taxonID	type	description	language	source
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	description	Figs 1 – 7.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL. Holotype ♂ (Figs 1, 3 – 7), CHINA, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tian Shan Mts., Karlik Shan Range S slope, 53 rd km Hami – Barkol road, N 43 ° 13 ′ 18 ″ E 93 ° 50 ′ 37 ″, 1850 – 2000 m, 6. VII. 2016, A. V. Krupitsky leg. (ZMMU). Paratypes: 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same label as in holotype (AKM).	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	description	DESCRIPTION. Male (holotype) (Fig 1). Antenna black, white-ringed at base of antennomeres, club dark. Eye brown, surrounded with white scales. Frons black, top of head dark with white hairs. Palpus: 2 nd palpomere white with black scales, 3 rd palpomere dark. Thorax: dark brown with bluish grey hairs dorsally, white ventrally. Legs: femur and tibia white, tarsus brown. Abdomen: dark with bluish-grey hairs dorsally, whitish ventrally. Forewing length 16.0 mm, wingspan 30.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing blue with light purple hue, veins black near margin, base with light blue hairs, costal area and veins Sc – R 4 + 5 with suffusion of white scales. Margin black, thin. Fringe white with blackish inner part. Ventral surface of forewing light beige with base and veins strongly suffused with bluish scales. Discal spot large, oblong, surrounded with white scales. Postdiscal pattern well-developed, slightly curved, consisting of four large dark brown spots in spaces M 1 – Cu 1 and two small spots in spaces R 4 + 5 and Cu 2. Submarginal markings blurred, rather well-developed in spaces M 3 – Cu 2, represented only by diffused scales in R 3 – M 2. Margin dark, very narrow. Fringe white. Dorsal surface of hindwing blue with light purple tint, veins black near margin, base with light blue hairs, space Sc + R 1 brownish black, blue field in space Rs with small indentation, space 2 A brownish black with bluish grey scales. Margin brownish black, broad, about 1 mm. Fringe white with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of hindwing light beige with very extensive bluish suffusion covering half of wing and reaching submarginal pattern along veins. Basal, discal and postdiscal spots complete and well-developed. Submarginal pattern surrounded by whitish scales, complete, each element of pattern consisting of V-shaped internal thin black stroke, well-developed orange lunule and large external spot of azure metallic scales. Black margin thin, broadened near veins. Fringe white. Male genitalia (Figs 3 – 7). Labis long and thin, with rounded apex; falx rather short, very thin; dorsal edge of valva with straight proximal part gradually turning into shorter straight distal part angled at about 120 °, ventral edge wavy, with moderate rounded projection in distal portion turning into straight lower distal projection; upper distal projection of valva well-developed, with large prominent inwardly directed roughly serrated appendage, lower distal projection smaller, with small claw-like pointed tooth; distal part of dorsal edge and ventral edge of valva with inner folds; juxta V-shaped, branch slightly curved, thick, with thin rounded apex; aedeagus rather long, slightly curved, with straight stout basal 2 / 3 and straight distal third gradually pointed to apex. Individual variation. Forewing length varies from 13.0 to 15.0 mm. Dorsal surface of hindwing of some specimens with more or less developed black submarginal lunules. Female (Fig. 2). Head, thorax and abdomen as in male. Forewing length 15.0 mm, wingspan 26.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing brown with blue suffusion in basal and discal area, most intensive in cell and space Cu 2, and suffusion of whitish scales along costal area, veins Sc – R 4 + 5 and stems of veins, and small groups of whitish scales in spaces near margin; transverse vein marked with blue and whitish scales. Fringe whitish with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of forewing as in male but darker, beige, orange lunules of submarginal line well-developed in all spaces. Dorsal surface of hindwing brown with blue basal suffusion, blue suffusion in space Cu 2 and scattered blue scales along veins Cu 1 – 2 A, space 2 A brownish black with bluish grey scales, spaces Rs – Cu 2 with developed dark U-shaped lunules bordered with whitish strokes externally and more or less developed orange suffusion internally, most developed in spaces M 3 – Cu 2. Fringe whitish with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of hindwing as in male but darker, beige, with turquoise basal suffusion; orange lunules of submarginal pattern developed stronger, with larger orange elements; metallic scales of submarginal pattern turquoise. Female genitalia: not studied. Individual variation. The other known female specimen is somewhat smaller (13.5 mm, wingspan 23.0 mm). Dorsal surface of wings with less developed blue suffusion.