Coenonympha ( Lyela ) myops ( Staudinger, 1881 )

1) Coenonympha ( Lyela) myops ( Staudinger, 1881) View in CoL

Figs.: 2, 4–9, 16–21.

Diagnosis: Small size (forewing length 16.2–23.3 mm, average 19.3 mm); forewing upper side rusty red in males, somewhat paler in females, outer margin brown, ca 2 mm wide; apical ocellus mostly visible; hindwings above brown. Under side of forewing rusty red, again paler in females, outer margin brown; apical ocellus always present, black, inside a pale yellowish ring, and usually with a small whitish core; hindwing below brown, with fine dark median, postmedian and submarginal lines, and a greyish band between the postmedian and submarginal line; row of submarginal ocelli always present, small, pale, and with a dark centre.

Range (see fig. 30): Northern central Asia, from western to easternmost Kazakhstan, extending into eastern Uzbekistan and western and northern Kyrgyzstan, from southern Russian Altai, into western Mongolian Altai, and western China (northern Xinjiang); recorded at elevations from 150 to 1,800 m.

Taxa included: mangystavica Lukhtanov, 1994; tashkumirica Lukhtanov, 2024.

Comments: The most widespread species of the group (see above), and also recorded from the lowest elevations. The exact limits of its distribution still remain open, especially towards the northern and eastern borders of its range, and there could well be further genetic and phenotypic differentiation across the wider distribution area. The status and inclusion of the two taxa named by Lukhtanov under myops is considered provisionally, as representatives from those two taxa could not yet be subjected to a genomic analysis.