Lepidoptera Science

The genus Epipsestis MATSUMURA, 1921, has been represented by the following three species in Japan: E. ornata (LEECH, [1889]), E. nikkoensis (MATSUMURA, 1921) and E. perornata INOUE, 1972. As the result of my detailed examination of about 400 Nepalese specimens of autumnal thyatirids captured by Mr. M. OWADA, the National Science Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tokyo, during the 1979 expedition to Nepal-Himalaya, I am going to place in Epipsestis some Nepalese species formerly assigned to the genus Polyploca HUBNER, 1816, enlarging the category of the genus. However, Epipsestis will eventually be restricted to E. ornata (LEECH) by the future phylogenetic study. In this paper, ten species of Epipsestis from Japan and Nepal, including three new species from Nepal, will be enumerated, and a re-definition of this genus founded on them will be shown.

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The monotypic genus Chandata MOORE, 1882, with its type-species Chandata partita MOORE, 1882, is one of the genera whose taxonomic status remains uncertain among a peripheral assemblage of Euplexia STEPHENS and/or Trachea OCHSENHEIMER. The arrangement made by HAMPSON (1908) and WARREN (1913) has never been revised or discussed on the basis of genitalic morphology. Through the kindness of Mr. M. OWADA of the National Science Museum (Nat. Hist.), Tokyo, I was given an opportunity to examine two males of Chandata partita MOORE and a fairly long series of its close relative from Nepal obtained by him during the zoological expedition to Nepal Himalaya 1979 made by the museum. After a careful study, I have reached the conclusion that the genus Chandata MOORE should be given a revalidated status and that the two known species now placed under Euplexia, E. bella (BUTLER, 1881) and E. aglaja KISHIDA et YOSHIMOTO, 1978, should be placed in this genus. On the other hand, I became aware of the fact that the Taiwanese specimens erroneously identified with Euplexia bella (BUTLER) by KISHIDA and YOSHIMOTO (1978) belonged to a new species. Further, I was able to examine Nepalese specimens similar to E. bella collected by the Lepidopterological Society of Japan Expedition to Nepal-Himalaya 1963 through the courtesy of Mr. S. SUGI, Tokyo. They also represent a different new species. In the present paper, I am going to give a re-definition of the genus Chandata MOORE, to describe the three new species and to redescribe E. aglaja based on additional material.

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Though there are many geographic races of the family Pieridae endemic to Mindanao of the Philippines, species endemic to that island are very scarce. Of these, Delias levicki ROTHSCHILD, 1927 and D. apoensis TALBOT, 1928, both endemic to the mountain areas of Mindanao, are very peculiar species having no allies in the genus Delias HUBNER. During our collecting trip to that island made from July to August in 1981, we found a remarkable new species related to these Delias in the Tagubud Mountains of southeastern Mindanao. Since this new species is different in any points from levicki and apoensis, of which it stands more closely to levicki than to apoensis, the authors are going to describe it in the following lines as new to science.

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The female of Mycalesis sara MATHEW, 1887 is described and figured; reference is also made to the male holotype. Allied taxa of the genus are discussed and figured, in an attempt to clarify their distributions within the Solomon Archipelago.

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