Melitaea Fabricius 1807
Creators: name: Kolesnichenko, Kirill A.
name: Kotlobay, Anatoly A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nymphalidae
Melitaea

description: Key for determining the representatives of the lutko species group by males
1. Thin harpe is (similar in shape to a scythe) without teeth on its inner surface (Fig. 18F–I), in rare cases teeth are weakly expressed (Fig. 18F); when looking at the genitalia from above (Fig. 16D–H), the length of harpe is half of the length of valva; the slender caudal process of valva with one small spine in the distal part on the dorsal surface; the length of the caudal process is usually 3 times its width (Fig. 29C, E). Saccus is wide (Fig. 16E–I), distally rounded, its length is 1.5 times as great as width. UPS pattern is contrasting, with a well-developed UPF pale-yellow postdiscal area (Fig. 6A– D). Afghanistan, Pakistan: Balochistan .................................................. M. mimetica Higgins, 1940
– Harpe is noticeably thickened in the central part (it resembles a sickle in shape), there are always clearly visible teeth on its inner surface (Figs 18A–E, 19); when looking at the genitalia from above, the length of harpe is about a third of the length of valva (in the case of M. shahvarica sp. nov., it can be a half of the length) (Fig. 16A–C); the caudal process of valva is usually wide, with several spines in the distal part on the dorsal surface, the length of the caudal process is 1.5 times its width. Saccus is thin, distally pointed, its length is 2 times as great as width (Figs 16A–C, 17). UPS pattern of the is monophonic with a weakly developed UPF postdiscal pale-yellow area ........................... 2
2. Harpe is short, strongly expanded in the central part, its length is 2 times as long as width (Fig. 18D– E). On the inner surface of harpe there is a well-defined row of teeth with a powerful tooth in the central part and small teeth on both sides of it. The broad caudal process of valva is elongated and distally strongly inwardly concave with a pointed apex (Figs 3H–I, 29F). UPH black basal suffusion is well developed and covers more than a third of the wing surface, UPH submarginal row is formed by interconnected black lunules (Fig. 2A). Pakistan: Chitral, Birmoglasht, Malakand, Murree ............................................................................................................... M. lutko Evans, 1932
– The length of harpe is 3–4 times as great as width, there are small and rare teeth on the inner surface of harpe (Figs 18A–C, 19). The caudal process is distally not strongly inwardly concave with a pointed apex (Figs 10, 22, 29A–B, D, G–H). UPH black basal suffusion covers less than a third of the wing surface (Figs 2B–D, 9A–D, 15A–D, 21A–D) ................................................................... 3
3. Valva is sharply expanded in the central part, due to a well-marked protrusion of the ventral side, the length of valva is 1.5 times as great as width (Figs 22, 29A). The thin distal part of harpe is curved downwards, there are few teeth on its inner surface (Fig. 18A–C). The anterior and posterior parts of aedeagus are approximately on the same straight line, there is no protrusion at the junction of both parts of aedeagus on the ventral side (Fig. 29A). UPH submarginal row is often reduced. There is UPF black macule located between veins Sc and R5 and formed by the fused submarginal and postdiscal costal dots centered with orange or pale spot. UPH discal macules are either absent or expressed only as a row of dots between the veins A2–M3 (Fig. 21A–D). Iran: East Elburz ........... ........................................................................................................................ M. shahvarica sp. nov.
– Valva is elongated, its length is 2 times as great as width, the ventral protrusion of the valva is smoothed (Fig. 10). Harpe is noticeably thickened in the central part due to the presence of teeth on the inner surface (Fig. 19). The posterior part of aedeagus is mostly located at an angle to the anterior one and is directed downward, at the junction of both parts of aedeagus on the ventral side there is a well-marked protrusion (Figs 10, 29B). UPH submarginal row is well defined (with rare exceptions) (Fig. 15A–D). UPF black macule located between veins Sc and R5 and formed by the fused submarginal and postdiscal costal dots is absent. UPH discal row is well defined (ssp. binaludica subsp. nov.) or absent (ssp. timandra). Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan ........................ ....................................................................................... M. timandra Coutsis & van Oorschot, 2014
Key for determining the representatives of the lutko species group by females
1. Postvaginal plate is triangular-shaped with wide lateral edges and narrowed distally (Figs 4F–I, 11) ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
– Postvaginal plate is oval or broadly oval (Fig. 4A–E) ...................................................................... 2
2. UPS black pattern is expanded and well developed: UPH basal suffusion covers at least a third of the wing surface, UPF postdiscal row, as well as UPH discal and submarginal rows are well developed along the entire length of the wings (Fig. 2E). Pakistan: Chitral, Birmoglasht, Malakand, Murree .............................................................................................................. M. lutko Evans, 1932
– UPS black pattern is reduced: UPH basal suffusion covers noticeably less than a quarter of the wing surface, UPF postdiscal row is represented by 1–2 dots at the costal edge, UPH discal and submarginal row are reduced or partly reduced (Fig. 21E–H). Iran: East Elburz .............. M. shahvarica sp. nov.
3. The antevaginal plate is expanded in the dorsoventral direction, its outer edge extends beyond the boundaries of the bend of the postvaginal plate (auricules) (Fig. 4F–I); UPF with a well-defined paleyellowish postdiscal area and pale-yellowish macule in the distal part of discoidal cell (Fig. 6E–H). Afghanistan, Pakistan: Balochistan ........................................................ M. mimetica Higgins, 1940
– The antevaginal plate is narrow in the dorsoventral direction, its outer edge does not extend out or barely extends beyond the boundaries of the bend of the postvaginal plate (auricules) (Fig. 11); UPF with a weakly defined pale-yellowish postdiscal area (Figs 9E–H, 15E–H). Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan ................................................................... M. timandra Coutsis & van Oorschot, 2014
description: Published as part of Kolesnichenko, Kirill A. & Kotlobay, Anatoly A., 2022, Review of the fritillary species systematically close to Melitaea lutko Evans, 1932 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) with analysis of their geographic distribution and interrelations with host plants, pp. 1-60 in European Journal of Taxonomy 830 (1) on pages 47-49, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.830.1865, http://zenodo.org/record/6839847