Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 39 (1994) (Pécs, 1995)

Természettudományok - Bálint Zsolt: Adalékok a Balkán boglárkalepke-faunájához (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

76 Contribution to the lycaenid butterfly fauna of the Balkans (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) Zsolt BÁLINT The faunistic and floristic exploration of the Balkans was began with the expedition financed by the Hungarian court Emericus FRlVALDSZKYrez (1835). The Hungarian lepidopterists followed this historical line having several recent expeditions in territories of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Greece. Their activities resulted several important faunistic papers (see References). The collection of the Natural History Department of the Janus Pannonius Museum is depositing considerable samples collected in the Balkans by Ákos Uherkovich. Present paper elaborates the lycaenid butterflies of the mentioned collection. 41 species of lycaenids (2 Theclini, 7 Lycaenini and 32 Polyommatini) are recorded from 49 localities. The geographic situations of the collecting sites are listed in chronological sequence. The phenomenon of superspecies, which usually typifies taxa complexes having discontinuous distributional pattern of oreal origin adapted themselves successfully to the ecological changes after the glacial period, are discussed under the following lycaenid taxa complexes. Lycaena alciphron-gordius - L. alciphron is a widely distributed species in the forest steppe regions of the Palearctic realm, its most eastern populations reach the river Amur. While L. gordius is restricted to the Mediterranean Basin and its surroundings (e. g. Caucasus). The two taxa ("semispecies") are mixed having intermediate populations in the northern part of the Balkans, for example in the historically well known Banatian collecting site Herkulesfürdő (Romania: Bâile Herculane; see. FOUNTAIN 1980: 109-110.). Everes alcetas-decoloratus - The typical populations of the mentioned taxa can be easily distinguished by morphological and ecological characteristics well described by LORKOVIÓ (1938). Nevertheless a third ecotype belonging to this stock of Everes lycaenids is existing, which is usually identified as E. alcetas (e.g. Lepidopteren Arbeitsgruppe 1987). This form has morphological features of alcetas but ecologically it is very close to decoloratus: according to label data the latter two taxa are sympatric and synchronic. E. decoloratus inhabits biotops covered by oak-forest shrubs in the Pannonian and Balkan region as well as this third type, which was also recorded from Sibiria and Mongolia very recently (BÁLINT, unpublished). As the proper taxonomic position of this intermediate form is not yet clear, provisionally it is listed as „sp. p. alcetas". Further morphologic and écologie investigations have to be carried on to clarify its status. Maculinea arion-ligurica - This complex has three ecotypes in the Balkans: 1. „antesion" is the alpine form resembling to obscur a Crist, 1877 (inhabiting the Alps) and locally very common; 2. Jigurica", flying in biotops covered by oak shrub forest margins, very local but having high population density and 3. „arion", identical with the western Palearctic populations, can be found in cold steppes at lower elevations in very low individual numbers. A further type of „arion" is known from the eastern Palearctic region also penetrating the western Russian steppes. This is the taxon cyanecula Eversmann 1845, with very strong blue suffusion on hindwing ventrum. M. cynecula shows a cline to the typical European arion and it is considerably common in the southern Altai region as well as in Mongolia (BÁLINT, unpublished). Maculiena alcon-rebili - This complex can be devided into four taxa (semispecies) in the western Palearctic region. The true rebeli is an endemic taxon of the Alps. The taxon alcon, if we considered that the original description based on the specimens taken from the historical wetlands in the surroundings of Vienna (which has been disappeared in the beginning of this century), is a hygrophilous species and strongly endangered because of considerable habitats loss. The taxon xerophila is widely distributed (it is very recently recorded from Kazakhstan, from southern Altai regions of Russia and Mongolia; BÁLINT, unpublished) and common species in the western Palearctic region. The taxon xerophila is erroneously referred in the historical literature as rebeli. The taxa alcon and xerophila symptaric but not synchronic. The fourth member of this complex is tolistus Fruhstorfer, 1917 with its related taxa (Transylvania: limitanea Bálint, 1985; Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece: sevastos Rebel and Zerny, 1931), inhabiting barren stony places or xerotherm alpine meadows (BÁLINT 1985a). For taxonomic purpose I designate here the Lectotype normal specimens of the taxa Lycaena alcon rebeli (deposited in Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna), Lycaena alcon tolistus (deposited in Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest) and Maculinea alcon sevastos (deposited in Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna). The detailed data of the types can be found above in the Hungarian text.