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	diagnosis	DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Males of Plebejus fantomas sp. n. can be readily distinguished from all the known Plebejus species in the very extensive bluish suffusion covering the half of the ventral side of the hindwing and reaching the submarginal pattern along veins; this peculiar colouration resembles that of some species of the genus Patricius Balint, 1991. The only somewhat similar species is P. germani Yakovlev, 2012 described from Khovd Province in Mongolia, close to the Chinese border. Externally, P. fantomas sp. n. differs from P. germani in the mentioned developed blueish suffusion (less developed blueish suffusion limited by the basal area in P. germani, cf. figs 1 – 3 in plate 2 in Churkin et al. [2019]). Females of the new species differ from those of P. germani in the developed blue colouration of the dorsal side of the wings and well-developed whitish scales on the dorsal side of the hindwing (less developed blue suffusion limited by the base of the wings dorsally in hindwing with nearly lacking white scales in P. germani, cf. figs 4 – 6 in plate 1 in Churkin et al. [2019]). Moreover, both males and females of P. fantomas sp. n. differ in smaller rounded submarginal lunules of the ventral side of the hindwing separated from the postdiscal line of spots (elongated submarginal lunules connected with postdiscal line of spots by white strokes in P. germani, cf. figs 1 – 3 in plate 2 in Churkin et al. [2019]). In the male genitalia, the new species differs from P. germani in the thin labis, gradually curving dorsal edge of the valva, smaller upper and lower distal projections of the valva and straighter less arcuated aedeagus (curved dorsal edge of the valva, larger distal projections of the valva, curved aedeagus in P. germani, cf. fig. 2 in plate 3, fig. 2 in plate 4, figs 3, 4, 6 in plate 5 in Churkin et al. [2019]). Two other species of the P. christophi group known from Mongolia, P. anikini Yakovlev, 2012 and P. chrisreai Churkin, Kolesnichenko et Yakovlev, 2019, are characterised by different combinations of the external and genitalic characters.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	distribution	DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS. According to the known material, the new species seems to be endemic to the Karlik Mountains in the Eastern Tian Shan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. The Karlik Mountains (also known as the Karlik Shan) is the remote easternmost part of the Tian Shan Mountains separated by deserts from the neighbouring Bogda Shan of the Eastern Tian Shan as well as from the Mongolian Altai and the Gobi Altai Mountains. The Karlik Mountains are U-shaped. They comprise three ranges running in the east-west direction, namely the Karlik Range, the Barkol Range and the Metshin-Ula Range situated to the north of them. The Barkol Plateau is situated between these ranges. The northern slopes of the Karlik-Barkol ranges are covered with larch forests at mid altitudes, and the southern slopes are covered with dry rocky grasslands with Caragana shrubs. Plebejus fantomas sp. n. was found at mid-altitudes (1850 – 2000 m a. s. l.) on the southern slope of the easternmost Barkol Range, being strongly isolated from all the known populations of the somewhat similar P. germani from Mongolia by the southeastern Dzungarian Gobi (Fig. 15). The same distribution pattern is known for the species of the Neolycaena davidi species group [Krupitsky, 2021]. The new species inhabits dry rocky grassland (Fig. 16) covered with Caragana leucophloea Pojark. According to our field observations, shrubs of the latter are used by adults for hiding during rainy weather (Fig. 17). Our search for the host plant was unsuccessful, but we suggest that the new species also utilizes Caragana halodendron (Pall.) Dum. Cours., as do the species of the P. christophi species group described from Mongolia [Churkin et al., 2019]. Most of the collected specimens were rather worn, so it can be suggested that the flight period is from the mid-June to mid-July. Individuals of the new species were found flying together with Hyponephele przhewalskyi Dubatolov, Sergeev et Zhdanko, 1994, H. kirghisa chamyla (Staudinger, 1901), Hipparchia autonoe sibirica (Staudinger, 1861), Pseudochazara hippolyte mercurius (Staudinger, 1887), Melitaea didyma ambra Higgins, 1941, Tongeia burte Churkin, 2003, Plebejus maracandicus ssp., Polyommatus eros aloisi Bálint, 1988, Plebicula amanda ssp. and Neolycaena markhasiovi Krupitsky, 2021 recently described from this locality.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F36C8790AA8FEB6FB68F91B.taxon	etymology	ETYMOLOGY. The name is named after Fantômas, the fictional villain wearing a blue mask played by Jean Marais in a popular film trilogy in 1964 – 1967. The name refers to the blue underside of the wings of the new species.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	description	Figs 8 – 14.