Delias berinda adelma
Mitis, 1883
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♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
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♂, Nan, Thailand. |
♀, Nan, Thailand. |
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♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
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♂, Lai Chau, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito) |
♀, Lao Cai, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito) |
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♂, Nan, Thailand. |
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
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♂, Nan, Thailand. |
♂, Nan, Thailand. |
♂, Nan, Thailand. |
♂, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. |
ON :
Delias belladonna var. adelma Mitis, 1893
OD : Deut. ent. Zeit. [Iris] 6(1): 103.
TL : "Central China"
Distribution : C.Myanmar, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, N.Thailand, Laos, N.Vietnam.
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Synonyms
Delias belladonna yedanula Fruhstorfer, 1910 : In: Seitz, Gross-Schmetterl. Erde 9(45): 131. TL. "Omi Shan" [Emei Shan, C.Sichuan, China]. (NHML)
Delias sanaca atsukoae Nakano, 1993 : In: Yagishita et al., An illust. list. Delias World: 11, pl.93, figs.3(PT,♂), 4(HT,♂Un). TL. Nan, Thailand. (in coll. S.Nakano)
Type Materials Information
yedanula ;
♀, Type (red), Omei Shan, China. (NHML, examined)
atsukoae ; Holotype ♂, Nan, Thailand. (in coll. S.Nakano, examined) ; Paratype ♀, Nan, Thailand. (in coll. S.Nakano, examined)
Records taken from Literature
[ THAILAND ]
Delias sanaca perspicua ; Pinratana,1983 : 6,32, pl.2, figs.3,♂,♀. (Chiang Mai)
Delias sanaca atsukoae ; Yagishita et al.,1993 : pl.93, figs.3,♂(PT),4,♂(HT,Un). (N: Nan)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Yagishita et al.,1993 : pl.95, figs.5,♂,6,♀. (N: Fang; Chiang Rai)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Inayoshi & Nishimura,1997 : 21, figs.55,♂,56,♂,57,♀,58,♂,59,♂. (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Pomeun; Doi Chiang Dao; Doi Inthanon; Omkoi; Wiang Pa Pao; Mae Sariang; Doi Phu Kha)
Delias sanaca perspicua ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 126, pl.35, figs.Pi3,♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon; Wiang Pa Pao; Doi Phu Kha)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : pl.35, figs.Pi4,♂,♂(Un). (Doi Phu Kha) (partim)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Kimura et al.,2011 : 166, figs.♂,♂(Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon; Maethro)
Delias sanaca perspicua ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 126, pl.35, figs.Pi3,♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon; Wiang Pa Pao; Doi Phu Kha)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : pl.35, figs.Pi4,♂,♂(Un). (Doi Phu Kha) (partim)
Delias berinda yadanula ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2015- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Chiang Mai) (accessed: 2022.06.19)
[ LAOS ]
Delias sanaca perspicua ; Motono & Negishi,1989 : 48, pl.15, figs.3,♂,4,♂(Un). (Phatong)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Inayoshi & Nishimura,1997 : 21. (Xaignabouri; Phathon)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 202, pl.28, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀. (Phong Saly; Xam Neua)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 42.
Delias berinda yedanula ; Sbordoni et al.,2018 : 598. (Mt.Phan)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Onodera,2022 : 13, pl.57, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Oudomxai; Xiengkhouang: near Tong)
[ VIETNAM ]
Delias berinda ; Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2015 : 15. (N: Lao Cai)
Delias berinda yedanula ; Monastyrskii,2024 : 32-33. (N: Hoang Lien)
Specimens Examined
[ THAILAND ]
Chiang Rai : 4♂.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Chiang Mai : 12♂ 3♀ (incl. photo).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Nan : 12♂ 1♀.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
[ LAOS ]
Xaignabouri : 5♂.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
[ VIETNAM ]
Lao Cai : 1♀.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Lai Chau : 1♂.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Notes
New to Vietnam.
The butterfly is locally very common in montane forests at moderate to high elevations (Alt. 1300 - 2200m).
Males are territorial at hilltops and fly in circles for long hours in their territorial space.
They very often chase Teinopalpus imperialis and engage in territorial fights.
On the other hand, males frequently come to the banks of streams and puddles to suck water together with belladonna, sanaca and patrua.
Delias sanaca and Delias berinda are quite similar and need to check genitalia for identification.
The populations from the Indochina region were previously treated as ssp.yedanula, but Hu et al. (2026) synonymised it with ssp.adelma.
On the other hand, Talbot (1937) considered the populations from Yunnan and Shan State, Myanmar to be ssp.boylaea from Darjeeling, N.India.
However, based on their distribution patterns and morphological characteristics, it would be unreasonable to classify them as ssp.boylaea.
Therefore, the populations from Yunnan and the Indochina region are provisionally treated as ssp.adelma.
I examined the genitalia of the Holotype and Paratype of Delias sanaca atsukoae,
and confirmed they are definitely Delias berinda, not sanaca.
Thus, atsukoeae is treated as belonging to berinda and, furthermore, was a synonym of adelma for the following reasons.
The population in Nan is very variable in size and markings.
Most of them are large in size and similar markings as ordinary adelma, like specimens shown at the bottom row;
but some are small in size and have very similar markings to sanaca, as a male specimen shown on the 2nd row.
This variation is not seen in Chiang Mai.
Curiously, no sanaca has ever been found in Nan province.
Further taxonomic study is needed.
Literature
Mitis, H.R. von,1893 : Revision des Pieriden-Genus Delias.
Deut. ent. Zeit. [Iris] 6(1): 97-153.
Fruhstorfer, H.,1910 : 2. Familie: Pieridae. In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde.
9: 121-144 (14.Jan.1910), Stuttgart, Alfred Kernen.
Talbot, G..1937 : A Monograph of the Genus Delias.
(6): 261-656, 48 pls., British Museum Natural History.
Tytler, H.,1939 : Notes on some new and interesting butterflies chiefly from Burma. pt.1.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 41(2): 235-252.
Yagishita, A., Nakano, S. & Morita, S.,1993 : An Illustrated List of the Genus Delias Hübner of the World.
409 pls, 384 pp, Tokyo, Khepera Publishers.
Inayoshi, Y. & Nishimura, M.,1997 : A reviw of the belladonna group of the genus Delias (Lepidoptera, Pieridae).
Butterflies 16: 18-33. (in Japanese)
Sbordoni, V. & Allegrucci G., Calcagni, M. & Cesaroni, D.,2018 :
DNA barcoding and species delimitation in two species groups of Delias from South East Asia and the Sino-Himalayan zone (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Pieridae).
Biodiversität und Naturausstattung im Himalaya VI. - Erfurt 2018: 591-601.
Hu, S.J., Inayoshi, Y., Lamas, G., Zhang, X. & Duan, K.,2026 : Checklist of Yunnan Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) with nomenclature and distributional notes.
Zootaxa 5763(4): 451–491.
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♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
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♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
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♂ with belladonna and Prioneris thestylis, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
♂ with sanaca, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
A Check list of Butterflies in Indo-China, Chiefly from THAILAND, LAOS & VIETNAM. Copyright © 1996- Y.Inayoshi.
