Plebejus fantomas Krupitsky et Li

Krupitsky, A. V. & Li, Z .., 2024, Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan, Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1), pp. 102-109 : 103-105

Plebejus fantomas Krupitsky et Li , sp.n.

Figs 1–7 .

MATERIAL. Holotype ♂ ( Figs 1 , 3–7 ), CHINA, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tian Shan Mts., Karlik Shan Range S slope, 53 rd km Hami–Barkol road , N 43°13′18″ E 93°50′37″, 1850–2000 m, 6.VII.2016, A.V. Krupitsky leg. ( ZMMU).

Paratypes: 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same label as in holotype ( AKM) .

DESCRIPTION. Male (holotype) ( Fig 1 ). Antenna black, white-ringed at base of antennomeres, club dark. Eye brown, surrounded with white scales. Frons black, top of head dark with white hairs. Palpus: 2nd palpomere white with black scales, 3rd palpomere dark. Thorax: dark brown with bluish grey hairs dorsally, white ventrally. Legs: femur and tibia white, tarsus brown. Abdomen: dark with bluish-grey hairs dorsally, whitish ventrally. Forewing length 16.0 mm, wingspan 30.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing blue with light purple hue, veins black near margin, base with light blue hairs, costal area and veins Sc– R 4+5 with suffusion of white scales. Margin black, thin. Fringe white with blackish inner part. Ventral surface of forewing light beige with base and veins strongly suffused with bluish scales. Discal spot large, oblong, surrounded with white scales. Postdiscal pattern well-developed, slightly curved, consisting of four large dark brown spots in spaces M1–Cu1 and two small spots in spaces R 4+5 and Cu2. Submarginal markings blurred, rather well-developed in spaces M3–Cu2, represented only by diffused scales in R 3–M2. Margin dark, very narrow. Fringe white. Dorsal surface of hindwing blue with light purple tint, veins black near margin, base with light blue hairs, space Sc+ R 1 brownish black, blue field in space Rs with small indentation, space 2A brownish black with bluish grey scales. Margin brownish black, broad, about 1 mm. Fringe white with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of hindwing light beige with very extensive bluish suffusion covering half of wing and reaching submarginal pattern along veins. Basal, discal and postdiscal spots complete and well-developed. Submarginal pattern surrounded by whitish scales, complete, each element of pattern consisting of V-shaped internal thin black stroke, well-developed orange lunule and large external spot of azure metallic scales. Black margin thin, broadened near veins. Fringe white.

Male genitalia ( Figs 3–7 ). Labis long and thin, with rounded apex; falx rather short, very thin; dorsal edge of valva with straight proximal part gradually turning into shorter straight distal part angled at about 120°, ventral edge wavy, with moderate rounded projection in distal portion turning into straight lower distal projection; upper distal projection of valva well-developed, with large prominent inwardly directed roughly serrated appendage, lower distal projection smaller, with small claw-like pointed tooth; distal part of dorsal edge and ventral edge of valva with inner folds; juxta V-shaped, branch slightly curved, thick, with thin rounded apex; aedeagus rather long, slightly curved, with straight stout basal 2/3 and straight distal third gradually pointed to apex.

Individual variation. Forewing length varies from 13.0 to 15.0 mm. Dorsal surface of hindwing of some specimens with more or less developed black submarginal lunules.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). Head, thorax and abdomen as in male. Forewing length 15.0 mm, wingspan 26.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing brown with blue suffusion in basal and discal area, most intensive in cell and space Cu2, and suffusion of whitish scales along costal area, veins Sc– R 4+5 and stems of veins, and small groups of whitish scales in spaces near margin; transverse vein marked with blue and whitish scales. Fringe whitish with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of forewing as in male but darker, beige, orange lunules of submarginal line well-developed in all spaces. Dorsal surface of hindwing brown with blue basal suffusion, blue suffusion in space Cu2 and scattered blue scales along veins Cu1–2A, space 2A brownish black with bluish grey scales, spaces Rs–Cu2 with developed dark U-shaped lunules bordered with whitish strokes externally and more or less developed orange suffusion internally, most developed in spaces M3–Cu2. Fringe whitish with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of hindwing as in male but darker, beige, with turquoise basal suffusion; orange lunules of submarginal pattern developed stronger, with larger orange elements; metallic scales of submarginal pattern turquoise.

Female genitalia: not studied.

Individual variation. The other known female specimen is somewhat smaller (13.5 mm, wingspan 23.0 mm). Dorsal surface of wings with less developed blue suffusion.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Males of Plebejus fantomas sp.n. can be readily distinguished from all the known Plebejus species in the very extensive bluish suffusion covering the half of the ventral side of the hindwing and reaching the submarginal pattern along veins; this peculiar colouration resembles that of some species of the genus Patricius Balint, 1991 . The only somewhat similar species is P. germani Yakovlev, 2012 described from Khovd Province in Mongolia, close to the Chinese border. Externally, P. fantomas sp.n. differs from P. germani in the mentioned developed blueish suffusion (less developed blueish suffusion limited by the basal area in P. germani , cf. figs 1–3 in plate 2 in Churkin et al. [2019]). Females of the new species differ from those of P. germani in the developed blue colouration of the dorsal side of the wings and well-developed whitish scales on the dorsal side of the hindwing (less developed blue suffusion limited by the base of the wings dorsally in hindwing with nearly lacking white scales in P. germani , cf. figs 4–6 in plate 1 in Churkin et al. [2019]). Moreover, both males and females of P. fantomas sp.n. differ in smaller rounded submarginal lunules of the ventral side of the hindwing separated from the postdiscal line of spots (elongated submarginal lunules connected with postdiscal line of spots by white strokes in P. germani , cf. figs 1–3 in plate 2 in Churkin et al. [2019]).

