''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some parts of Asia. Maculinea arion Large Blue Underside SFrance 2009-07-18

Maculinea arion Large Blue Underside SFrance 2009-07-18

''Phengaris'' is currently defined to include the genus ''Maculinea''. The type species of the latter was the

Alcon blue ''Phengaris alcon'', the Alcon blue or Alcon large blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae and is found in Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia and Mongolia. Description from Seitz ''L. alcon'' Schiff. (= areas Esp., ''euphemus ...

(''"M." alcon''). This species was found to be less closely related to most other supposed members of ''Maculinea'' than the traditional ''Phengaris'' species, and hence the two genera were merged to form a

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

group. Alternatively, ''Maculinea'' could be restricted to the one or two species of "Alcon" blues, and the rest of it be separated as a new genus. But this would create two very small genera, which is generally avoided by modern taxonomists. As ''Phengaris'' is the older name, it thus replaces ''Maculinea''.Brower (2008) ''Maculinea'' was alternatively considered to be a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

of ''

Glaucopsyche ''Glaucopsyche'', commonly called blues, is a Holarctic genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, found mainly in Palearctic Asia. For other species called "blues" see subfamily Polyommatinae and genus ''Plebejus''. SpeciesLepIndex: synonymi ...

''. But while ''Glaucopsyche'' and ''Phengaris'' (including ''Maculinea'') are certainly close relatives, they are unlikely to be that close. The most recently discovered species in the genus is '' P. xiushani'', first reported in 2010 and found in undisturbed forested mountains, unlike all the other members which live in grasslands over their entire range of distribution.

Species

The species, listed in the presumed phylogenetic sequence from the most ancestral to the most

apomorphic In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...

, are:See Brower (2008) and the references in Savela (2006, 2008)

Basal Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

group (''Maculinea

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'') * ''

Phengaris alcon ''Phengaris alcon'', the Alcon blue or Alcon large blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae and is found in Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia and Mongolia. Description from Seitz ''L. alcon'' Schiff. (= areas Esp., ''euphemu ...

'' – Alcon blue, Alcon large blue ** †''

Phengaris alcon arenaria The Dutch Alcon blue (''Phengaris alcon arenaria'') was a subspecies of the Alcon blue butterfly (''Phengaris alcon''). There is not much known about this subspecies, but it has always been very rare. It was endemic to the Netherlands, where two ...

'' – Dutch Alcon blue * ''

Phengaris rebeli ''Phengaris rebeli'' (formerly ''Maculinea rebeli''), common name mountain Alcon blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It was first found and described in Styria, Austria, on Mount Hochschwab around 1700. Although it was in ...

'' – mountain Alcon blue (may belong in ''P. alcon'') ''Phengaris sensu stricto'' * ''

Phengaris daitozana ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is ''Large blue, P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and s ...

'' (Wileman, 1908) * ''

Phengaris albida ''Phengaris albida'' is a species of butterfly 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 ...

'' (Leech, 1893) * ''

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 ...

'' – great spotted blue * ''

Phengaris xiushani ''Phengaris xiushani'' is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is only known from Yunnan 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 we ...

'' Wang & Settele, 2010 – Xiushan's large blue Other ''"Maculinea"'' * ''

Phengaris kurentzovi ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some parts ...

'' (Sibatani, Saigusa & Hirowatari, 1994) ** ''Phengaris kurentzovi kurentzovi'' northern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and Korea ** ''Phengaris kurentzovi daurica'' Dubatolov, 1999 Transbaikalia * ''

Phengaris nausithous The dusky large blue (''Phengaris nausithous'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro ...

'' – dusky large blue * ''

Phengaris ogumae ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some parts ...

'' (Matsumura, 1910) (tentatively placed here) ** ''Phengaris ogumae ogumae''

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

** ''Phengaris ogumae doii'' (Matsumura, 1928) Kuriles * ''

Phengaris teleius The scarce large blue (''Phengaris teleius'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Netherlan ...

'' – scarce large blue * ''

Phengaris cyanecula ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some parts o ...

'' (Eversmann, 1848) ** ''Phengaris cyanecula cyanecula'' Mongolia ** ''Phengaris cyanecula obscurior'' (Staudinger, 1901) Tian-Shan ** ''Phengaris cyanecula taras'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) Alay Mountains ** ''Phengaris cyanecula ussuriensis'' (Sheljuzhko, 1928) Amur Oblast, Ussuri * ''

Phengaris arion The large blue (''Phengaris arion'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first defined in 1758 and first recorded in Britain in 1795. In 1979 the species became mostly extinct in Britain but has been successfully ...

'' – large blue * ''

Phengaris ligurica ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some par ...

'' (Wagner, 1904) (may belong in ''P. arion'') * ''

Phengaris takamukui ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is '' P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and some parts o ...

'' * ''

Phengaris arionides The greater large blue (''Phengaris arionides'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Northeast China, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It ...

'' – greater large blue '' Incertae sedis'' * ''

Phengaris xiaheana ''Phengaris'' is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is ''Large blue, P. arion'', a species resident in Europe and s ...

'' (Murayama, 1919)

Footnotes

References

* (2008): Tree of Life Web Project &ndash
''Phengaris''
Version of 2008-JAN-06. Retrieved 2009-OCT-04. * (2006): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms &ndash

Version of 2006-MAR-12. Retrieved 2009-OCT-04. * (2008): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms &ndash

Version of 2008-JUL-05. Retrieved 2009-OCT-04.

External links

Images representing ''Phengaris''
at Consortium for the Barcode of Life {{Taxonbar, from=Q48406 Lycaenidae genera Taxa named by William Doherty