A PRELIMINARY ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE PAPILIONIDAE OF LAOS WITH NOTES ON TAXONOMY, PHENOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)

Abstract

63 Papilionid taxa of Laos are reported representing 60 biological species. Of these, the occurrence of Papilio elephenor is unproven, and that of Papilio krishna is refuted, leaving 58 species confirmed for Laos. Notes on their taxonomy, distribution, phenology and variation are given. The following synonymies or changes of status are herewith listed:
Graphium antiphates itamputi is regarded as a separate subspecies from pompilius stat. rev.
Papilio tamerlanus timur Ney, 1911 is a synonym of Papilio alebion mullah Alphéraky, 1897, syn. nov.
The following combinations are therefore proposed for the collective species: Graphium mullah mullah (Alphéraky, 1897) comb. nov. applies to the Sichuan population; Graphium mullah chungianus (Murayama, 1961) comb. nov., for the Taiwanese subspecies; and Graphium mullah kooichii (Morita, 1996) comb. nov. for the Lao subspecies.
The true type of Papilio arycles sphinx Fruhstorfer, 1899 is identified, and arycleoides Fruhstorfer, 1902 placed in synonymy, syn. nov.
Teinopalpus imperialis bhumipoli Nakano & Sukkit, 1985, T. i. gerritesi Nakano, 1995, T. i. gillesi Turlin, 1991, and T. i. hakkaorum Schäffler 2004 are shown to be synonyms of Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix de Nicéville, 1899, syn. nov.
Atrophaneura varuna liziensis Zhao, 1997 is synonymized with A. varuna astorion (Westwood, 1842) syn. nov.
The names elegans Chou et al., 2000, pulcher Chou et al., 2000 and longimacula Wang & Niu, 2002 are sunk as synonyms of Papilio bianor bianor syn. nov.
Papilio bianor significans Fruhstorfer, 1902 is regarded as a valid subspecies (stat. rev.) and the ranges of Papilio bianor gladiator Fruhstorfer, [1902] and ganesa Doubleday, 1842 are clarified.
Papilio noblei de Nicéville, [1889] is shown to be monotypic, and haynei Tytler, 1926 is sunk as a synonym syn. nov.
Papilio hipponous siamensis Godfrey, 1916 is synonymized with pitmani Elwes & de Nicéville, [1887] syn. nov.
The taxon imitata Monastyrskii & Devyatkin, 2003 is considered conspecific with Papilio epycides and therefore the combination is Papilio epycides imitata stat. nov., comb. nov.