In the male genitalia, the new species differs from P. germani in the thin labis, gradually curving dorsal edge of the valva, smaller upper and lower distal projections of the valva and straighter less arcuated aedeagus (curved dorsal edge of the valva, larger distal projections of the valva, curved aedeagus in P. germani , cf. fig. 2 in plate 3, fig. 2 in plate 4, figs 3, 4, 6 in plate 5 in Churkin et al. [2019]).

Two other species of the P. christophi group known from Mongolia, P. anikini Yakovlev, 2012 and P. chrisreai Churkin, Kolesnichenko et Yakovlev, 2019 , are characterised by different combinations of the external and genitalic characters.

DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS. According to the known material, the new species seems to be endemic to the Karlik Mountains in the Eastern Tian Shan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. The Karlik Mountains (also known as the Karlik Shan) is the remote easternmost part of the Tian Shan Mountains separated by deserts from the neighbouring Bogda Shan of the Eastern Tian Shan as well as from the Mongolian Altai and the Gobi Altai Mountains. The Karlik Mountains are U-shaped. They comprise three ranges running in the east-west direction, namely the Karlik Range, the Barkol Range and the Metshin-Ula Range situated to the north of them. The Barkol Plateau is situated between these ranges. The northern slopes of the Karlik-Barkol ranges are covered with larch forests at mid altitudes, and the southern slopes are covered with dry rocky grasslands with Caragana shrubs.

Plebejus fantomas sp.n. was found at mid-altitudes (1850– 2000 m a.s.l.) on the southern slope of the easternmost Barkol Range, being strongly isolated from all the known populations of the somewhat similar P. germani from Mongolia by the southeastern Dzungarian Gobi ( Fig. 15 ). The same distribution pattern is known for the species of the Neolycaena davidi species group [Krupitsky, 2021]. The new species inhabits dry rocky grassland ( Fig. 16 ) covered with Caragana leucophloea Pojark.According to our field observations, shrubs of the latter are used by adults for hiding during rainy weather ( Fig. 17 ). Our search for the host plant was unsuccessful, but we suggest that the new species also utilizes Caragana halodendron (Pall.) Dum. Cours. , as do the species of the P. christophi species group described from Mongolia [ Churkin et al., 2019].

Most of the collected specimens were rather worn, so it can be suggested that the flight period is from the mid-June to mid-July. Individuals of the new species were found flying together with Hyponephele przhewalskyi Dubatolov, Sergeev et Zhdanko, 1994 , H. kirghisa chamyla (Staudinger, 1901) , Hipparchia autonoe sibirica (Staudinger, 1861) , Pseudochazara hippolyte mercurius (Staudinger, 1887) , Melitaea didyma ambra Higgins, 1941 , Tongeia burte Churkin, 2003 , Plebejus maracandicus ssp., Polyommatus eros aloisi Bálint, 1988 , Plebicula amanda ssp. and Neolycaena markhasiovi Krupitsky, 2021 recently described from this locality.

ETYMOLOGY. The name is named after Fantômas, the fictional villain wearing a blue mask played by Jean Marais in a popular film trilogy in 1964–1967. The name refers to the blue underside of the wings of the new species.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Plebejus fantomas sp.n., imago (dorsal side above, ventral side below): 1 — holotype, male; 2 — paratype, female. Рис. 1–2. P. fantomas sp.n., имаго (вид сверху и вид сниЗу): 1 — голотип, самец; 2 — паратип, самка.

Figs 3–7. P. fantomas sp.n., male genitalia (holotype): 3 —lateral view; 4 — valva, lateral view; 5 — labides and falces, ventral view; 6 — juxta; 7 — aedeagus, lateral view (above), dorsal view (below). Рис. 3–7. P. fantomas sp.n., гениталии самца (голотип): 3 — вид сбоку; 4 — вальва, вид сбоку; 5 — лопасти ункуса и ветви гнатоса, вид сниЗу; 6 — юкста; 7 — Эдеагус, вид сбоку и вид сверху.

Fig. 15. Distribution of some taxa of P. christophi species group in China and Mongolia based on examined specimens and published data [Forster, 1936; Churkin et al., 2019]; blank characters refer to type localities; a — P. anikini anikini, b — P. a. azhbogdo. Рис. 15. Распространение некоторых таксонов группы P. christophi в Китае и Монголии на основе исследованных ЭкЗемплЯров и данных литературы [Forster, 1936; Churkin et al., 2019]; контурные фигуры обоЗначают типовые местонахождениЯ; a — P. anikini anikini, b — P. a. azhbogdo.

Figs. 16–19. Plebejus spp., habitats of studied species and adults in nature: 16 — type locality of P. fantomas sp.n.; 17 — P. fantomas sp.n., male in nature (photo by A. Marusov); 18 — habitat of P. nanshanicus comb. et stat.n. near Jingtieshan work area; 19 — P. nanshanicus comb. et stat.n., female in nature (photo by A. Marusov). Рис. 16–19. Plebejus spp., биотопы иЗучаемых видов и имаго в природе: 16 — типовое местонахождение P. fantomas sp.n.; 17 — P. fantomas sp.n., самец в природе (фото А. Марусова); 18 — биотоп P. nanshanicus comb. et stat.n. в окрестностЯх пос. ЦЗЯньтешань; 19 — P. nanshanicus comb. et stat.n., самка в природе (фото А. Марусова).