Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) hejazii Karbalaye & Lukhtanov, 2024

Karbalaye, Ahmad & Lukhtanov, Vladimir A., 2024, Three new species of the genus Polyommatus Latreille, 1804 (subgenus Agrodiaetus Hübner, [1822]) from the Central Zagros Mountains, Iran (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 78, pp. 119-133 : 123-127

Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) hejazii Karbalaye & Lukhtanov , sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2E7EDF7-1FE6-4BAE-BD1F-299142EC3A9E

Figs 3-7

Holotype: male, Iran, Khuzestan Province (east part), Mount Qaroon (=Kūh- e Qārūn), 3000 to 3200 m, 17 July 2020, leg. A. Karbalaye, deposited in the Plant, Pests and Diseases Research Institute in Tehran, Iran.

Paratypes: 20 males, 1 female, same data, in coll. A. Karbalaye, Iran . 1 male, same data, in ZISP . 1 male, same data, in coll. W. ten Hagen, Germany . 1 male, same data, in coll. G.C. Bozano, Italy .

Description

The length of the fore wings in the holotype is 12.5 mm, in male paratypes 12.5-13 mm, in female paratype 13 mm. Antennae, palpi, ocelli, head, thorax and abdomen (including genitalia) do not appear to have taxonomically valuable characters for separating species.

Males

Upperside. The ground color of the wings is dark brown, even darker than in P. valiabadi Rose & Schurian, 1977 , which is known for its very dark coloration. This coloration is so dark that the butterflies appear black in flight. The costal margin of the fore wings is light brown. Discoidal, submarginal and antemarginal marking is absent on both fore- and hindwings. Forewings have well-developed androconial scales. These scales are evident along the entire extension of the costal margin of the forewing. Fringe is brown.

Underside. Ground color is dark greyish brown with a dark golden sheen. Greenish blue metallic basal suffusion on the hindwings is well developed. Basal spots are absent on the fore wings and present on the hindwings, circled with white. Discoidal black spots are present on both fore- and hindwings, circled with white. Postdiscal black spots are medium-sized on hindwings and large on forewings, circled with white on both fore- and hindwings. Submarginal and antemarginal markings are well pronounced on both fore- and hindwings. Orange lunules are absent. The white stripe is absent on the hindwings. Fringe is brown.

Female

Upperside. The ground color of the wings is brown, with numerous lighter markings and well developed discal spots. Submarginal and antemarginal marking is present and represented by light lunules. Fringe is light brown.

Underside. Ground color is light brown. Greenish blue metallic basal suffusion on the hindwings is well developed. Basal spots are absent on the fore wings and present on the hindwings, circled with white. Discoidal black spots are present on both fore- and hindwings, circled with white. Postdiscal black spots are medium-sized on hindwings and large on forewings, circled with white on both fore- and hindwings. Submarginal and antemarginal markings are well pronounced on both fore- and hindwings. Orange lunules are absent. The white stripe is absent on the hindwings. Fringe is light brown.

Phenotypically, P. hejazii differs from the most closely related allopatric species P. ardschira ( Figs 8-11 ), P. luna ( Figs 12-15 ) and P. ghasemii , sp. nov. described below ( Figs 18-21 ) by the darker coloration of the upper- and undersides of the wings and the stricture of the costal margin of the wings in males, which in the new species is completely covered with very long protruding androconial scales ( Fig. 7 ). In the other three species, these scales are shorter. In addition, the species is distinguished by the complete absence of a white stripe on the underside of the hind wings. This stripe is usually found in P. ardschira ( Figs 9 and 11 ) and is often found in P. luna ( Figs 13 and 15 ).

As for the genetic differences, the most similar DNA barcodes are found in P. pfeifferi , P. ardschira , P. eckweileri , P. luna and P. ghasemii sp. nov. However, the studied paratype of P. hejazii differs from all these species by a significant number of nucleotide substitutions. These differences are:

Pdistance ( hejazii / ardschira ) = 1.37% (9 substitutions),

Pdistance ( hejazii / luna ) = 1.37% (9 substitutions),

Pdistance ( hejazii / ghasemii ) = 1.975% (13 substitutions),

Pdistance ( hejazii / pfeifferi ) = 1.06% (7 substitutions), and

Pdistance ( hejazii / eckweileri ) = 1.37% (9 substitutions).

These differences are higher than the level of intraspecific variation found in the subclade P. pfeifferi (0-4 substitutions). These differences are higher than the distinction between the sympartic and morphologically contrasting species P. ardschira (males with brown wings) and P. pfeifferi (males with blue wings) (Pdistance ( pfeifferi / ardschira ) = 0.46%, 3 substitutions).

Bionomy. Polyommatus hejazii inhabits rocky tragacanth biotopes at an altitude of 3000 to 3200 m above sea level ( Fig. 16 ).

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 17 ).

Etymology. The species is named in honor of the legendary Iranian goalkeeper Nasser Hejazi (1949-2011). Nasser Hejazi was an Iranian football player and coach who played for the Iranian national team and the Esteghlal Club (Taj). He is also the best goalkeeper in the history of Iran and the secondbest goalkeeper of the 20th century on the Asian continent from the perspective of the international federation and football statistics.

Figures

Figure 16. Biotope of P. hejazii. Iran, Khuzestan Province, Mount Qaroon, 3100 m. Photo: A. Karbalaye.

Figure 17. Schematic distribution map of P. (A.) hejazii sp. nov. (red), P. (A.) ghasemii sp. nov. (green), P. (A.) persisinus sp. nov. (green) and closely related species P. (A.) ardschira (blue), P. (A.) luna (pink), P. (A.) shahrami (pale blue), P. (A.) achaemenes (black), and P. (A.) faramarzii (pale blue).

Figures 3-7. Polyommatus hejazii, sp. nov. 3, male, holotype, upperside; 4, male, holotype, underside; 5, female, paratype, upperside; 6, female, paratype, underside; 7, male, paratype, forewing (enlarged), arrow indicates very long androconial scales along the wing costa. Scale bar = 10 mm for figures 3-6.

Figures 8-11. Polyommatus ardschira. 8, 9, male (8 – upperside, 9 – underside), Iran, Boyer Ahmadi, Yasuj, Kuh-e-Dinar, 3000 m, 4-6 July 2000, leg. Hacz-Köszegl. 10, 11, female, (10 – upperside, 11 – underside), Iran, Fars, Zagros Mts, Barm-i-Firuz, 2600-3400 m, 10-12 July 2001, leg. J. C. Weiss. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figures 12-15. Polyommatus luna. Iran, Zanjan Province, 50 km SW of Zanjan, 2200-2300 m, 11 July 1999, leg. P. Hofmann. 12, male, upperside; 13, male, underside; 14, female, upperside; 15, female, underside. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figures 18-21. Polyommatus ghasemii, spec. nov. 18, male, holotype, upperside; 19, male, holotype, underside; 20, female, paratype, upperside; 21, female, paratype, underside. Scale bar = 10 mm.