A New Subspecies of Catocala praegnax WALKER from Taiwan (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Catocala praegnax was described by WALKER in 1858 from north China, and has been hitherto known to have three subspecies, praegnax WALKER from China, obliterata MENETRIES from Amur, and esther BUTLER from Japan and Ussuri (MELL, 1936). Previously SUGI (1965) recorded one female specimen of this species from Taiwan, but he did not mention its subspecific status. On July 2, 1970, I visited to Lushan-spa in central Taiwan and collected ten specimens of Catocala praegnax WALKER, and through the courtesy of Messers K. SAKAI, H. KEZUKA and M. OWADA, I could examine seven more specimens secured at Wushe, Lan-tou and Lushan-spa in central Taiwan from 1969 to 1974. These specimens are markedly different from those of the Continent and Japan, and Taiwanese population of Catocala praegnax are considered to represent a distinct subspecies.