Melitaea phoebe var. uralensis, Krulikovsky, 1897

Russell, Peter J. C., Lukhtanov, Vladimir A. & Tennent, W. John, 2022, Reassessment of the status of some European and Asian Melitaea taxa described as subspecies of Melitaea phoebe ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775), with designations of lectotypes where appropriate (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Zootaxa 5141 (1), pp. 25-38 : 28

M. phoebe var. uralensis Krulikovsky, 1897

[TL: District of Ufa, Russian Federation] a name subsequently replaced by M. phoebe ufensis Krulikovsky, 1902 (uralensis preoccupied by M. arduinna uralensis Eversmann, 1844 ). Higgins (1941: 343) equated this name to ornata Staudinger (an error of authority). This synonymy with M. ornata was accepted by Russell & Tennent (2016: 56, note 98); however, van Oorschot & Coutsis (2014: 60) placed it as a synonym of M. phoebe , possibly because they incorrectly synonymised M. ornata with M. phoebe ; Hesselbarth et al. (1995) overlooked this name. It is known that both M. phoebe and M. ornata fly in the southern Urals ( Russell & Tennent (2022), see Figs 1 & 2 ). Anikin et al. (2017: 522) and Kostjuk & Zolotuhin (2017: 446 & plate 24, fig 4) figured the ‘Typus’, a specimen taken at Ufa on 10 June 1894 (= 24 June in today’s Gregorian calendar, not adopted in Russia until February 1918), which they designated as the lectotype. The specimen is figured here with the labels ( Figures 10A & B ). From the underside of the specimen it can be seen that the submarginal black arches are slim and touch the intervening veins and the antenna are club-shaped rather than spatulate; thus the present authors consider that this specimen is M. phoebe rather than M. ornata . Krulikovsky probably considered this to be a variety due to its heavily marked and dark appearance.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. 1, Melitaea ornata male underside, Russian Federation, southern Urals, Orenburg Province, Guberli, ca. 190 m, 14 May 2014. 2, Melitaea phoebe male underside, Russian Federation, southern Urals, Orenburg Province, Krasnoznamenka, ca. 210 m, 16 May 2014. 3, Melitaea ornata female underside, Slovenia, Koper, ca. 2km NW of Rakitovec ca. 525 m, 17 May 2011. 4, Melitaea phoebe female underside, Slovenia, Koper, ca. 2km S. of Rakitovec ca. 525 m, 17 May 2011. 5, Lectotype female of Melitaea phoebe caucasica Staudinger, 1870. 6, Paralectotype male of Melitaea phoebe caucasica Staudinger, 1870. Figs 1–4 © P. Russell. Figs 5–6 © T. Léger. A = upperside, B = underside, C = labels on specimen pin.

FIGURES 7–11. 7, Lectotype of Melitaea phoebe sibina Alphéraky, 1881. 8, Melitaea phoebe ab. tatara Krulikovsky, 1891. 9, Lectotype of Melitaea phoebe ornata Christoph, 1893. 10, Lectotype of Melitaea phoebe uralensis Krulikovsky, 1897 (= ufensis Krulikovsky 1902). 11, Lectotype of Melitaea phoebe var. tungusa Herz, 1899. Figs 7, 9, 11 © V.A. Lukhtanov. Figs 8, 10 © expired. A = upperside, B = underside, C = labels on specimen pin.