Leptotes is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. They are commonly known as zebra blues in reference to their zebra-striped undersides.

Leptotes
Lang's short-tailed blue (Leptotes pirithous)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Tribe: Polyommatini
Genus: Leptotes
Scudder, 1876
Type species
Lycaena theonus
Lucas, 1857
Diversity
29 species
Synonyms
  • Cyclyrius Butler, [1897]
  • Langia Tutt, 1906 (non Moore, 1872: preoccupied)
  • Raywardia Tutt, 1908
  • Syntarucoides Kaye, 1904
  • Syntarucus Butler, 1901

The genus Cyclyrius was recently synonymized with Leptotes and its two species were thus moved to this genus.[1]

Species

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The genus can be divided into several distinct geographic groups which often correspond to clades:[1]

Afrotropical and Palaearctic species:

Indomalayan species:

Australasian species:

Neotropical species:

 
Leptotes pirithous

References

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  1. ^ a b Fric, Z. F.; Maresova, J.; Kadlec, T.; Tropek, R.; Pyrcz, T. W.; Wiemers, M. (2019). "World travellers: phylogeny and biogeography of the butterfly genus Leptotes (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)". Systematic Entomology. 44 (3): 652–665. Bibcode:2019SysEn..44..652F. doi:10.1111/syen.12349. S2CID 195412904.
  • Brower, Andrew V.Z. (2008): Tree of Life Web ProjectLeptotes Scudder 1876. The Zebra Blues. Version of 2008-MAY-19. Retrieved 2009-NOV-29.
  • Savela, Markku (2009): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms – Leptotes. Version of 2009-MAY-24. Retrieved 2009-NOV-29.
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