Abstract
Since its description Papilio hyllus Cramer, 1775 has been linked to at least five lycaenine and thecline species of butterflies. Although most authors now consider P. hyllus to represent the same Nearctic species subsequently described as Polyommatus thoe Guérin-Méneville, [1832], some consider it to represent the Palearctic species described as Papilio thersamon Esper, 1784. For over three decades the name Lycaena hyllus has been employed for the Nearctic species, but the identity of Papilio hyllus remains contentious. The original watercolor drawings of Cramer's illustrated type specimen indicate that P. hyllus is a senior subjective synonym of P. thoe. A connection between the English entomologist Dru Drury (1725–1804) and the Dutch naturalist Hans Willem (Baron) Rengers (1722–1786) suggests that the illustrated type specimen of P. hyllus was collected by Thomas James in New York. A neotype is designated to objectively define the nominal species Papilio hyllus.
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