Plebejus karinae artifex Churkin, Lekarev & Krupitsky, 2025

Churkin, Sergei V., Lekarev, George A. & Krupitsky, Anatoly V., 2025, First record of the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) species group in Europe with description of a new subspecies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), Zootaxa 5693 (2), pp. 283-290 : 284-288

Plebejus karinae artifex Churkin, Lekarev & Krupitsky , ssp. nov.

( Figs 1–12 )

Material

Holotype: ♂, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Liman Distr., Baer knolls , Zarechnoe vill. , 45°52’35.0”N 47°30’23.0”E, 26.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( SDM).

Paratypes ( 54 ♂, 20 ♀):

5 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as in holotype, G. Lekarev leg. ( SDM); 7 ♂, 3 ♀, same data as in holotype, G. Lekarev leg. ( SChR); 2 ♂, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Liman Distr., Baer knolls , Trudfront vill. , 26.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( GLM); 2 ♂, 1 ♂, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., between Khosheutovo and Volnoe , 27.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( AKM); 5 ♂, 1 ♀, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., Selitrennoe vill. , Akhtuba R. , 27.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( SChR); 10 ♂, 7 ♀, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Krasnyi Yar Distr., Dzhanai vill. , Akhtuba R. , 27.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( SChR); 2 ♂, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., 8 km E Krasnyi Yar vill. , 27.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( MSAH); 1 male, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., Volnoye vill. , 28.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( SDM); 7 ♂, 2 ♀, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., 4 km ESE Volnoe vill. , 28.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( GLM); 4 ♂, 1 ♀, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., 4 km N Sasykoli vill. , 29.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( GLM); 9 ♂, 3 ♀, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, 1 km N Kharabali town, 29.06.2024, G. Lekarev leg. ( SChR).

Description

Male ( Figs 1–4 , 21 ).

Antennae, palpi, thorax and abdomen as in other species of the group ( Churkin & Pletnev 2012).

Dorsally wings deep violet-blue, with white suffusion along costa. Black margin rather narrow, usually less than 1 mm but not filiform, with blurred inner margin. Tips of veins darkened at 2–4 mm, discal spot absent. Hindwing with large black submarginal spots. Fringes white.

Ventral side of forewing grey with narrow black margin, discal spot and spots of postdiscal pattern large, with whitish rings. Submarginal pattern expressed, with unconnected large orange spots and somewhat smaller black spots.

Ventral side of hindwing grey, black pattern large but somewhat smaller than on forewing, with blurred whitish rings. Basal suffusion expressed, nearly reaching basal row of spots. Postdiscal and submarginal pattern connected with broad white spots. Submarginal pattern expressed well, inner black elements narrow, middle elements large, red or orange-red, broadly connected with each other, outer elements large, spot-like, black with bright metallic scales outside. Margin white inside, black outside, extended at veins.

Forewing length 14.0 mm in holotype, 13.0–15.0 mm in paratypes, mean 14.0 mm.

Male genitalia ( Figs 13–15 ). Similar to that of nominotypical subspecies, labides distally more blunt, aedeagus somewhat larger, with long distal part, 1.5 times as long as longer proximal part, falces short and thin.

Female ( Figs 5–8 ).

Dorsally brown, usually with completely developed submarginal row of yellow-red lunulate spots on both wings surrounding dark brown rounded spots fusing with background. Fringes brownish.

Ventral side brownish-grey. Pattern as in males but rings around black spots more contrasted, bright red-orange elements of submarginal pattern broadened and merged together, whitish strokes between postdiscal and submarginal pattern often reduced.

Individual variation

Some male specimens with smaller spots of ventral side of wings, middle elements of submarginal pattern yellowish or bright red in some specimens.

Females rather uniform, rarely with reduced first one or two orange spots on forewing. One female with weak violet basal suffusion dorsally, another one with weak violet suffusion in discal area of hindwing.

Diagnosis

Compared to the nominotypical subspecies ( Figs 9–12 ), the new subspecies differs in grey ventral side of the wings, large black spots of the pattern and merging bright reddish inner spots of the submarginal pattern of the ventral side of the wings (vs. whitish dorsal side of the wings in males, small spots of the black pattern of the ventral side of the wings in both sexes and yellow or yellow-orange inner elements of the submarginal pattern of the ventral side of the wings in the nominotypical subspecies). Additionally, males of the new subspecies are darker, deep violet-blue (vs. lighter blue in the nominotypical subspecies, cp. figs 31–34 in Churkin & Krupitsky 2025), and females are brown dorsally, completely lacking variable blue colouration typical for the nominotypical subspecies (cp. figs 35–38 in Churkin & Krupitsky 2025).

