Butterfly Guide of China Grey

Author: Wang Min
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-04-01
Features: The book includes a total of 146 genera, 515 species, and 390 subspecies of Chinese blues (Lycaenidae), establishing 1 new subfamily, 1 new genus, 6 new species, 1 new subspecies, 1 new recorded genus, and 8 new recorded species. This makes China one of the countries with the most abundant blue resources in the world. Blues are a type of small butterfly with extremely rich species diversity, accounting for 30% to 40% of all butterfly species (New, 1993). Except for a few exceptions, the distribution of the vast majority of species is highly regional, and they are very sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment. The fluctuations in the number of species and their quantities can indirectly reflect changes in the surrounding plants to some extent. Therefore, in recent years, blues have been used as an important indicator for ecological environment monitoring in terrestrial biodiversity conservation. Compared to large butterflies, blues are poorly studied in both high-level and low-level taxonomic research, with new species and even new genera still being discovered every year. China has a vast territory with complex and diverse topographical and climatic conditions, spanning both the Oriental and Palaearctic regions in the world's zoogeographical division, resulting in extremely rich butterfly resources. Early blue classification studies were mostly conducted by Western scholars, among whom the most representative is the book Butterflies of China, Korea, and Japan by the British Leech (1893–1894), which included 27 known genera and 132 known species of blues at that time. The work of Chinese scholars is best represented by Huang Xiumin's List of Chinese Blues (1943), which systematically compiled 50 known genera, 222 known species of blues, and related literature, providing important reference value for the study of Chinese blues. This book includes 146 genera, 515 species, and 390 subspecies of Chinese blues, accompanied by a large number of real photos and detailed diagrams. The content is comprehensive, richly illustrated, and possesses high scientific rigor, systematicity, data reliability, and comprehensiveness. It more or less reflects the achievements of blue research in China and can be used as a reference for relevant individuals.