Ahlbergia leei Johnson

Ahlbergia leei Johnson

(Figs. 11–12, 35–36, 41–42, 78, 82–84, 86, 95, 101, 122–125)

Ahlbergia leei Johnson, 1992: 25, figs. 12–13 for genitalia, fig. 63 for male holotype, TL: China; Tshikolovets et al., 2002: 94, synonymy for A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi.

Callophrys frivaldszkyi: Matsuda & Bae, 1998: fig. 11 for female from Mt. Cheonma, Korea, fig. 35 for female genitalia. (Misidentification).

Material. CHINA: Liaoning Province: 1♀ (CHH), Anshan City, Mt. Qianshan, V.2012, Q.-Y. Xu leg.; Shaanxi Province: 5♂♂ (CLYF, CHH), 4♀♀ (CLYF, CMWW), Xi’an City, Chang’an County, Ziwuzhen, Baolongyu, 800 m, 8.IV.2012, Y.-F. Li leg.; 1♀ (CHH), Ningshan County, Xun-yang-ba, Yue-he-ping, 1500–1800 m, 20.V.2012, Y.- F. Li leg.. All specimens dissected.

Identification. In original description (Johnson 1992), A. leei was placed in a group composed of A. ferrea (Butler, 1866), A. korea Johnson, 1992 and A. arquata Johnson, 1992, despite its extreme similarities to A. frivaldszkyi. The characters stated under his “Diagnosis” heading do not help in identifying this species at all. Though Johnson (1992) clearly stated that specimens of A. leei stand out of those of A. frivaldszkyi “by their larger size and much darker upper and under surfaces”, such specific division between the two species is not convincing. Moreover, the male holotype of A. leei (Johnson 1992: 113, fig. 63) is figured repeatedly as a topotypic male of A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi in the same publication (Johnson 1992: 119, fig. 70B) due to an unknown error. All these make a correct identification for specimens of A. leei nearly impossible, and all the subsequent authors made mistakes in identifying A. leei: Matsuda & Bae (1998) erroneously identified a female of A. leei from Mt. Cheonma, Korea as A. frivaldszkyi; Tshikolovets et al. (2002) simply treated A. leei as a junior synonym of A. frivaldszkyi frivaldszkyi; Huang & Song (2006) and Huang & Zhan (2006) erroneously identified specimens of A. frivaldszkyi from Shaanxi, China as A. leei.

Nevertheless, Johnson (1992) was correct in recognizing A. leei as a species distinct from A. frivaldszkyi though he failed to express his conclusion clearly. The holotype of A. leei possesses the following two important male characters, the second of which is not shared with A. frivaldszkyi:

1) Both wings on upperside without extensive greyish blue suffusion (Johnson, 1992: 113, fig. 63);

2) Lower (terminal) cornutus of phallus disc-like and markedly wider than upper (basal) cornutus, appearing minutely serrate along two parallel edges (Fig. 86).

All of the type specimens of A. leei were declared to be dissected by Johnson (1992: 26). Five males and four females of A. leei from Chang’an, Shaanxi have been examined by the first author; all of the males possess the above-mentioned male characters for A. leei, with little individual variation (Figs. 78, 82–84). The details of cornuti in male genitalia prove to be reliable characters in distinguishing species in certain group. A good number of specimens of A. frivaldszkyi collected from various Chinese localities have been dissected for a comparison in male genitalia and none of them possesses the above-mentioned genital character for A. leei.

However, wing colouration may not be a constantly reliable character in separating A. leei from A. frivaldszkyi, as some males of A. frivaldszkyi lack the extensive blue scales as in A. leei, though most males of A. frivaldszkyi have an extensive greyish blue suffusion on the wing uppersides. Thus a stable identification of male A. leei should be based on a dissection of male genitalia.

Examination of female genitalia for the above-mentioned specimens of A. leei from Chang’an also confirmed that Johnson’s (1992) association of male holotype and female allotype for A. leei was correct. The ductus bursae of A. leei (Figs. 123–125) is constantly a little longer than that of A. frivaldszkyi (Figs. 116–121, 126–129) as illustrated by Johnson (1992: figs. 13, 25).

The question arises whether the type material of A. frivaldszkyi is conspecific with that of A. leei. For A. frivaldszkyi, Matsuda & Bae (1998) selected a female specimen in type series kept in the Zoologisches Museum, Humboldt University, Berlin as lectotype and a male as paralectotype. Though these two specimens have not yet been dissected for a genital examination, the photos (Matsuda & Bae, 1998: figs. 9–10) clearly show a diagnostic character for A. frivaldszkyi (sensu Johnson, 1992) in possessing the extensive blue suffusion on the wing uppersides of the males. It should be noted that all males of A. leei so far examined have no extensive greyish blue suffusion on the wing uppersides. Johnson (1992) dissected topotypic specimens of A. frivaldszkyi in both sexes, which have genitalia in common with specimens from other areas identified as A. frivaldszkyi (sensu Johnson, 1992). Therefore, it is believed that the type specimens of A. frivaldszkyi do not belong to A. leei.

Diagnostic characters. For all populations, only a dissection can help in identifying A. leei correctly, as the external features of A. leei can be confused with those of A. frivaldszkyi and A. tricaudata stat. rev. (discussed below). The following combination of genital characters are unique for A. leei: 1) lower cornutus of phallus in male genitalia broader than in A. tricaudata and A. frivaldszkyi, with distal margin less arched than in A. tricaudata; 2) lower cornutus markedly broader than upper cornutus (lower and upper cornuti subequal in width in A. frivaldszkyi); 3) both upper and lower cornuti bearing a higher number of teeth which are smaller and more regular in size than those of A. frivaldszkyi; 4) female genitalia with lamella postvaginalis similarly shaped as in A. frivaldszkyi but with ductus bursae constantly longer than in A. frivaldszkyi. In addition, A. leei differs from A. frivaldszkyi also in having a longer distance from the basal (cephalic) margin of the tegumen to the distal end of the socius.

In populations from Shaanxi Province, China, the male of A. leei bears a markedly wider androconial patch on the forewing upperside than that of A. frivaldszkyi and lacks the greyish blue scales on the wing uppersides. However, the female of A. leei is externally indistinguishable from that of A. frivaldszkyi.

Distribution. China (Liaoning, Shaanxi), Korea, Russia (Trans-Baikal, Sayan Mts.)

The exact type locality remains uncertain, as the holotype is simply labeled “from China ” without further information (Johnson 1992); it is assumed to be some place in Northeast China, as the holotype bears a linear androconial patch which is thinner than that of the specimens collected from Shaanxi. Johnson (1992) recorded this species also from the Trans-Baikal area, the Sayan Mts. in Russia and the Greater Khingan Mountains in NE China. We examined specimens from Shaanxi and Liaoning. Matsuda & Bae (1998: 60, fig. 35) illustrated a female specimen from Korea, which was misidentified as A. frivaldszkyi. Populations from Shaanxi may constitute a distinct subspecies, with a markedly wider androconial patch in the males.

Sympatry. In Northeast China, specimens of A. leei, A. ferrea and A. tricaudata were collected together by Mr. Q.-Y. Xu at a locality of the Qianshan Mts., Liaoning. In Shaanxi province, specimens of both A. leei and A. frivaldszkyi were collected together by Mr. Y.-F. Li from Baolongyu, Chang’an County. Specimens of both A. leei and A. frivaldszkyi were also collected from the close localities in Xunyangba, Ningshan County by Mr. Y.-F. Li.