Chrysoritis amatola, Heath, 2023

Heath, Alan, 2023, Chrysoritis Butler (Papilionoidea: Lycaenidae: Aphnaeinae) - Part III: An integrative taxonomic revision, Metamorphosis 34 (1), pp. 11-28 : 17

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.4314/met.v34i1.02
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15738363
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/744C87AA-E741-D742-FCC3-24CA78E9F9D0
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Chrysoritis amatola
status	stat. nov.

Treatment

Chrysoritis amatola stat. nov. (Dickson & McMaster, 1967).

Poecilmitis turneri amatola Dickson & McMaster, 1967: 209 .

Holotype: NHM, London. Type locality: Mt. Kubusie, Eastern Cape .

Lacks iridescence or structural colouring. MPT: montane slopes. Host ant unconfirmed but Crem. peringueyi is common in the close vicinity (Great Winterberg).

Taxonomy: Previously treated as a subspecies of C. turneri . The COI tree places C. amatola as separated from C. turneri ; it groups with C. violescens instead. However, C. violescens is nested within C. amatola stat. nov. rendering the latter paraphyletic, possibly due to ILS. C. amatolas and C. violescens are recognised as separate species due to the structural colouring and iridescence ( Figs. 11–13 View Figure 11 View Figure 12 View Figure 13 ) on the wings of C. violescens that are perceived to be absent in C. amatola . Geographically, these two taxa are about 500km apart. Chrysoritis amatola stat. nov. is here raised to species status.