Stipa akseirica Kotukhov (1998a: 11)

Nobis, Marcin & Gudkova, Polina D., 2016, Taxonomic notes on feather grasses (Poaceae: Stipa) from eastern Kazakhstan with typification of seven names and one new combination, Phytotaxa 245 (1), pp. 31-42 : 32

1. Stipa akseirica Kotukhov (1998a: 11) . Type citation:—Saur-Tarbagataj, praemontia boreali-occidentalia jugi Saikan, locus Akseir, denudationes argillarum tertiarum, partitiones glareoso-argillosae, 20 VII 1993, Ju. Kotuchov (LE)

Type (original label):—Saur-Tarbagatai, sev.-zap. peredgor’ya khr. Saikan, urochishche Akseir, obnazhenya tretichnykh glin, galechno-glinistye uchastki, 20 VII 1993, Yu. Kotukhov (lectotype LE! designated here, isolectotypes: KRA 432648!, KRA 436049!, KUZ!, LE!)

The original material (type) of this species cited in the protologue, consisting of two sheets from a single gathering, is preserved in LE. These two sheets contain three specimens of S. akseirica . Three additional original specimens of this taxon, not mentioned in the protologue, are preserved in KUZ and KRA. The sheet at KUZ bears Kotukhov’s original handwritten description and notes. Because a holotype was not indicated in the protologue, we designate a lectotype. Since there is more than one sheet at LE, we designate the sheet with a single specimen as the lectotype.

Stipa akseirica is very close to S. sareptana Becker (1882: 52) . According to Kotukhov (1998a), S. akseirica differs from S. sareptana by longer spinules on the upper segment of the awn (seta) (0.2–0.3 vs. 0.1–0.2 mm long), and slightly longer and soft spinules vs. very short and hard spinules on the lower segment of the awn (column), respectively. However, after revision of over 100 specimens of S. sareptana , we find these characters to be highly variable, and thus we treat S. akseirica as conspecific with S. sareptana .