Polycaena
Creators: name: Huang, Hao
name: Li, Yu-Fei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lycaenidae
Polycaena

description: Key to species of Polycaena with special references to Chinese subspecies
Since most of the key characters employed here are not sexually dimorphic, the following key is generally applied to both sexes except when males and females is explicitly specified. The various subspecies of P. tamerlana and P. timur are not included in the key because the individual and geographical variations of both species would require a further revision, which is beyond the scope of this study.
Nearly all the remaining Chinese taxa of Polycaena not fully discussed above have illustrations or photos of the type specimens published along with the original description (Oberthür, 1886; Leech, [1893]; Stichel, 1928; Forster, 1951; Sugiyama, 1997; Kopo & Korb, 2012; Sugiyama, 2015; Sakai, 2015), except only for P. carmelita which was fully described by Oberthür (1903) and illustrated by D’Abrera (1993). The information of P. yunnana, P. tamerlana and P. timur in the following key came from the references (Sugiyama, 1997; Tshikolovets, 1997, 2000, [2004], 2005; Kopo & Korb, 2012). Polycaena matuta shii is probably a synonym of P. minor and requires further research, thus it is not included in the following key.
1 Space 1 of hindwing underside unmarked in a pale ground color at basal 1/3....................................... 2
- Space 1 of hindwing underside entirely black or dark brown at basal 1/3 or with a black or dark brown radial streak extending from base........................................................................................... 3
2 Hindwing upper side with basal 2/3 basically in a grey or dark brownish grey ground color, sometimes followed by brighter reddish postdiscal patches outwards............................................................. P. tamerlana
- Hindwing upper side entirely in a bright brownish red or orange uniform ground color, without brighter postdiscal patches.................................................................................................. P. timur
3 Basal half of hindwing underside entirely dark except for the yellow veins. Antennal club (Fig. 80) entirely black, without a pale patch at base............................................................................. P. carmelita
- Basal half of hindwing underside bicolor except for veins, with dark markings on pale ground color or pale markings on dark ground color. Antennal club (Figs. 80–88) not entirely black, more or less with a pale patch at base.................... 4
4 Hindwing underside with marginal area entirely in pale ground color and unmarked. Submarginal markings on hindwing underside placed in a rather straight or gently curved line, consisting of two rows of black spots...... 5 (P. chauchowensis)
- Hindwing underside with marginal area checkered with black and white. Submarginal markings on hindwing underside placed in a strongly curved line, consisting of a single row of black spots followed outwards by orange patches................ 6
5 Forewing upper side with all pale markings clearly defined.......................................... P. c. pallidior
- Forewing upper side with all pale markings more or less ill-defined............................... P. c. chauchowensis
6 Costal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside marked by a black radial streak from base to end............... 7
- Costal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside marked by two well separated black spots, without a black radial streak................................................................................................... 9
7 Hindwing underside with the unmarked postdiscal area in ground color markedly wider than black submarginal spots. Forewing underside with black spot at base of space 2 widely separated from the black lower cell streak, and with white subapical marking directed to termen above vein 4.......................................................... P. yunnana
- Hindwing underside with the unmarked postdiscal area in ground color hardly wider than black submarginal spots. Forewing underside with black spot at base of space 2 almost touching the black lower cell streak, and with white subapical marking directed to termen below vein 4............................................................... 8 (P. princeps)
8 Veins in basal half of forewing underside outlined by broader and contiguous pale streaks.................. P. p. princeps
- Veins in basal half of forewing underside outlined by thinner and ill-defined pale lines................... P. p. minensis
9 Anal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside entirely in pale ground color and unmarked.............. 10 (P. l u a)
- Anal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside marked by black marking(s) or entirely black.................. 11
10 Apex of forewing upper side with three clear white subapical spots. Discal spots in spaces 4–5 on forewing upper side of male conjoined with discocellular spot into a single large black spot. Size larger (length of forewing more than 14mm in males and 15.5mm females)......................................................................... P. lua taibaiensis
- Apex of forewing upper side with one or two clear white subapical spots. Discal spots in spaces 4–5 on forewing upper side well separated from discocellular spot by an orange patch. Size smaller (length of forewing less than 13.5mm in males and 15mm females)................................................................................ P. lua lua
11 Hindwing underside with all discal black markings conjoined. Male with orange ground color on forewing underside.................................................................................................... P. matuta
- Hindwing underside with all discal black markings well separated. Male with cream ground color on forewing underside.. 12
12 Black spot in anal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside widely separated from black markings at wing-base, not continued to base of wing......................................................................... P. minor
- Black spot in anal half of discocellular cell on hindwing underside more or less continued to base of wing............. 13
13 Wings more elongate, forewing with a smaller ratio of dorsum length to costa length, hindwing with a smaller ratio of termen length to costa length. Fulvous submarginal markings on hindwing underside wider than their adjacent black spots on inner side. Discal spots in spaces 4–5 and outer cell spot on hindwing underside smaller and more compact as a whole. Pale discal marking in space 2 on forewing underside directed to apex of forewing..................................... P. sejila
- Wings broader, forewing with a larger ratio of dorsum length to costa length, hindwing with a larger ratio of termen length to costa length. Fulvous submarginal markings on hindwing underside thinner than their adjacent black spots on inner side. Discal spots in spaces 4–5 and outer cell spot on hindwing underside larger and more extensive as a whole. Pale discal marking in space 2 on forewing underside directed to costa of forewing................................................... 14
14 Forewing upper side with reddish orange spots in spaces 1b-5. Ampulla of male genitalia remote from end of harpe. Harpe without an inner process. Central plate with posterior part depressed dorsoventrally. Phallus down-curved in lateral view.............................................................................................. P. wangjiaqii
- Forewing upper side with white or cream spots in spaces 1b-5. Ampulla of male genitalia near to end of harpe. Harpe with an inner process. Central plate with posterior part not depressed dorsoventrally. Phallus not down-curved in lateral view..... 15
15 Both wings upper side with larger reddish submarginal spots. Valva with a ventral branch....................... P. lama
- Both wings upper side with smaller reddish submarginal spots. Valva without a ventral branch.......... 16 (P. kansuensis)
16 Central plate between valvae in male genitalia shorter, with posterior branches L-shaped in lateral view. Distributed in northern Sichuan............................................................................. P. kansuensis sakaii
- Central plate between valvae in male genitalia longer, with posterior branches Y-shaped in lateral view. Distributed in Gansu and Qinghai........................................................................................ 17
17 Female with reddish orange ground color in postdiscal area of hindwing upper side................. P. kansuensis subhuti
- Female with dark grayish brown ground color in postdiscal area of hindwing upper side........... P. kansuensis kansuensis
description: Published as part of Huang, Hao & Li, Yu-Fei, 2016, Notes on the genus Polycaena Staudinger (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) with descriptions of two new species from China, pp. 575-590 in Zootaxa 4105 (6) on pages 588-589, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4105.6.4, http://zenodo.org/record/258394