S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 61. (Budapest, 2000)
Description of the northern sister species of Pseudolucia chilensis (Blanchard, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Zs. Bálint, K. Johnson, and R. Eisele Description of the northern sister species of Pseudolucia chilensis (Blanchard, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) — The polyommatine lycaenid Pseudolucia jujuyensis sp. n. (Argentina, Prov. Jujuy) is described. Its intrageneric relationships, from phylogenetic, taxonomic and Zoogeographie points of views, are discussed. With 11 figures. Key words: Neotropics, Argentina, isolation, polyommatine lycaenids, Cuscuta. INTRODUCTION One of the most remarkable endemic lycaenid species inhabiting the Pacific coastal semiarid regions of Chile is the polyommatine Pseudolucia chilensis (Blanchard, 1852). Its remarkable life history, unique amongst lycaenid butterflies because of utilization of the highly toxic Cuscuta as larval hostplant, was discovered and described by Benyamini (1995:14-15), who worked out a putative mimicry ring centered around this species. The eastern sister species of chilensis was discovered by Bálint, who evaulating the taxonomic status of Lycaena griqua Schaus, 1902 (type locality: Brazil, Parana, Castro, junior primary homonym of Lycaena griqua Trimen, 1887, type locality: South Africa ) pointed out the tight phylogenetic relationship of the two taxa based on male genitalic configurations and renamed the Brazilian taxon as Pseudolucia parana (Bálint 1993: 17-18). Until now Pseudolucia chilensis was known only from Chile.* However, very recently Bálint and Johnson (1995: 18) reported the possible occurrence of the taxon in NW Argentina on the basis of a single chilensis-\ike specimen seen by Johnson in Eisele' s collection while Johnson visited Argentina in 1991 (Johnson and Coates 1999). Bálint and Johnson noted the importance of authentication and further examination of this putative Argentine population. When Eisele retired to the United States, he referred the specimen for examination by Bálint and Johnson in 1999. Eisele's One male, one female, "Peru, coll. Watson, 1871" [examined by Zs. B., 1995.VIII.24], deposited in the Hope Collections, University Museum, Oxford. These are either mislabelled specimens or "Peru" on the labels of the specimens means historical Peru including Tarapaca region of present day Chile where P. chilensis was recorded to occur (see Benyamini 1995, Fig. H). No modern Peruvian record of P. chilensis is known.
