Abstract
In recent years, a considerable number of pierid butterflies of the genus Delias have been found from Jinmen Islands, where no available hostplants grow, rendering a proof of cross sea water migration of these butterflies. It is suggested here that these butterflies come from nearby continent of eastern China, visiting the islands for nectar acquisition in seasons when nectar is in short supply because they mostly show up in autumn months. Samples obtained during the survey contained two species, namely Delias pasithoe (Linnaeus, 1767) and Delias acalis (Godart, 1819). Subspecific names applied to both species in eastern China appear to involve nomenclatural problems, with erroneous usage in recent literature.
References
Bascombe, M.J., Johnston, G. & Bascombe, F.S. (1999) The Butterflies of Hong Kong. Academic Press, London, x + 422 pp., 222 pls.
Braby, M.F. (2000) Butterflies of Australia: Their Identification, Biology and Distribution. Vol. 1. CSIRO, Collingwood, xx + 458 pp.
Bush, M.B. & Whittaker, R.J. (1991) Krakatau: colonization patterns and hierarchies. Journal of Biogeography, 18, 341–356.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2845404Chang, Y.J. (2011) Six-legged Sprites on the Golden Islands. Kinmen National Park. Jinnin, 552 pp.
Cheng, Y.L. (2010) Culture of land under warfare. In: Chiu, T.H. (Ed.), Atalas of Kinmen National Park. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, pp. 278–321.
Chou, I. (1994) Monographia Rhopalocerorum Sinensium. Henan Scientific and Technological Publishing House, Zhenzhou, 854 pp.
Chou, I., Zhang, Y. & Wang, Y. (2001) New species, new subspecies and new records of butterflies from China. Entomotaxonomia, 23, 38–46.
Cramer, P. (1779) De uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen,
D’Abrera, B. (1982) Butterflies of the Oriental Region. Part I. Hill House, Melbourne, xxi + 244 pp.
Eliot, J.N. (1992) The butterflies of the Malay Peninsula. 4th Revised Edition. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, x + 595 pp., 69 pls. [originally by Corbet A. S. & Pendlebury, H. M.]
Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan) (2015) Introduction of Republic of China: The land. Available from: http://www.ey.gov.tw/state/News_Content3.aspx?n=690B370D978A0943&s=C26FDDD8B7870584 (accessed 28 December 2016)
Fang, Y.P., Yang, P.S. & Ho, Y.M. (1998) Insects of Kinmen. Vol. I. Butterflies. Kinmen Forestry Bureau, Jinsha, 47 pp. [in Chinese]
Ho, Y.M. & Hsu, K. (1994) Colorful Butterflies of Kinmen. Kinmen Forestry Bureau, Jinsha, 45 pp. [in Chinese]
Honey, M.R. & Scoble, M.J. (2001) Linnaeus’s butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 132, 277–399.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2001.tb01326.xHong, T.W. (2013) identification for a pierid butterfly, 2010. 11. Kinmen. Available from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=678491382168266&set=gm.510255402363297&type=3&theater (accessed 6 February 2017)
Hsu, Y.F. (2014) Faunistic survey of butterflies on small islands associated with Taiwan, with preliminary study on compilation of fauna of Taiwan butterflies (2/2). Forestry Bureau of Taiwan, Taipei, 67 pp. [in Chinese with English abstract]
Hsu, Y.F., Huang, H.C. & Chiba, H. (2009) Butterflies of Taiwan: more than a big island. The Nature & Insects, 44 (3), 22–31. [in Japanese]
Hsu, Y.F. & Huang, H.C. (2013a) Rapala manea schistacea (Moore, 1879), a hairstreak butterfly new to Kinmen Islands (Lycaenidae: Theclinae): Butterflies (Teinopalpus), 61, 40–42.
Hsu, Y.F., Wang, C.K. & Huang, C.L. (2013b) Notes on Ypthima lisandra from Kinmen Islands (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae). Butterflies (S. fujisanus), 63, 49–53.
Hsu, Y.F., Wang, S.M., Huang, H.C. & Lu, C.C. (2014) On butterfly fauna of some islands associated with Taiwan. The Nature and Insects, 49 (14), 13–17. [in Japanese]
Huang, C.L. (2010) Introduction. In: Chiu, T.H. (Ed.), Atalas of Kinmen National Park. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, pp. 8–13. [In Chinese]
Huang, S., Hsu, Y.F. & Yu, C.Y. (2000) A study on insect diversity of Kinmen. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, 30 pp. [in Chinese with English abstract]
Huang, H. & Xue, Y. (2000) A contribution to the butterfly fauna of southern Yunnan. Neue Entomologische Nachrichten, 57, 135–154.
Jiang, F., Qi, S., Huang, B. & Yao, L. (2001) Fauna of Insects in Fujian Province of China. Vol. 4. Fujian Scientific and Technological Publishing House, Fuzhou, 165 pp., 141 pls.
Lee, J.Y. & Wang, H.Y. (1995) The Illustrations of Butterflies on Kinmen and Matsu Islands. Taiwan Museum, Taipei, 343 pp. [in Chinese]
Lu, F.Y. (2011) Flora of Kinmen. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, 615 + 874 pp.
Müller, C.J., Matos-Maravı´, P.F. & Beheregaray, L.B. (2013) Delving into Delias Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): fine-scale biogeography, phylogenetics and systematics of the world’s largest butterfly genus. Journal of Biogeography, 40 (5), 881–893.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12040Thornton, I. (1997) Krakatau-The Destruction and Reassembly of an Island Ecosystem. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 346 pp.
Tung, C.S. & Yang, P.S. (2008) The Diversity of insects in Kinmen. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, 90 pp.
Williams, C.B. (1958) Insect Migration. The MacMillan Company, New York, xiii + 235 pp.
Wu, C. (2010a) Fauna Sinica, Insecta. Vol. 52. Lepidoptera, Pieridae. Science Press, Beijing, ix + 416 pp., 16 pls. [In Chinese with English abstract].
Wu, C.T. (2010b) Culture of land under warfare. In: Chiu, T.H. (Ed.), Atalas of Kinmen National Park. Kinmen National Park, Jinnin, pp. 278–321.
Yagishita, A., Nakano, S. & Morita, S. (1993) An Illustrated List of the genus Delias Hübner of the World. Khepera Publishers, Tokyo, xiv + 384, 207 pls.