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL. 29 ♂ ♂, 26 ♀♀, CHINA, Gansu Prov., Qilianshan Mts., Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Jingtieshan work area env., N 39 ° 18 ′ 46 ″ E 97 ° 56 ′ 29 ″, 2700 – 2750 m, 08 – 11. VII. 2016, A. V. Krupitsky leg.; 1 ♂, CHINA, Gansu Prov., Altyn-Tagh Mts., Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County, 30 km S Aleteng Town, 39 ° 24 ' 32 " N 94 ° 17 ' 50 " E, 2800 m, 13. VII. 2016, A. V. Krupitsky leg.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	discussion	TAXONOMY. The taxon was originally described as a subspecies of P. christophi based on two males from the Qilianshan Mts. near the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces, China. In the original description Forster compared it with other taxa of the P. christophi species group known at that time. The main differences mentioned in the description are the developed basal suffusion of the ventral side of the wings and the large very contrasted submarginal pattern of the ventral side of the hindwing. Since its description the taxon nanshanica has been forgotten in the taxonomic literature for nearly 90 years and, consequently, has never been considered in the genus Plebejus: before the 1940 s the species currently treated in this genus were usually attributed to the genus Lycaena. In 2016, a large series of an unusually looking Plebejus species was collected by the first author near Jingtieshan village in the western Qilianshan Mountains, Gansu Province. Examination of these specimens revealed that they correspond to the description of the obscure taxon nanshanica, which should be treated as a distinct species, P. nanshanicus, comb. et stat. n.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	description	REDESCRIPTION. Male (Fig 8). Antenna black, white-ringed at base of antennomeres, club dark. Eye brown, surrounded with white scales. Frons black, top of head dark with white hairs. Palpus: 2 nd palpomere white with black scales, 3 rd palpomere dark. Thorax: dark brown with bluish grey hairs dorsally, white ventrally. Legs: femur and tibia white, tarsus brown. Abdomen: dark with bluish-grey hairs dorsally, whitish ventrally. Forewing length 12.0 – 16.0 mm, wingspan 24.0 – 27.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing blue with purple tint, veins black near margin, base with light blue hairs, costal area and veins Sc – R 4 + 5 with suffusion of whitish scales. Margin black, thin. Fringe checkered, with blackish inner part. Ventral surface of forewing light beige with base slightly suffused with bluish scales. Discal spot large, reniform, surrounded with white scales. Postdiscal pattern well-developed, slightly curved, consisting of four large dark brown spots in spaces M 1 – Cu 1 and two small spots in spaces R 4 + 5 and Cu 2. Submarginal markings well-developed, consisted of black and orange elements surrounded with whitish scales. Margin dark, narrow, wavy. Fringe white, with groups of small hairs near veins. Dorsal surface of hindwing blue with purple tint, veins black near margin, base with blue hairs, space Sc + R 1 brownish black, blue fields in spaces Rs – CuA 2 with large black spots, space 2 A bluish grey. Margin brownish black, narrow. Fringe checkered, white with brownish inner part. Ventral surface of hindwing light beige with bluish basal suffusion reaching basal group of spots. Basal, discal and postdiscal spots complete and well-developed. Submarginal pattern surrounded with whitish strokes reaching postdiscal row of spots, complete, each element of pattern consisting of V-shaped internal black stroke, well-developed orange lunule, and large external spot of blue metallic scales. Black margin thin, broadened near veins. Fringe checkered. Male genitalia (Figs 10 – 14). Labis long and thin, with pointed apex; falx rather short, stout; dorsal edge of valva with straight proximal part gradually turning into shorter straight distal part angled at about 135 °, ventral edge wavy, with small rounded projection in distal portion turning into straight lower distal projection; upper distal projection of valva well-developed, with large prominent inwardly directed finely serrated appendage, lower distal projection smaller, with small claw-like pointed tooth; distal part of dorsal edge and ventral edge of valva with inner folds; juxta U-shaped, branch of juxta straight, thick, with rounded apex; aedeagus rather long, curved, with straight very stout basal part abruptly turning into distal part gradually narrowing to apex. Individual variation. Ventral surface of hindwing of some specimens with more or less developed black submarginal lunules. Female (Fig. 9). Head, thorax and abdomen as in male. Forewing length 13.0 – 16.0 mm, wingspan 25.0 – 27.0 mm. Dorsal surface of forewing brown with violet-blue suffusion covering 2 / 3 of wing from base to postdiscal area, most intensive in cell and spaces Cu 1 – 2 A. Fringe checkered. Ventral surface of forewing as in male but darker, beige, orange lunules of submarginal line well-developed in all spaces. Dorsal surface of hindwing brown with strong violet-blue suffusion reaching submarginal pattern and developed in all spaces but Sc + R 1, Rs and 2 A; spaces separated by dark brown veins; submarginal lunules consisting of internal V-shaped orange stroke, large dark brown spot and whitish marginal stroke developed in spaces M 1 – 2 A. Fringe checkered. Ventral surface of hindwing as in male but darker, with less developed basal suffusion, more contrasted; orange lunules of submarginal pattern developed more strongly, with larger orange elements; metallic scales of submarginal pattern turquoise. Female genitalia: not studied. Individual variation. Intensity of dorsal blue suffusion slightly varies between females.