Polyommatus zarathustra

Polyommatus zarathustra, the Zarathustra blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It was described by Eckweiler in 1997. It is endemic of southern slope of the Meghri Mountains in Armenia[2] and nearby Arasbaran Mountains in northern Iran. Armenia is inhabited by subspecies P. z. neglecta (which was initially described as a species, Agrodiaetus neglectus).[3][4] It inhabits forests alternated with dry steppe-like areas at elevations of 1400–1900 m above sea level. The species is included in the Red Book of Animals of the Republic of Armenia as endangered EN B1a+B2a.[5]

Polyommatus zarathustra
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Polyommatus
Species:
P. zarathustra
Binomial name
Polyommatus zarathustra
(Eckweiler, 1997)[1]
Synonyms
  • Agrodiaetus zarathustra Eckweiler, 1997

Subspecies

  • Polyommatus zarathustra zarathustra (northern Iran)
  • Polyommatus zarathustra neglecta Dantchenko, 2000 (Transcaucasia)

References

  1. Polyommatus at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
  2. Butterfly Conservation Armenia http://www.butterfly-conservation-armenia.org/polyommatus-zarathustra.html
  3. Tuzov V.K., P.V. Bogdanov, S.V. Churkin, A.L. Devyatkin, A.V. Danchenko, V.S. Murzin, G.D. Samodurov, A.B. Zhdanko. 2000. Guide to the butterflies of Russia and adjacent territories (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera). Volume 2: Libytheidae, Danaidae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae, and Lycaenidae. Pensoft Publishers. 581 pp.
  4. Dantchenko A. 2000. A new taxon of the genus Polyommatus Latreille, 1804 from the Transcaucasus. Neue Entomologische Nachricten, 48: 69-71.
  5. Danchenko A. Agrodiaetus neglectus. 2010. In: Aghasyan A. and Kalashyan M. (eds). The Red Book of Animals of the Republic of Armenia. Asoghik. Available at http://www.mnp.am/red_book_fauna/eng/a144.html


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