Chrysoritis wykehami (Dickson, 1980) Heath, 2023

Heath, Alan, 2023, Chrysoritis Butler (Papilionoidea: Lycaenidae: Aphnaeinae) - Part III: An integrative taxonomic revision, Metamorphosis 34 (1), pp. 11-28 : 20

Poecilmitis wykehami Dickson 1980: 40 . Holotype: NHM, London. Type locality: Hantamsberg, Calvinia. Wing facies closely resembles C. turneri . Lacks iridescence and structural colouring. MPT: montane slopes. Host ant: Crem. liengmei .

Taxonomy: Formerly considered to be C. turneri wykehami , this taxon is returned to species status as Chrysoritis wykehami stat. rev. Both C. wykehami and C. turneri lack iridescence but they do not group together in the COI tree. Chrysoritis wykehami is polyphyletic in the COI tree on account of two samples, Z040 and Z041, taken near Sutherland, more than 130 km SE of the type locality (Calvinia) for wykehami . In the CAD data/tree, the two samples of C. wykehami , representing both lineages in the COI tree, are identical where their CAD sequences overlap (570/745 bp). However, two other samples also share that sequence in regions of DNA overlap. The Sutherland specimens are here treated as part of C. wykehami s.l. The COI-polyphyly of C. wykehami may be the result of historical introgression (explained in Note S2) but our data are insufficient to identify the original vs. the “captured” mtDNA lineage; As the two COI lineages are separated both phylogenetically and geographically (unlike other polyphyletic taxa such as C. aridimontis , C. trimeni and C. perseus where both COI lineages co-mingle) and support from nuclear data is not definitive, further investigation is needed. Conservation status: LC – Rare.

Chrysoritis lyndseyae (Henning 1979) . Poecilmitis lyndseyae, Henning S.F 1977 . Holotype: Ditsong NM. Type locality: 10km N. of Wallekraal. Also recorded from Hondeklip Bay and Sarrisam Farm, 37 km S.E. of Hondeklip Bay (ID confirmed by mtDNA sequencing). Further records from Kotzesrus and 12 km N.E. of Groenriviersmond. Invariably occurs in close sympatry with C. t. bamptoni . Some material may be difficult to ID in the field due to an overlap of appearance with some specimens of C. perseus or C. thysbe bamptoni (see Fig. 3 in QEA22). MPT: low to medium elevation flat ground. Host ant: Crem. peringueyi . Final instar larva illustrated here ( Fig. 7 ; see also Heath (2011, pl. 4).

Taxonomy: This species occurs in a clade containing trimeni, wykehami and perseus , all of which are polyphyletic. It frequently flies sympatrically with C. thysbe bamptoni with which it can be easily mistaken (see Heath 2011, pl. 1–3). The two taxa share the same space, host plants and host ants but are genetically and phylogenetically distant from each other. Chrysoritis lyndseyae is rendered paraphyletic in the COI tree by a group of C. trimeni samples (likely a result of past capture of lyndseyae mtDNA by C. trimeni , explained in QEA22). This clade of C. lyndseyae + C. trimeni has 99% bootstrap support in the COI tree. Conservation status: LC – Rare.

Chrysoritis perseus (Henning 1977) . Poecilmitis perseus ,

Figures

Figure 3 – C. aureus final instar (Heidelberg).

Figure 7 – C. lyndseyae late instar with Crematogaster peringueyi host ants (Wallekraal).