On Some Type Specimens of Lycaenidae from South East Asia (Lepidoptera)

Abstract

I had an opportunity of seeing the butterfly collections preserved in Museum fur Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universitat, Berlin (MNHU) and Staatliches Museum fur Tierkunde, Dresden (SMT), and I examined some type specimens of South-east Asian Lycaenidae, mainly described by O. STAUDINGER, J. ROBER and C. RIBBE. Of STAUDIN-GER'S collection preserved in MNHU, many of the specimens were present in good condition, but some of them were damaged or destroyed during the War, especially part of the genus Arhopala, as already mentioned by EVANS (1957). In this paper, I list the type specimens examined in MNHU and SMT, with designation of lectotypes, except for the Lycaenopsis group which was dealt with by ELIOT & KAWAZOE (1983). When I could not determine from the original description that a taxon was established on a single specimen, I made it a rule to designate a lectotype. The labels bearing the lectotypes are described. The / mark separates data on individual labels, and my notations are in square brackets or round brackets with the abbreviations (h)=handwritten and (p)=printed. Then I deal with some new knowledge of these identifications, with several nomenclatural modifications as a result of external examination of the type specimens. The present list lacks some unconfirmed type specimens which should be preserved in these Museums, so I intend to publish a further list in the future.