Plebejus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Its species are found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Taxonomy
As a result of studies of molecular phylogenetics, numerous species that were included in Plebejus by some authors at the beginning of the 21st century have now been moved to separate genera again. These species may be found in Afarsia, Alpherakya, Agriades, Aricia, Eumedonia, Icaricia, Kretania, Maurus, Pamiria, Patricius, Plebejidea, Plebulina, and Rueckbeilia.
Species
Species include:
The ardis species-group:
- Plebejus eversmanni <small>(Lang, 1884)</small> Kopet-Dagh, Ghissar, Darvaz, Pamirs-Alai, Tian-Shan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan
- Plebejus baroghila <small>(Tytler, 1926)</small> Himalayas
- Plebejus firuskuhi <small>(Forster, 1940)</small> Afghanistan
- Plebejus kwaja <small>(Evans, 1932)</small> Baluchistan
The argus species-group:
The idas species-group (a.k.a. subgenus Lycaeides):
- Plebejus agnata <small>(Rühl, 1895)</small>
- Plebejus argyrognomon <small>(Bergsträsser, [1779])</small> – Reverdin's blue
- Plebejus pseudaegon <small>(Butler, [1882])</small> Ussuri, North China, North Korea, Japan
- Plebejus sinica <small>(Forster, 1936)</small> Sichuan
- Plebejus maracandica <small>(Erschoff, 1874)</small> Russia, Transbaikalia, Yakutia, Magadan. Mongolia, Kamchatka
- Plebejus caspica <small>(Forster, 1936)</small> South Urals
- Plebejus lepidus <small>Zhdanko, 2000</small> Kazakhstan
- Plebejus uiguricus <small>Zhdanko, 2000</small> ltai, Saur, Tarbagatai Mts., Dzhungarsky Alatau
- Plebejus mongolicus <small>Rühl, [1893]</small> Transbaikalia, Amur, Mongolia
- Plebejus baldur <small>(Hemming, 1934)</small> Kurdistan, Levant
- Plebejus bellieri <small>(Oberthür, 1910)</small> Corsica
- Plebejus argiva <small>(Staudinger, 1886)</small> Kazakhstan, Alai
- Plebejus christophi <small>(Staudinger, 1874)</small> – small jewel blue
- Plebejus anikini <small>Yakovlev, 2012</small> Mongolia
- Plebejus germani <small>Yakovlev, 2012</small> Mongolia
- Plebejus roxane <small>(Grum-Grshimailo, 1887)</small> Tajikistan, Afghanistan
- Plebejus idas <small>(Linnaeus, 1761)</small> – Idas blue or northern blue
- Plebejus ganssuensis <small>(Grum-Grshimailo, 1891)</small> Kuku-Noor, China
- Plebejus nushibi <small>Zhdanko, 2000</small> Kazakhstan
- Plebejus calliopis <small>(Boisduval, 1832)</small> Alps, boreal Europe and Transcaucasia to Russian Far East and Kamchatka
- Plebejus anna <small>(Edwards, 1861)</small> – Anna's blue
- Plebejus melissa <small>(Edwards, 1873)</small> – Melissa blue or orange-bordered blue
- Plebejus fridayi <small>(Chermock, 1945)</small> Oregon
- Plebejus nevadensis <small>(Oberthür, 1910)</small> Iberia
- Plebejus tomyris <small>(Grum-Grshimailo, 1890)</small> Amur
- Plebejus samudra <small>(Moore, [1875])</small> Northwest India, Hindu Kush
- Plebejus rogneda <small>(Grum-Grshimailo, 1890)</small> Kashgar, Darvaz, Pamirs, Transalai
- Plebejus subsolanus <small>(Eversmann, 1851)</small> Transbaikalia, Amur, Ussuri, Mongolia, Korea, Japan.
- Plebejus iburiensis <small>(Butler, [1882])</small> Japan
- Plebejus cleobis <small>(Bremer, 1861)</small> Siberia, Altai, Transbaikalia, Russian Far East, Amur, Ussuri, Japan
Ungrouped:
- Plebejus sharga <small>Churkin, 2004</small> Mongolia
- Plebejus shuroabadica <small>(Shchetkin, 1963)</small> Tajikistan
- Plebejus dzhizaki <small>Zhdanko, 2000</small> Uzbekistan
- Plebejus bergi <small>Kusnezov, 1908</small> Kazakhstan
- Plebejus noah <small>(Herz, 1900)</small> Turan
- Plebejus qinghaiensis <small>(Murayama, 1992)</small>
- Plebejus hishikawai <small>(Yoshino, 2003)</small> Tibet
- Plebejus callaghani <small>Carbonell & Naderi, 2007</small> Iran
- Plebejus choltagi <small>(Zhdanko & Churkin, 2001)</small>
- Plebejus fyodor <small>Hsu, Bálint & Johnson, 2000</small>
- Plebejus maidantagi <small>Zhdanko & Churkin, 2001</small>
- Plebejus tillo <small>Zhdanko & Churkin, 2001</small>
- Plebejus churkini <small>Zhdanko, 2001</small> Tian-Shan
- Plebejus exterius <small>Zhdanko, 2001</small> Tian-Shan
- Plebejus zhdankoi <small>Churkin, 2002</small> Tian-Shan
- Plebejus mellarius <small>Churkin & Zhdanko, 2008</small> Kyrgyzstan
- Plebejus arpa <small>(Churkin & Pletnev, 2012)</small> Kyrgyzstan
- Plebejus aleremiticus <small>(Churkin & Pletnev, 2012)</small> Tajikistan
References