Subspecies Delias nysa nysa (Fabricius, 1775)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Papilio nysa Fabricius, J.C. 1775. Systema Entomologiae, sistens Insectorum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, adiectis Synonymis, Locis, Descriptionibus, Observationibus. Flensburgi et Lipsiae [= Flensburg & Leipzig] : Kortii xxxii 832 pp. [Date published 17 April] [473].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♂, Cooktown, QLD (as nova Hollandia in original description)
  Comment: Fabricius in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described, he described the species from the Banks collection; Zimsen, E. 1964. The Type Material of I.C. Fabricius. Copenhagen : Munksgaard 656 pp. [513] (stated that there was a single specimen in the Banks collection, and this is accepted as evidence for a holotype); Talbot, G. 1929. A Monograph of the Pierine Genus Delias. Pt 3. London : British Museum 117–167 pp. [129] (mentioned a type male in the BMNH).

  Type locality references:

  Watkins, H.T.G. 1923. Notes on the butterflies of the Banks Collection. The Entomologist 56: 204-209 [205] (considered that the type locality was Cooktown); Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (some Australian species from Cooks first voyage must have come from Botany Bay, NSW; this species could have been collected at Botany Bay or at Cooktown, QLD).
• Papilio endora Donovan, E. 1805. An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of New Holland, New Zealand, New Guinea, Otaheite, and other Islands in the Indian, Southern, and Pacific Oceans: including Figures and Descriptions of One Hundred and Fifty-three Species of the more Splendid, Beautiful, and Interesting Insects, hitherto Discovered in those Countries, and which for the most Part have not appeared in the Works of any Preceding Author. London : Rivington iv + [167] pp. + [41] pls. [Date published January] [pl. [20] fig. 2].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown ♀, Australasia (in original description)
  Comment: Donovan in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described, he described the species from the Francillon collection.

  Type locality references:

  Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (the date of description suggests that type must have come from near Sydney, NSW).

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Butler, A.G. 1897. Revision of the Pierine butterflies of the genus Delias. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 6 20: 143-167 [166]
• Talbot, G. 1932. Familia Pieridae I. Lepidopterorum Catalogus. Pt 53 pp. 1–320. [77]

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

NSW, Qld, Vic: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Flinders (FLI), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • New South Wales: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
  • Queensland: Murray-Darling basin, NE coastal
  • Victoria: SE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Korthalsella breviarticulata (Tiegh.) Danser [SANTALACEAE]; Korthalsella rubra (Tiegh.) Endl. [SANTALACEAE]).

 

General References

Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xiv 682 pp. 49 pls. [289]

Fruhstorfer, H. 1910. The Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. [Pieridae]. 119-190 pls 51-73 in Seitz, A. (ed.). The Macrolepidoptera of the World: a systematic description of the hitherto known macrolepidoptera. Stuttgart : Alfred Kernen Vol. 9 1197 pp. [dated 1927] [129] (incorrect subsequent spelling of Papilio nysa Fabricius, 1775 as Delias mysa (Fabricius, 1775))

Talbot, G. 1937. A Monograph of the Pierine Genus Delias. Pt 6. London : British Museum pp. 261-656. [Date published 23/January/1937] [128] (biology))

Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. What Butterfly is That? A Guide to the Butterflies of Australia. Illustrated by Neville Cayley. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 291 pp. 34 pls. [Date published 15/Dec/1932] [51]

Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [140] (description, distribution)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Mar-2013		05-Mar-2013	MODIFIED
30-Mar-2012		30-Mar-2012	MODIFIED
05-Apr-2011		05-Apr-2011	MOVED
28-Mar-2012		05-Apr-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)