Chrysoritis swanepoeli, Dickson 1965: 160

Heath, Alan, 2023, Chrysoritis Butler (Papilionoidea: Lycaenidae: Aphnaeinae) - Part III: An integrative taxonomic revision, Metamorphosis 34 (1), pp. 11-28 : 24-25

swanepoeli Dickson 1965: 160 . Holotype: NHM, London. Type locality: “Prince Albert”. MPT: low, medium and high elevation gullies. Host ants: Crem. castanea and Crem. alulai . Host plants: Thesium species ( Santalaceae ); also Tylecodon paniculatus (L.f.) Toelken ( Crassulaceae ) oviposition observed only. Final instar larva is shown in Fig. 17 . Conservation status of C. s. swanepoeli : LC.

Taxonomy: In our sampling, C. swanepoeli s.s. (n = 2) consists of two haplotypes, one of which is shared with the single C. s. hyperion sample (larger blue circle, COI haplotype network; see also Table S 1 in QEA 22). Thus, swanepoeli and hyperion are indistinguishable in their COI sequences. From all collection material examined, together with limited DNA data, it is evident that hyperion is no more than a variable melanistic form of C. swanepoeli . However, further sampling is required to confirm this view; hence hyperion provisionally remains as a subspecies of C. swanepoeli . Conservation status of C. s. hyperion: LC – Rare.

Chrysoritis irene (Pennington 1968) . Poecilmitis irene Pennington 1968: 7 . Holotype: Ditsong NM. Type locality: Du Toit’s Kloof Pass. C. irene also occurs at Greyton (M. Schlosz, pers comm.); so far recorded on mid to high elevation slopes. MPT: below kranzes (cliffs) at the type locality, see Heath & Kaliszewska (2013: 18). Host ant: Crem. gallicola or Crem. amabilis . Host plant record: Dimorphotheca chrysanthemifolia (Vent.) DC. ( Asteraceae ) at its type locality although reared on Zygophyllaceae species in captivity (by A. Heath and M. Schlosz, [pers. com.]). Taxonomy: This taxon is sister to C. swanepoeli in the COI tree (100%). In the CAD tree, the three C. swanepoeli samples are found in one weakly supported clade (61% bootstrap support, but intermixed with three other species, and further out, 97% bootstrap and mixed with 6 other samples), while the single C. irene sample is well separated from that clade and on a long branch on its own; this arrangement is consistent with morphological differences between the two species. There is a marginal overlap between C. irene and C. swanepoeli in the upperside wing facies but C. irene differs notably in having a plain hind wing verso. The two species are separated by 180 km based on known records. This taxon remains as C. irene . Conservation status: LC – Rare.

Chrysoritis nigricans (Aurivillius 1924) . Phasis thysbe var. nigricans Aurivillius 1924: 430 . Holotype: Iziko Museum. Type locality: Muizen Mts. (the three samples here were collected at low elevation at Pella Mission, Mamre). Host ant: Crem. alulai . MPT: sloping ground, mostly montane but low elevation at Pella, Mamre, including samples in this study. Juvenile stages of C. nigricans are illustrated in Clark & Dickson 1971: 199 and here in Fig. 18 .

Note that the pupae are a pale yellowish; this colour is also seen in C. zwartbergae and some (but not all) C. uranus pupae (A. Heath, pers. obs.); all others in the thysbe clade have been brown to olive-brown. Morphologically similar to C. zwartbergae but consistent differences are apparent (description in C. zwartbergae ).

Taxonomy: In the COI tree, this species is monophyletic and appears as sister to C. adonis , another montane species. Conservation status: LC.

Chrysoritis zwartbergae stat. nov. (Dickson 1982)

Figures

Figure 17 – C. swanepoeli final instar (Schoemanspoort).

Figure 18 – C. nigricans (Pella, Mamre).1st instar (top); final instar (bottom). Not to scale.