Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 87. (Budapest 1995)

Bálint, Zs.: Two new Polyommatus species from the Himalayan region (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatini)

DISCUSSION Allopatric speciation, which is presumed to be the only speciation possibility amongst Lepidoptera by some authors (e.g. DESCIMON 1986: 253-254), is obvious in the case of polyommatine lycaenids. Many studied polyommatine populations, which are highly adapted to the special environmental conditions, are stenochorous today. This applies to the majority of representatives from the polyommatine lineage as well. These populations are breeding in highly specialized environments with autochtonous biota, under very definitive circumstances. The rapid evolution of the "genus" Agrodiaetus HÜBNER, [1822] in the Mediterranean region or that of the Polyommatus s. str. lycaenids in the high mountains of Central Palaearctic territories (MANI 1968: 155-159) can be easily explained by allopatric speciation. Furthermore, this is the main source of the high diversity of the caryophyllacean Dianthus LINNAEUS (a typical nectar source of the polyommatine imagines according to my own observations in the Alps, in the Carpathian Basin and in Dobrogea), and that of some closely related Leguminosae genera, very often recorded as polyommatine larval hostplants (cf. SHIELDS 1982: 75, ZHDANKO 1993: 82). The icarus-eros-eroides group is a typical verticille phenomenon (sensu TEILHARD 1955), which as a monophyletic unit pushes forth a large evolutive flabelliform formation to explore the optimal possibilities for his own phylum. This phenomenon can hardly be interpreted by classical cladistic methods because of the complicated relationships of the evolutive lineages briefly summarized below. The expansive cold forest steppe phyletic line - the eros group. This group is widely distributed in the alpine regions of the Tien-Shan range and in the South Siberian high mountains ("Polyommatus eros" - KORSHUNOV 1978: 175), but representatives of the complex were also found e.g. in Yakutia ('Polyommatus eros erotides" - MRÁCEK 1989: 182,189), inhabiting tundra-like biotops (Polyommatus erotides (STAUDINGER, 1892)) or in the arboreal forest steppe-biom (South Siberian forest-steppe with Larix-Betula). Several taxa belonging to this group were also reported from mainland China and the Korean peninsula (klaphecki COURVOISIER, 1910 and its related taxa), or even in the high mountains of SW China (Polyommatus forresti BÁLINT, 1992). Allopatric lineages of the group are well known in the western part of the Palaearctic region: the Alpine and Dinaric eros (OCHSENHEIMER, 1808), the Russian boisduvali (HERRICH-SCHÄFFER, 1844), the Balkan eroides (FRIVALDSZKY, 1835) and the Anatolian-Iranian forsten (PFEIFFER, 1938) group of taxa (see BÁLINT 1992b) and highly isolated colonies can also be found at the edge of the eremial biom, e.g. in Mongolia (Polyommatus aloisi BÁLINT, 1988). The stenochorous cold steppe—line - the stoliczkanus group.The stoliczkanus group is a typical representative of the kryoxerotic fauna of the Himalayas, but it is also found in the Pamirs, as well as at lower elevations below timber line in Nepal at the southern edge of the Palaearctic realm (see SHIELDS 1982: 68). This branch can be divided into several subclades (icadius-stoliczkanus-pseuderos-arianus), which again form a large verticille. Most probably each lineage is connected to fundamentally different kinds of habitats but we have no documentation to compile any kind of consideration at this moment. This entity has also a strong affinity towards the eremial biom (cf. the arid plateau of Tibet), and a western isolate of the group was very recently found in Kurdistan, SE Turkey (DE FREINA & WITT 1983). The expansive xeromontane line - the icarus group. The group has successfully adapted itself to the eremial zone of the region (Polyommatus turanicus (HEYNE, 1895) and Polyommatus szabokyi BÁLINT, 1990), but convergent endeavors can be recognized everywhere at the boundaries of the Palaearctic regions and the eremial zone (e.g. celina AUSTAUT, 1879 in NW Africa, juno HEMMING, 1933 in Lebanon and Israel).