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	diagnosis	DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Some external characters of P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. resemble those of the species of the recently described Mongolian complex of the P. christophi group [Churkin et al., 2019], P. germani, P. anikini and P. chrisreai, but generally the species in question clearly differs from the latter in the peculiar colouration and pattern of the males and females as well as in the male genitalia. The males of P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. differ from the males of P. germani, P. anikini and P. chrisreai in the combination of the checkered fringe and margin of the wings, well-developed dark submarginal lunules of the dorsal side of the hindwing and large metallic submarginal lunules connected by the white strokes with the postdiscal row of spots (the fringe and the margin of the wings are only slightly checkered in some specimens of all species from the Mongolian complex of the P. christophi group, dark submarginal lunules of the dorsal side of the hindwing are slightly developed in some specimens of P. germani and P. chrisreai, submarginal lunules are smaller in P. anikini and slightly connected with the postdiscal row of spots in males of P. germani). The females of P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. differ from those of P. germani, P. anikini and P. chrisreai in the strong violet-blue suffusion of the dorsal side of the wings combined with well-developed orange lunules of the dorsal side of the hindwing (only basal violet-blue suffusion is developed in the females of P. germani, very light blue fields in P. chrisreai and dark lunules lacking orange scales in P. anikini). In the pattern and colouration of the ventral side of the wing, only some females of P. chrisreai are somewhat similar to the species in question (cf. figs 11, 22, Plate 2 in Churkin et al. [2019]). In the male genitalia, P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. differs in the narrower valva with the rather narrow upper distal projection (broader valva with broader upper distal projection in the species from the Mongolian complex of the P. christophi group) and peculiar aedeagus with very stout base abruptly turning into distal part gradually pointed to apex (basal part of aedeagus smaller in P. germani, P. anikini and P. chrisreai). Additionally, P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. differs from P. fantomas sp. n. described above in the checkered fridge and margin of the wings, absence of extensive bluish suffusion of the ventral side of the wings in males and very well-developed white contrasted pattern of the ventral side of the hindwing.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
038487F76F34C87D0A1DF96EFDDBFA2E.taxon	distribution	DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS. According to the known material, P. nanshanicus comb. et stat. n. inhabits the Qilianshan Mountains. Additionally, one male was collected in the Altyn-Tagh Mountains, a series of mountain ranges connecting the Kunlun Mountains and the Qilianshan Mountains. We therefore believe that it inhabits the mid-altitudes of the entire Qilianshan Mountains, Altyn-Tagh Mountains and, probably, part of the Kunlun Mountains, being isolated both from P. fantomas sp. n. and the Mongolian complex of the P. christophi group by the northwestern and northern Gobi Desert, respectively (Fig 15). Adults of this species were found in abundance on very dry rocky slopes and in bottoms of gorges covered with various xerophytic plants (Fig. 18) actively flying during sunny weather and resting on stones and grasses on cloudy days (Fig. 19). Imagines were associated with shrubs of Corethrodendron multijugum (Maxim.) B. H. Choi & H. Ohashi (Fabaceae), which may be a host plant of this species. The only observed accompanying butterfly taxa were Lasiommata deidamia kasumi Yoshino, 1995, Patricius themis (Grum-Grshimailo, 1891) and Polyommatus sininus (Grum-Grshimailo, 1891). Most of the collected specimens were rather fresh, so we believe that the flight period is in the first half of July.	en	Krupitsky, A. V., Li, Z .. (2024): Notes on the Plebejus christophi (Staudinger, 1874) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species group of China, with a description of a new species from the Eastern Tian Shan. Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1): 102-109, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.15298/rusentj.33.1.10
