Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi Lederer

Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi (Lederer)

(Figs. 7–8, 37–38, 46–60, 77, 85, 88, 99–100, 112, 116–121, 126–129)

Thecla frivaldszkyi Lederer, 1855: 100, pl. 1, fig. 1, TL: eastern Buchtarminsk in Altai (nearby junction of China, Russia and Kazakhstan).

Incisalia frivaldszkyi: Gillham, 1955: 150.

Callophrys frivaldszkyi: Shin, 1989: pl. 56, figs. 57b–c; Matsuda & Bae, 1998: 54, lectotype designation and interpretation on type locality, figs. 9–10 for male paralectotype and female lectotype, fig. 12–14 for specimens from Russia, figs. 15–16 for early stage, figs. 36–42 for male and female genitalia.

Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi: Johnson, 1992: 38, figs. 24, 25, 70 for habitus and genitalia; Lukhtanov & Lukhtanov, 1994: 231; Korshunov & Gorbunov, 1995: 160; Korshunov, 1996: 42.

Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi: Johnson, 1992: 41, figs. 24A–B, 25A–B, 70A for habitus and genitalia; Tuzov, 2000: pl. 56, figs. 16–18; Tshikolovets & al., 2002: 93, pl. 16–17, figs. for habitus;

Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi aquilonaria: Johnson, 1992: 43, figs. 24D, 25D, 70C–E for habitus and genitalia; Inomata, 1994: 22, 24, figs. 8–11 for habitus, figs. 12c, 12d for male genitalia, fig. 13 for distribution; Matsuda & Bae, 1998: 54, synonymy for A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi; Tshikolovets & al., 2002: 94, synonymy for A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi. (Synonymised by Matsuda & Bae, 1998 and Tshikolovets & al., 2002).

Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi tricaudata Johnson, 1992: 41, allotype only, figs. 25C for female genitalia; Tuzov, 2000: pl. 56, fig. 7. (Misidentification).

Ginzia frivaldszkyi: D’Abrera, 1993: 437, figs. for habitus.

Ahlbergia tricaudata aquilonaria: Korshunov, 1996: 43.

Ahlbergia leei (Auctorum, non Johnson): Huang & Song, 2006: 163, figs. 13–15 for genitalia, cpl.3, figs. 4–5 for habitus; Huang & Zhan, 2006: 174, fig. 3 for male genitalia, cpl.4, fig. D for male habitus; Huang, Chen & Li, 2006: 177. (Misidentification).

Material. CHINA: Beijing: 4♂♂, 13♀♀ (CHH), V.2000 –2014, various collectors leg..; Tianjin: 2♂♂, 2♀♀ (CHH), Jiulongshan & Baxianshan, 2–15.V.2005, C.-C. Chen leg.; Shaanxi Province: 4♂♂, 3♀♀ (CSK, CHH), Xi’an City, Chang’an County, 12.IV.2004, K. Song leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Ningshan County, Guanghuojie, 1500m, 18.V.2013, Y.-F. Li leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Ningshan County, Xun-yang-ba, 12.V.2012, Y.-F. Li leg.; 1♀ (CMWW), Ningshan County, 15.IV.2013, W.-W. Mao leg.; 1♂ (CLYF), Xi’an, Chang’an, Ziwuzhen, 8.IV.2012, Y.-F. Li leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Xi’an, Chang’an, Luanzhen, Tu-di-liang, 1300m, 22.IV.2012, Y.-F. Li leg.; 1♂, 1♀ (CHH), Foping County, tunnel portal, 1750m, 2.V.2008, H. Huang leg.; 1♂, 1♀ (CLYF), Hanyin County, Fenghuangshan, 1.V.2000, Y.-F. Li leg.; Gansu Province: 1♂, 1♀ (CHH), Longnan City, Kangxian County, nearby Heimaguan, 18.VII.2014, W.-H. Sun leg.; 8♀♀ (CHH), Kangxian, Qingheyakou, 1500–1580m, 17–19.VI.2015, H. Huang leg.; 2♀♀ (ZLZH), Kangxian, 1200m, 26.VI.2015, Z.-H. Liu leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Longnan City, Huixian, 1400m, 12.VI.2015, H. Huang leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Longnan City, Wenxian, Tielou, 6.VII.2015, Z.-H. Liu leg.; Chongqing: 1♂, Zhongxian, IV.2008, Y.-Q. Zuo leg.; Guizhou province: 1♂, Yinjiang, Muhuang, 30.IV.2008, L.-J. Wang leg.. All specimens dissected.

