Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2024 | 16(10): 26058–26059

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9337.16.10.26058-26059

#9337 | Received 29 July 2024

Response to “First record of Pieris napi L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Kashmir Valley, India”

Taslima Sheikh

Lepidopterist, Citizen Science Expert, Inspire Foundation Trust, Baraura Husaain, Bari Balaganj, Lucknow,

Uttar Pradesh 226003, India.

sheikhtass@gmail.com

Date of publication: 26 October 2024 (online & print)

Citation: Sheikh, T. (2024). Response to “First record of Pieris napi L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Kashmir Valley, India”. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(10): 26058–26059. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9337.16.10.26058-26059

Copyright: © Sheikh 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

I am writing to address several inaccuracies in the recent publication by Rasool & Mir (2024) on the occurrence of Pieris napi in Kashmir Valley, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. As an experienced lepidopterist with a focused study on the butterflies of the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory, including a comprehensive checklist published in 2021, I find it imperative to clarify certain points raised in their study.

Firstly, the identification of the butterfly species in question is fundamentally flawed. The butterfly documented in their study appears to be Pieris melete ajaka (Moore, 1865), commonly known as the Himalayan Green-veined White, not P. napi. The misidentification likely stems from the authors’ reliance on outdated literature and a lack of consultation with recent taxonomic revisions. Pieris napi, in all its subspecific variations, is predominantly found across Europe, western & northern Asia, but is not known to occur in India. This discrepancy highlights a critical need for the authors to revisit their identification methods and consult updated taxonomic resources.

It is important to note that the Indian subspecies ajaka were previously listed under P. napi Linnaeus, 1758 or European Green-veined White. However, they are now recognized under P. melete Moore, 1865, as updated in recent literature (Moore 1874; D’Abrera 1990; Varshney & Smetacek 2015; Kehimkar 2016; Gasse 2018; Anonymous 2024). For updated information, please refer to the ifoundbutterflies website (Anonymous 2024).

Previous literature consistently reports the distribution of P. ajaka in Kashmir (Moore 1874; D’Abrera 1990; Varshney & Smetacek 2015; Kehimkar 2016; Gasse 2018), including specific mentions of the Goorais valley (South 1902) and Budhal, Rajouri District in Jammu & Kashmir, India. These records, which I have also mentioned in my 2021 checklist, underscore the presence of P. ajaka in regions of Jammu & Kashmir and not P. napi.

Authors also have not checked the latest paper on P. napi group on India by Das et al. (2021).

I have mentioned the P. melete ajaka synonyms in the following list from the paper.

P. ajaka Moore, 1865 (Figs. 7, 8, 18, 23, 29, 34, 43, 52, 60, 68, 76, 84)

P. ajaka Moore, 1865: 490 (Type locality: “Lower Kunawur”). Winhard, 2000: 29.

Tshikolovets & Pagés, 2016: 93. Tadokoro et al., 2017: 90.

P. melete Ménétriés, 1857; Mackinnon & de Nicéville, 1898: 590.

P. napi race. melete var. ajaka Moore; Bingham, 1907: 173.

P. melete ajaka Moore; Verity, 1908–1911: 140, 166, 331.

P. ajaka f. ajanta Röber, 1907: 48.

P. melete ajaka Moore; Fruhstorfer, 1910: 140.

P. napi ajaka Moore; Evans, 1932: 67. Talbot, 1939: 420. Mani, 1986: 55.

P. napi f. ajanta Röber; Talbot, 1939: 420.

P. napi race. ajaka Moore; Wynter-Blyth, 1957: 432.

P. ajaka ajaka Moore; Eitschberger, 1983: 409.

Additionally, the paper’s assertion regarding the host plants of P. napi may be accurate; however, the depiction of the eggs in their study is incorrect. The eggs shown are dot-like, which is inconsistent with the eggs of the Pieris genus. Pieris eggs are tall, bottle-shaped, and strongly ribbed, a characteristic that is clearly absent in the images presented in the paper. This further calls into question the accuracy of the species identification in their research.

I would also like to address the authors’ neglect in referring to updated literature concerning the range extension of butterfly species in the region. The published work by Sheikh et al. (2021) provides a detailed and updated checklist of butterfly species in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, which the authors have overlooked. Properly acknowledging and incorporating recent findings is essential for the credibility and accuracy of scientific research.

In conclusion, while the discovery of butterfly species in new regions is always exciting, it is crucial to ensure precise identification and thorough consultation of the latest literature. I urge the authors to revisit their findings and consider the points raised to enhance the accuracy and reliability of their research. It’s already recorded from Jammu & Kashmir as P. ajaka or P. melete ajaka, (Parey & Sheikh 2021; Sheikh et al. 2021), Rasool & Mir (2023) identified this as P. napi in a podential predatory journal so this paper is baseless and misleading with wrong identification.

References

Anonymous (2024). Pieris melete Ménétriés, 1857 – Asian Green-veined White. In Kunte, K. S. Sondhi & P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/pieris-melete. Downloaded on 20 August 2024.

D’Abrera, B. (1990). Butterflies of the Holarctic region. Part I (Papilionidae, Pieridae, Danaidae & Satyridae (partim). Hill house, Victoria, Australia, 185 pp.

Das, G.N., U. Eitschberger, N. Singh & K. Chandra (2021). A new species of the genus Pieris Schrank, 1801 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pierinae) with taxonomic notes on the Pieris napi group from India. Zootaxa 5004(4): 501–520. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.1

Gasse, P.V. (2018). Butterflies of the Indian Subcontinent - Annotated Checklist. Retrieved from http://www.biodiversityofindia.org/images/2/2c/Butterflies_of_India.pdf on June 30, 2024.

Kehimkar, I. (2016). Butterflies of India. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, 506 pp.

Moore, F. (1874). List of diurnal Lepidoptera collected in Cashmere Territory by Capt. R.B. Reed, 12^th Regt. with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 4: 264–274.

Parey, S.H. & T. Sheikh (2021). Butterflies of Pirpanjal Range of Kashmir Himalaya. Corvette Press, 163 pp.

Rasool, F. & A.H. Mir (2024). First record of Pieris napi L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Kashmir Valley, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(7): 25609–25612. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8223.16.7.25609-25612

Sheikh, T., M.A. Awan & S.H. Parey (2021). Checklist of Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir, India. Records of Zoological Survey of India 121(1): 127–171.

South, R. (1902). Catalogue of the collection of Palaearctic butterflies formed by late John Henry Leech. British Museum London, vi + 228 pp.

Varshney, R.K. & P. Smetacek (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. Butterfly Research Centre Bhimtal and Indov Publishing, New Delhi, India, 261 pp.

Editor’s note:

The article “First record of Pieris napi L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Kashmir Valley, India” by Rasool & Mir published in Volume 16, Issue 7 of the Journal of Threatened Taxa on 26 July 2024, has received a response based on the identification and reporting of the species. The arguments on the species identification is solely between the responder and the authors. Others are welcome to comment and participate in this post-publication peer-review.

In the article published by Rasool & Mir (2024), Pieris napi is presented as a first record for Jammu & Kashmir from Srinagar District with additional information. The same authors have reported P. napi in from Jammu & Kashmir in a potential predatory journal in January 2023. Since JoTT’s Editorial policy does not recognise articles published in journals listed in Beall’s List of Potential Predatory Journals and Publishers, the information along with additional notes is published in JoTT as first record.

References