American Society of Hirudotherapy

Description of a new species of the genus Polycaena Staudinger, 1886 (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae) from China with designation of lectotype of Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891

Research article published in Zootaxa (2024)

Last Updated: June 18, 2026Reviewed by: ASH Editorial Board
Research article — evidence reviewArticle reference
Evidence: Preclinical (animal)Clinical TrialsKrupitsky AV et al. · Zootaxa, 2024

Abstract

A new species, Polycaena eckweileri sp. n., is described from Gansu Province, China. Based on the analysis of the barcode region of the mitochondrial COI gene, the new species belongs to the P. lama Leech, 1893 species group. The new species differs from all the known species of the genus in peculiar characters of the male genitalia. Polycaena eckweileri sp. n. is known to date only from the type locality in Têwo County. The phylogenetic reconstruction of the main lineages of the genus Polycaena based on analysis of a 658 bp region of the COI mitochondrial gene is provided for the first time. Lectotype of Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 is designated from a series of syntypes deposited in the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Publication typeJournal Article
Indexed MeSH termsAnimalsMaleChinaAnimal DistributionFemalePhylogenyBody SizeAnimal StructuresOrgan SizeButterflies

Summary

A new species, Polycaena eckweileri sp. n., is described from Gansu Province, China.

Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy

This article describes a new species, Polycaena eckweileri, from Gansu Province, China, based on analysis of the COI barcode region and characters of the male genitalia, placing it within the P. lama Leech, 1893 species group, and designates a lectotype for Polycaena lua. The word 'Leech' appears here only as a taxonomic authority citation for the species-group name, not as a reference to the annelid worm. This study has no relevance to hirudotherapy, the leech secretome, leech-derived bioactive compounds, or any aspect of the ASH research domain. The apparent connection to leeches is entirely a nomenclatural coincidence.

Citation

Description of a new species of the genus Polycaena Staudinger, 1886 (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae) from China with designation of lectotype of Polycaena lua Grum-Grshimailo, 1891.

Krupitsky AV et al. · Zootaxa, 2024

DOI

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