Identification and subspecific discrimination. Identification of A. frivaldszkyi is based on photos of a lectotype female and a paralectotype male figured by Matsuda & Bae (1998: 9–10) and illustrations of male and female genitalia (Johnson 1992: figs. 24A, 25A) taken from the topotypic specimens.

As discussed under the “Identification” heading of A. tricaudata, the holotype of A. frivaldszkyi tricaudata belongs to a species distinct from A. frivaldszkyi, with significant difference in the cornuti of the male genitalia; however the allotype of A. frivaldszkyi tricaudata belongs to the true A. frivaldszkyi.

The remaining subspecies, A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria was described from a male holotype from Manchuria (Northeast China), a female allotype from Beijing, and several male and female paratypes from Manchuria, Beijing, “Amourlands” and Mt. Sayan. The male holotype possesses the following diagnostic genitalic characters (Fig. 88) for A. frivaldszkyi: valvae in ventral view with rather straight lateral margins; both upper and lower cornuti narrow and with irregular teeth. Therefore it is likely that the holotype of A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria belongs to A. frivaldszkyi.

Johnson’s (1992) subspecific discrimination for A. frivaldszkyi is concerning geographic distribution, as he included the following localities as ranges of three subspecies. A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi: eastern Buchtarminsk in Altai (type locality), Amourland (Amur), E. Siberia, Little Chingan Mountains, Vladivostok, etc.. A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria: Manchuria (type locality), North of Beijing, Amourlands, Sayan Mountains. A. frivaldszkyi tricaudata: China (type locality), Southwest Irkutsk, Sayan Mountains. It appears that the ranges of these subspecies overlap in Amur (ssp. frivaldszkyi with ssp. aquilonaria), Sayan Mountains (ssp. tricaudata with ssp. aquilonaria), and China (ssp. tricaudata with ssp. frivaldszkyi or ssp. aquilonaria). After removing A. tricaudata stat. rev., the border between ssp. frivaldszkyi and ssp. aquilonaria is still blunt. Probably because of the abovementioned chaos and the considerable individual variations of A. frivaldszkyi, both Matsuda & Bae (1998) and Tshikolovets et al. (2002) treated A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria as a junior synonym of A. frivaldszkyi; however their works are not convincing because of insufficient material.

In conclusion, A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria belongs to A. frivaldszkyi whereas A. tricaudata stat. rev. is a separate species. The validity of A. frivaldszkyi aquilonaria at subspecies level needs further research based on a survey of large series of specimens covering the complete range of A. frivaldszkyi.

Within China, there is no clear geographical line to divide the populations of A. frivaldszkyi into distinct subspecies. Even in a small area such as southeastern Gansu, A. frivaldszkyi is very variable in size (forewing length varying from 12.0 mm to 15.5mm), extent of blue suffusion on forewing upperside and wing-pattern on wing undersides as shown in Figs. 46–60. The first author dissected all these specimens.

Diagnostic characters. Matsuda & Bae (1998) erroneously stated that the “male sex-brand is absent in the forewing upperside” of A. frivaldszkyi; but they overlooked the linear androconial patch which is sometimes hardly visible to the naked eye. The male and female genitalia figured by Matsuda & Bae (1998) are identical with those specimens examined by us, all of which bear a linear androconial patch, more or less traceable by the naked eye. In Johnson’s (1992) work, all taxa of A. frivaldszkyi are described to have an androconial patch. Such a linear androconial patch can be regarded as a useful external character to recognize A. frivaldszkyi in a few localities, such as the localities in Shaanxi and Gansu. However, the specimens of A. frivaldszkyi from Northeast China and Russia may not be distinguishable from the sympatric A. leei by androconial patch. A. frivaldszkyi is very variable in upperside ground color and underside wing-pattern in both sexes, both individually and geographically. Therefore, only the genital characters are useful in characterizing A. frivaldszkyi.

A. frivaldszkyi is clearly characterized by the following genitalic characters: 1) lower cornutus of phallus nearly as wide as upper cornutus, markedly narrower than that of A. leei and A. tricaudata; 2) lower cornutus not rounded at distal margin; 3) teeth along distal margin of cornuti uneven in size, some of them very large; 4) valvae in ventral view with rather straight outer lateral margins from the conjoined part to the distal tips, without apparent lateral angles; 5) lamella postvaginalis semicircular with deep ventral convolutions like in A. leei, but ductus bursae constantly shorter than that of A. leei.

Distribution. Kazakhstan (Altai), Russia (from Altai through southern part of Siberia to Ussuri and Sakhalin), Mongolia (Altai, north part of Hangayn Nuruu and Hentiyn Nuruu: Tshikolovets & al., 2009), Korea, China (NE China, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Chongqing, Guizhou).