Taxonomic revision of the Genus Pieris Schrank (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from India

Abstract

The genus Pieris Schrank popularly called as garden whites are economically important species of family Pireridae, comprise 35 species world over and in India is represented by nine species. In the present manuscript, six species of genus Pieris Schrank i.e., i.e. P. brassicae (Linnaeus), P. canidia (Linnaeus),  P. deota (de Niceville),  P. extensa  Poujade, P. melete Menetries and P. rapae (Linnaeus) have been treated taxonomically from India. Besides studying morphological characters, their male and female genitalia have been described in details and illustrated for the first time. The diagnosis of the genus and key to species has been updated using genitalic attributes. In the study of genitalia, it has been observed that in the male genitalia of the genus Pieris the uncus is undivided and aedeagus is short and thick, whereas in the female genitalia the signum is bifid and appendix bursae are well developed. In the present work, the male genitalia of scheduled species P. deota has been studied and illustrated for the first time. The male and female genitalia of dry season forms and wet season forms of species P. melete, and the subspecies and polymorphic forms of species P. canidia have been studied and compared. It has been observed that in all forms there were no genitalic variations within the species.