. In view of the presently collected material represented by fourteen examples are referable to Hiibneri group of the genus Ypthima Hubner. Shirozu & Shima (loc.cit.) included three species under Hiibneri group i.e., Ypthima hiibneri Kirby, Y. ceylonica Hewitson and Y. kasmira Moore. Evans (loc.cit.) distinguished four groups among the Indian species of this genus. His grouping was mainly based on the wing markings of the hindwing underside. In his book of the Indian butterflies Talbot (loc.cit.) followed mainly Evans in the grouping of the Indian Ypthima Hubner. This article deals with the description of a new species, viz, Ypthima rosei sp. nov. from Terai region of Uttar Pradesh. Type specimens are deposited in the Lepidoptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.


INTRODUCTION
The genus Ypthima Hubner is represented by about 100 species distributed in the Palaeotropical and East Palaearctic regions.Identification of certain species and population complexes is, in fact, an intricate problem.Consultation of relavent literature (vide Marshall & de Niveville, 1883; Moore, 1890Moore, , 1892;;Elwes & Edwards, 1893;Evans, 1932;Talbot, 1947;Shirozu & Shima, 1979) has critically been made.Shirozu & Shima (loc.cit.)dealtwith seventy three described species from Asia, South Pacific Islands and Australia.They have studied the male genitalia of as many as fifty-three species.In view of the presently collected material represented by fourteen examples are referable to Hiibneri group of the genus Ypthima Hubner.Shirozu & Shima (loc.cit.)included three species under Hiibneri group i.e., Ypthima hiibneri Kirby, Y. ceylonica Hewitson and Y. kasmira Moore. Evans (loc.cit.)distinguished four groups among the Indian species of this genus.His grouping was mainly based on the wing markings of the hindwing underside.In his book of the Indian butterflies Talbot (loc.cit.)followed mainly Evans in the grouping of the Indian Ypthima Hubner.This article deals with the description of a new species, viz, Ypthima rosei sp.nov.from Terai region of Uttar Pradesh.Type specimens are deposited in the Lepidoptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.

Ypthima rosei sp. nov.
Adult (Male) : Head with frontoclypeal area clothed with brown and white scales and hair; eyes light brown, medium-sized and glabrous; labial palpi upwardly directed, three segmented, middle segment long, distal segment acuminate, closely appressed with black and white scales and hair; antenna 7.0 mm, club slender, brown, nudum extends from the base of the club to the base of the flagellum, the latter brown; thorax dressed with fuscous hair and sclales dorsally and brown hair and scales ventrally; foreleg strongly reduced, femur longer than tibia, densely fringed with brown scales and hair, meso and meta legs white scaled, femur longer than tibia, tarsus five segmented and clawed; upperside dark brown; forewing upperside with subapical black, bipupilled, ringed with diffuse yellow, rounded or slightly oblique ocellus, dis cal and marginal fasciae indistinct, brand obscure, underside with grayish-white striations, not very densely covered with short brown striae, subapical ocellus as on upperside but the yellow ring more prominent and broader, a small black, yellow ringed ocellus contiguous with subapical ocellus may present below in Cula, marginal and discal fasciae form a loop under the subapical ocellus, another fascia extends between the dorsum and subapical ocellus; upperside hindwing with two black, single pupilled, weakly ring with diffuse yellow, ocelli in M3 and Cu la, yellow ring may absent, sometimes a small additional ocellus may present in Culb, fasciae obscure, underside striations as on forewing underside, fasciae indistinct, single pupilled, black, yellow ringed four ocelli in Rs, M 3 , Cula, Culb, ocellus in Rs may have one black dot above and one black dot below, ocelli in M 3 , Cula, Culb may be contiguous or spaced.
Androconia broad and notched at base, sharply tapering beyond middle towards apex.
Venation (Figs. 9-10) : Forewing cell less than half the length of the wing, Rl arising beyond upper angle of cell, M3 arched, mdc slightly incurved; hindwing cell more than half the length of the wing, Cula before lower angle of the cell, humeral vein (h) (precostal) vein T-shaped.
Abdomen dorsally dark brown and fringed with fuscous scales; ventrally clad with brown scales.
Length of forewing: Male: 15-18 mm.Female: 18.0 rrm.1893) pointed out that owing to a lot of variations, different species of the genus Ypthima Hubner were difficult to identifyl separate and the genus, as such, having been remained for many years a stumbling block to the Lepidopterists.Eliot (1992) has also recommended that the males admit of ready identification from the characteristic forms of their genitalia.During the course of present studies, fourteen examples have been identified to belong to Hubneri group (Shirozu & Shima, 1979).In respect of characters such as, , the uncus, tegumen, aedeagus and the valva in the male genitalia and the corpus bursae, ductus bursae and genital plate in the female genitalia, the present species differ from the other species of the group (Shirozu & Shima, 1977, 1979).

Material Examined
Two male specimens (one collected from Dudhwa Railway Station, Dudhwa National Park and other from Mahof Forest, Pilibhit) have an additional ocellus on upperside of hindwing in Culb.Similarly, a minute, black, yellow ringed ocellus present below and contiguous with subapical ocellus on the underside of the forewing in specimen collected from Koyalawas.One male specimen collected from Dudhwa Railway Station, Dudhwa National Park have on the underside hindwing an additional black dot below ocellus in Rs , while the other male specimen collected from the same locality, on the same date have two additional black dots, one above and one below of the ocellus present in Rs.However, all these individuals found to be conspecific on the basis of genital structures.In fact, these individuals hitherto represent an undescribed species which is accordingly named as Ypthima rosei sp.nov.The new species is closely allied to Ypthima kasmira Moore from which it differs in respect of following characters: (i) Fasciae on the underside of the forewing are prominent in Ypthima rosei, whereas, in Y. kasmira fasciae are indistinct (ii) Uncus in male genitalia weakly curved ventrally in Ypthima rosei, while, in Y. kasmira uncus is more or less straight (iii) Appendix angularis in male genitalia blunt at distal end in Ypthima rosei, whereas, in Y. kasmira it is rounded (iv) Apex of valva in male genitalia densely sclerotized in Ypthima rosei, while, in Y. kasmira it is less sclerotized (v) In male genitalia, aedeagus in lateral view weakly curved dorsally in the posterior half in Ypthima rosei, whereas,
The species is named in honour of Dr. H.S. Rose, Ex.Prof & Head, Department of Zoology, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India, for his contributions in the field of Systematics of Lepidoptera. Etymology: