Unity in Richness: Azure Blues (Ogyris spp.) in Patchy Environments

Abstract

The genus Ogyris, commonly known as the ‘Azures’ contains some of the most spectacular and ecologically intriguing lycaenids in the region (Fig. 7.1), and most species – some of considerable conservation interest – occur very patchily in the landscape. Even the more common species tend to be highly localised with widely separated populations, but some distribution records are obscured by uncertain taxonomy. Some of the more common species are rather variable, with several named subspecies, and some rarer taxa are also taxonomically complex and their integrity, in some cases, ambiguous. In consequence, some historical records of their incidence are also ambiguous, and differences between some named subspecies are small. As one pertinent example, detailed discussion of the nomenclature of a scarce taxon of conservation interest, O. halmaturia, has led to reinstatement of this name (Grund 2010) soon after it was dismissed in favour of O. waterhouseri by Braby and Douglas (2008).