''Kretania sephirus'', previously known as ''Plebejus sephirus'', is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...
that belongs to the family
Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterf ...
. It is found in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Asia Minor. The species is part of a
species complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
, with many members of the complex using variations of the name zephyr blue, including ''
pylaon In Greek mythology, Pylaon (Ancient Greek: Πυλάων) was a prince of Pylos and son of King Neleus by Chloris, daughter of King Amphion of Orchomenus. He was the brother to Pero, Taurus, Asterius, Evagoras, Deimachus, Eurybius, Epilaus, P ...
'', ''
trappi'', and ''
hesperica''.
The species, which previously belonged to the genus ''
Plebejus
''Plebejus'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae.
Its species are found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Taxonomy
As a result of studies of molecular phylogenetics, numerous species that were included in ''Plebejus'' by som ...
'', was moved to the genus ''
Kretania'' following a 2013
molecular phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study of the subtribe
Polyommatina. Many ''sephirus'' populations are threatened, and are legally protected in some countries, such as Hungary.
Description
From
Adalbert Seitz
Friedrich Joseph Adalbert Seitz, (24 February 1860 in Mainz – 5 March 1938 in Darmstadt) was a German physician and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He was a director of the Frankfurt zoo from 1893 to 1908 and is best known for e ...
's ''Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes'':
L. sephyrus Friv. (78 h). Very similar to
L._pylaon''.html" ;"title="Lycaena_pylaon.html" ;"title="'Lycaena pylaon">L. pylaon''">Lycaena_pylaon.html" ;"title="'Lycaena pylaon">L. pylaon'' but almost twice the size, the underside dull grey, the red anal spots not so bright golden-red, but duller red like red lead. From the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, and Armenia.
[Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, ''Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter'', 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren) ]
Larvae primarily feed on ''Astragalus'';
larvae of the Hungarian population ''kovacsi'' are known to feed mainly on ''Astragalus exscapus''. The myrmecophilous larvae are tended by ants, who collect the exudates that the larvae produce. The ants heap soil and debris at the bases of plants into which the larvae move to pupate.
References
External links
Kretania
Taxa named by Imre Frivaldszky
{{Polyommatini-stub