Some rare forms superficially intermediate between the two subspecies are known, that confirms possible genetic exchange between them. The genitalia have no pronounced differences; all the diagnostic characters of the species, including aedeagus with very long proximal part unusual for the P. christophi complex, are developed in the new subspecies.

Etymology. Artifex—skillful, skilled, artistic: the new subspecies is more colourful compared to the nominotypical subspecies.

Distribution

Plebejus karinae artifex ssp. nov. is known so far from the type locality and several localities in the Volga Delta, ca. 600 km westward of the type locality of the nominotypical subspecies ( Fig. 19 ), where it inhabits valleys of rivers comprising the delta ( Fig. 20 ), including areas below sea level, and footsteps of unique formations, Baer knolls, parallel latitude-oriented hills composed of sand and clay, which developed in the Caspian Depression in the Late Quaternary ( Lobacheva et al. 2023). We cannot exclude that this subspecies also inhabits neighbouring parts of Kazakhstan. Despite the second author’s efforts, it was not found in the Republic of Kalmykia, where Alhagi vegetates in abundance, probably due to the absence of suitable habitats associated with river valleys and Baer knolls.

Bionomics

In the type locality, the new subspecies was found in a plant community composed of Alhagi maurorum Medik. ( Fabaceae ), Artemisia santonica L. ( Asteraceae ), Suaeda sp. ( Amaranthaceae ), Salsola dendroides Pall. ( Amaranthaceae ), Limonium gmelinii (Willd.) Kuntze ( Plumbaginaceae ), Galium humifusum M. Bieb. ( Rubiaceae ), Anisantha tectorum L. (Nevski) ( Poaceae ), Bromus squarrosus L. ( Poaceae ). Neither caterpillars nor egg-laying behaviour were detected, but we suppose that Alhagi maurorum is a host plant of the new subspecies, as in other species of the P. christophi species complex ( Churkin & Krupitsky 2025). The flight period is in late June–beginning of July, based on the collected specimens. It is worth noting that some of the above-mentioned localities were studied in June 2023 by S. Churkin but the taxon in question was not found.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Plebejus karinae, distribution. Blue, P. karinae karinae. Red, P. karinae artifex ssp. nov. Squares refer to type localities.

FIGURES 1–12. Plebejus karinae, adults. 1—P. karinae artifex ssp. nov., male, holotype (SDM); 2—Id., male, paratype, same data (SChM); 3—Id., male, paratype, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, 1 km N Kharabali town, 29.VI.2024, G. Lekarev leg. (SChM); 4—Id., male, paratype, same label (SChM); 5—Id., female, paratype, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kasnyi Yar Distr., Dzhanai village, Akhtuba River, 27.VI.2024, G. Lekarev leg. (SChM); 6—Id., female, paratype, same label (SChM); 7—Id., female, paratype, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., 4 km ESE Volnoye vill., 28.VI.2024, G. Lekarev leg. (SChM); 8—Id., female, paratype, Russia, Astrakhan Oblast, Kharabali Distr., Volnoye vill., 28.VI.2024, G. Lekarev leg. (SChM); 9—P. karinae karinae, male, holotype, NW Kazakhstan, Atyrau Reg., 55 km E Kulsary town, Emba River, 06.VI.2023, S. Churkin leg. (DSM); 10—Id., paratype, female, same label; 11–12—Id., paratypes, females, same labels (SChM).

FIGURES 20–21. Habitat of the new subspecies and adult in nature. 20—habitat in the type locality; 21—paratype male on Suaeda sp. (Amaranthaceae) in the type locality (photos by Ivan Schanzer).

FIGURES 13–18. Plebejus karinae, male genitalia. 13—P. karinae artifex ssp. nov., paratype, Astrakhan Oblast, Liman Distr., Baer knolls, Zarechnoe vill., lateral view; 14—Id., valva, lateral view; 15—Id., aedeagus, lateral view; 16—P. karinae karinae, paratype, NW Kazakhstan, Atyrau Reg., 55 km E Kulsary town, Emba River, lateral view; 17—Id., valva, lateral view; 18—Id., aedeagus, lateral view.