The clouded mother-of-pearl Protogoniomorpha anacardii Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) - an updated record of butterfly for Saudi Arabia

The record of the clouded mother-of-pearl Protogoniomorpha anacardii Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was updated in Saudi Arabia. At this stage, we confirmed the presence of this species in the southernmost part of Saudi Arabia based on photographs taken between 2020-2023 from Fayfa and the adjacent mountains in Jazan. The photographs match the descriptions and remarks made by Dr Torben Larsen in multiple publications, which suggest that this taxon represents the widespread subspecies P. a. nebulosa Trimen, 1881. Here, we discuss the Saudi Arabian populations of P. a. nebulosa and its conservation in depth and encourage more research on butterflies in Saudi Arabia.