In our previous work we studied the ultrastructure of the antennae of pierids through a character analysis. In this study we describe the antennal ultrastructure of three species and six subspecies of Patia focused on these traits at the intrageneric level. Patia is a genus of Dismorphiinae with the highest number of scaleless antennomeres (nudum = 11‒15). Therefore, the length of its antennal club is greater than that of any other genus of the subfamily. Several other features differentiate the species of Patia, particularly the number of sulci and pseudosulci and its contour or perimeter. A pattern was observed, especially in P. rhetes, in which the central sulci are disintegrated and surrounded by several pseudosulci in the basal antennomeres and along the club; in the medial and distal antennomeres, the pseudosulci merge to form sulci aggregates. Pseudosulci are uncommon on the distal antennomeres, even in P. rhetes. The central sulci are irregular and have a discontinuous edge when they are disaggregated and accompanied by pseudosulci; those that are elliptical and have a continuous contour, seldom have pseudosulci nearby. Another noteworthy feature is the different shapes of the distal antennomere that occur in the subspecies of P. cordillera and P. orise. In the former, this antennomere is quite elongated and ends at a point, whereas the distal one is less elongated and its apex blunt. Patia rhetes shows the lowest number of scaleless antennomeres (n = 11) while P. cordillera sspp. the largest (n = 14 or 15). The variety of the sensilla present in the Patia species does not provide specific differences, except in P. cordillera sororna where we discovered the presence of a claviform sensillum that does not present in any other species or subspecies. In our small sample size, we did not observe sexual dimorphism.
We present the results of the first examination and comparative analysis of the ultrastructure of the antennae in seven species of Leptidea Billberg, 1820 (Pieridae). The results add further support to the hypothesis that the subfamily Dismorphiinae is composed of the tribes Leptideini and Dismorphiini. We summarize the results in a table and discuss the ultrastructure similarities and differences between the two tribes. Following a previously proposed framework, we trace the progression of character states and discuss the significance of the results in the context of varying phylogenetic hypotheses for Leptidea, with special emphasis on biogeography. We include a brief description of the terms we employ to described the main characters and types of sensilla of the antennal club of Leptidea. Remarkable antennal sexual dimorphism is noted in L. gigantea.
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