Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 93. (Budapest 2001)

Bálint, Zs. ; Benyamini, D.: Taxonomic notes, faunistics and species descriptions of the austral South American polyommatine lycaenid genus Pseudolucia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): the chilensis and collina species-groups

We hypothesize that the sister group of Pseudolucia is the Nabokovia genusgroup (genera Echinargus NABOKOV, 1945 and Nabokovia HEMMING, 1961), based on the fact that the female genital ostium of the most isolated, and presumably most basal, Pseudolucia species are tubular, as in the females of Nabokovia and certain Echinargus (see Figs 55-58). This trait appears to be basally synapomophic for the two lineages. BALLETTO ( 1993) erected several genera for taxa we include in Pseudolucia. The senior author has previously synonimized these generic names with Pseudolucia (BÁLINT 1995) because, at the generic level for such a broadly homogeneous assemblage, he believes, monophyly serves taxonomic stability better than splitting. Accordingly, the present paper also declines to apply the generic names proposed by BALLETTO as interpolated subgeneric names. This is because (1) subgenera are often casually elevated to the generic level by lepidoptersists who only focus on continentally restricted (or other) faunas of limited geographic distribution and (2) several of the names were also objectively invalid according to the International Comission on Zoological Nomenclature Code (see BÁLINT 1995). In this regard, a review of the genera erected by BALLETTO (1993) is instructive: BALLETTO'

s genus Facula is monotypic, with its type species Cupido sibylla KlRBY, 1871. The female of sibylla possesses a sclerotized genital ostium comprised of a laterally pointed tube and males have a membranous genital sagum, both of these characters are qualitatitively identical with structures of Pseudolucia plumbea (BUTLER, 1881) and its relatives. BALLETTO'

s genus Cherchiella was erected with the type species Lycaena grata KÖHLER, 1934 and with following taxa included within it: Lycaena andina BARTLETT-CALVERT, 1894, Cherchiella argentinod ALLETTO, 1993, Lycaena patago MABILLE, 1890, Scolitantides plumbeaBUTLER, 1881 and Cherchiella scintilla BALLETTO, 1993. According to our results these taxa belong to three different species groups of Pseudolucia (see below and BÁLINT & BENYAMINI, in prep.) with the type species belonging to the plumbea-secies group (whose species have structural characteristics identical with those of BALLETTO's Facula). Consequently we consider Cherchiella to be a junior subjective synonym of Facula (see also BÁLINT 1995: 7-8). BALLETTO's genus Pallidula was also monotypic, with the type species Pallidula vicunha BALLETTO, 1993. The genus is objectively invalid because it was introduced explicitly as an adjective (see International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999: 13, Art 1 1.8). Moreover, it is objectively synonymous with Pseudoluciabecause the type species, Pallidula vichuna BALLETTO, 1993 is a junior subjective synonym of Lycaena chilensis

BLANCHARD, 1852, the type species of the two genera being identical (BÁLINT 1995: 8).