Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891

Krupitsky, Anatoly V., Shapoval, Nazar A. & Shapoval, Galina N., 2024, Description of a new species of the genus Polycaena Staudinger, 1886 (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae) from China with designation of lectotype of Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891, Zootaxa 5471 (1), pp. 113-124 : 120-122

Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891

( Figs 14–15 )

Polycaena lua — Grum-Grshimailo, 1891: 454.

This species was described from “Sinin-Schan” by Grigory Yefimovich Grum-Grshimailo , a famous Russian lepidopterist and explorer of Central Asia. The description was based on an unstated number of specimens collected during his expedition to the Eastern Tian-Shan and the Nanshan (now known as the Qilian Mountains ) in 1889– 1890. Photos of the type specimens of P. lua have never been published. A series containing three syntypes of this species (2 ♂, 1 ♀) received by the German lepidopterist Otto Staudinger from Grum-Grshimailo were found in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany (MfNB), by Nekrutenko (1998). These specimens bear the date labels “27. VI.90” and were labelled as syntypes of P. lua by Nekrutenko, but the lectotype was not designated.

During an examination of Polycaena specimens deposited in the collection of ZISP, we found a series (11 ♂, 1 ♀) of P. lua bearing small labels with the same date “27.VI.90” as in the abovementioned syntypes or “26.VI.90”, geographic labels “Gui Dui Scha” (or a Cyrillic version of it, “Гуй Дуй ША”) and Grum-Grshimailo’s labels signed “Gr. Gr.”. These specimens certainly belong to the type series of P. lua . One of the males is hereby designated lectotype according to Article 74.1 of ICZN (1999). The lectotype bears the following labels: small date label “27. VI.[18]90” (on brown faded paper, handwritten by Grum-Grshimailo), small locality label “Гуй Дуй ША [Gui Dui Sha]” (on brown faded paper, handwritten by Grum-Grshimailo), label “Gr. Gr” (on green paper with black printed frame, handwritten by Grum-Grshimailo), printed label “Кол. Вел. Кн. / НиколАЯ / МихАиловичА [Collection of Grand Duke Nikolas Mikhailovich]” (on yellowish paper), printed label “ LECTOTYPE ♂ / Polycaena lua / Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 / Krupitsky, N. Shapoval & / G. Shapoval des., 2024” (on red paper) ( Fig. 14 ). The remaining syntypes (10 ♂ and 1 ♀ from ZISP, and 2 ♂ and 1 ♀ from MfNB mentioned by Nekrutenko 1998) thus become paralectotypes (the ZISP specimens are labelled accordingly).

The type locality mentioned in the description, “in montibus Sinin-Schan”, refers to the Laji Shan Range, eastern part of the Qilian Mountains between the Huangshui River and the Yellow River. According to Grieshuber & Churkin (2003), the locality “Gui Dui Scha” “is probably the valley where the present road from Xining to Agong (36°07’N 101°34’E) runs” ( Grieshuber & Churkin 2003: 235). It is noteworthy that the map supplementing the paper by Grieshuber & Churkin (2003) is rather inaccurate. The same is true of the coordinates given by them for some localities, e.g., the famous Kumbum Monastery. Based on the information from Grum-Grshimailo (1899) and Grieshuber & Churkin (2003), we specify the locality “Gui Dui Scha”: China, Qinghai Province, Xining, Huangzhong District, Guidexia (ÑDZ¨), ca. 36°22’26”N 101°35’16.6”E.

Figures

FIGURES 14–15. Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891, type specimens (dorsal view left, ventral view right) and their labels: 14—lectotype, male; 15—paralectotype, female.