A newly discovered butterfly species has been named in honor of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman tragically killed on a Charlotte light rail this past August.
The butterfly, officially named Celastrina iryna or “Iryna’s Azure,” lives across the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. It was described in September in The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey by lepidopterist Harry Pavulaan, who said the name reflects the serenity and harmony her name signifies in Ukrainian culture.
The discovery concludes a mystery first documented in 1985 by South Carolina researcher Ronald Gatrelle, who collected early specimens from Aiken and Barnwell counties but never formally named them. After Gatrelle’s death, Pavulaan acquired his collection and launched a long-term effort to study the elusive insect.
Field studies in 2018 and 2019 revealed 88 male and three female butterflies from multiple sites in South Carolina and Georgia. The species is now confirmed in five states: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Researchers found C. iryna primarily flies in April, overlapping in range with a related species, C. neglecta, but differing in wing-scale structure and seasonal timing. Scientists believe the butterfly may represent an ancient evolutionary offshoot rather than a modern hybrid.
Pavulaan said the dedication to Zarutska transforms scientific discovery into a memorial of peace. “Her name, rooted in tranquility and harmony, will now live on through this delicate, resilient creature,” he said.
