Wing Venation Abnormalities in the Black-Veined White Aporia crataegi L. (Lepidoptera, Pieridae): Insight in Terms of Modern Phenetics

Patterns of appearance of wing venation abnormalities in the black-veined white Aporia crataegi L. were studied. These abnormalities form four types of bilateral compositions and vary quantitatively in the degree of phenotypic expression. This implies that wing venation abnormalities in A. crataegi may be regarded as stable states of threshold nonmetric traits with hidden quantitative variability, i.e., “phenes.” Different venation abnormalities vary in the pattern of appearance, either showing a trend toward joint occurrence in one individual or occurring independently of each other. Some abnormalities appear mainly asymmetrically, randomly, and independently in different body sides, while others tend to occur symmetrically. Only those abnormalities which appear independently of each other, randomly, and independently in different body sides can be considered random developmental errors and indicators of developmental instability. Such abnormalities were rare, making up less than 20% of the total number.