Taxonomic Rearrangement of the Erebia tyndarus Species Group (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) Based on an Analysis of COI Barcodes, Morphology, and Geographic Distribution

Abstract

Despite numerous attempts to reveal the phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of formally described entities, a large number of unresolved taxonomic problems still persist in the E. tyndarus group, mostly due to incomplete species and population sampling, especially in the eastern part of the group's distribution. Here, we provide a COI barcode study based on essentially improved sampling of the taxa and populations from the Caucasus, including for the first time, data on one of the key taxa in this complex, Erebia iranica, described from the Demavend volcano in Iran. We also analyze the structure of valve in male genitalia and the geographic distribution of the taxa. Our analysis does not confirm the close relatedness and conspecifity of the taxa known in current literature as "E. iranica iranica" (North Iran) and "E. iranica sheljuzhkoi" (Great Caucasus). Instead, the obtained data indicates the need for the taxonomic reorganization of the E. iranica complex and its division into two species: monotypic E. sheljuzhkoi (Great Caucasus) and polytypic E. iranica with subspecies E. iranica iranica (North Iran), E. iranica dromulus (Turkey, Ararat Mt.), E. iranica transcaucasica (Lesser Caucasus), and E. iranica graucasica (Great Caucasus). In addition, our data do not support the recently proposed splitting of E. callias and E. cassioides into multiple allopatric species.