Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793)
 
Taxonomic context and evidence
The name Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793) has been used for decades to refer to the Parnassius species whose distribution in Europe is limited to the Alps and the Urals (it is also present in Asia and North America).
Papilio phoebus was briefly described in 1793 by Fabricius based on a watercolour by William Jones depicting a butterfly from Drury’s collection, originating from Siberia.
Hanus & Theye (2010) gained access to this original watercolour painted by Jones and determined that the specimen designated as P. phoebus was actually Parnassius ariadne (Lederer, 1853).
The butterfly had been collected in western Altai in 1771 during the Pallas expedition in Siberia.
They concluded that the Alpine species Parnassius phoebus, cited by all authors since 1793, had been misidentified and should instead be referred to by the oldest available name for this taxon, namely Parnassius corybas Waldheim, 1823.
The consequences of this publication on Parnassius nomenclature were tumultuous.
Ultimately, in the interest of stability and to preserve the traditionally used names, a neotype was designated by Lukhtanov et al. (2019).
In 2023, ICZN Opinion 2488 validated this procedure. For over a decade, supporters of Hanus & Theye’s thesis and defenders of the traditional nomenclature fiercely debated the issue, leaving numerous references in the literature to Hanus & Theye’s conclusions.
 
Conclusion
The name Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793) is retained for the revised checklist.
 
References
Hanus J. & Theye M-L. 2010. Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793), a misidentified species (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). – Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, N. F. 31(1/2): 71–84. (url)
 
ICZN. 2023 Opinion 2488 (Case 3767) – Papilio phoebus Fabricius, 1793 (currently Parnassius phoebus; Insecta, Lepidoptera): usage conserved for the specific name and that of Doritis ariadne Lederer, 1853 (currently Parnassius ariadne) by the designation of a neotype. – Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 80: 71-73. doi.org/10.21805/bzn.v80.a017
 
Leraut P. 2016. Papillons de jour d’Europe et des contrées voisines. Verrières-le-Buisson: NAP Editions. 1116 p.
 
Lukhtanov V., Pelham J., Cotton A. & Calhoun J. 2019. Case 3767 – Papilio phoebus Fabricius, 1793 (currently Parnassius phoebus; Insecta, Lepidoptera): proposed conservation of prevailing usage of the specific name and that of Doritis ariadne Lederer, 1853 (currently Parnassius ariadne) by the designation of a neotype. – Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 76: 14-22. doi.org/10.21805/bzn.v76.a007
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Archives of Western Palearctic Lepidoptera
Editors-in-Chief: Michel Taymans & Sylvain Cuvelier