''Phengaris xiushani'' is a species 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 ...

of 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 only known from

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

in China. The forewing length is 21 mm for males. The female is similar, but slightly larger and the black margins of both wings are well developed. The species occurs together with ''

Phengaris atroguttata ''Phengaris atroguttata'', the great spotted blue, Retrieved April 23, 2018. is a small butterfly found in India, Myanmar, and China that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. Taxonomy The butterfly was earlier known as ''Polyommatus atr ...

'' in one locality, which is probably their usual habitat within undisturbed forested mountains.

Etymology

The specific name refers to the beautiful mountain on the slopes of which it was found (Xiu-Shan in Chinese means “beautiful mountain”), and to Dr. Xiushan LI who brought the two authors of this description together and who has committed much of his life to research on ecology and conservation of butterflies.

External links

Notes on and key to the genus Phengaris (s. str.) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from mainland China with description of a new species
Phengaris {{Polyommatini-stub