Prays peregrina Agassiz, 2007

Marabuto, Eduardo, 2022, Spialia rosae Hernández-Roldán, DApporto, Dincă, Vicente & VilA, 2016, and 17 moth species new for the fauna of Portugal (Insecta: Lepidoptera), Arquivos Entomolóxicos 25, pp. 305-322 : 307

3. Prays peregrina Agassiz, 2007

— Estorãos, Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo. 30 m a.s.l. MGRS: 29TNG2926. 28.IX.2021; 16.XII.2021; 17.II.2022; 07.III.2022. Ernesto GonÇalves leg., Eduardo Marabuto det. Larvae, pupae or adults on Ruta graveolens . ( Figs. 1e, f, g ) .

— Gemunde, Maia, Porto. MGRS: 29TNF3069. 25.X.2021. Carlos Silva obs. Adults .

— Árvore, Vila do Conde, Porto. 8 m a.s.l. MGRS: 29TNF2175. 09.VII.2022. Luis P. da Silva obs. Adult .

— Verdemilho, Aveiro. 15 m a.s.l. MGRS: 29TNE2996. 23.VII.2022. Eduardo Marabuto leg. Frass and larval exuviae on R. graveolens .

This enigmatic species was recently described from England where specimens were first but repeatedly collected in London from 2003 to 2007 ( Agassiz, 2007). Later, it has been found in SE England as well ( Agassiz & Kiddie, 2016) and in 2019 in the Canary Islands ( Falck & Karsholt, 2019). Whilst its origin is not yet precisely known, SE Asia and the Mediterranean have been suggested, because its closest relatives are Asiatic ( Agassiz, 2007) and its local host-plant was discovered to be R. chalepensis and R. graveolens ( Plant, 2016) , widespread south-European species but also widely kept in gardens for their purportedly deterrent properties against insects and misfortune (evil eye).

These records are thus the first for Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula and the European mainland, of a species which now presents itself as provisionally an Atlanto-Mediterranean element. Its origin has been considered as cryptogenic in López-Vaamonde et al. (2010), i.e., not known. Indeed, it is not yet known whether the current findings in Portugal represent its hitherto undiscovered native range, or the species is a recent colonist. A support for the latter hypothesis may come from the generalised finding of the species in the NW of Portugal and always under an anthropogenic context, exploiting only garden R. graveolens , even though there are other native rues widespread in Portugal. Perhaps rues are only secondary hosts from an original different Rutaceae , like Citrus spp. , as has happened with some butterflies of the genus Papilio Linnaeus, 1758 in the Nearctic, chosing rues over native hosts (e.g., Ferris & Emmel, 1982).

GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE

Figures

Fig. 1.- Habitus of new Portuguese species. a.- Ptilocephala moncaunella. b.- Ptilocephala monteiroi. c.- Pseudoswammerdamia combinella. d.- Digitivalva occidentella. e.- Prays peregrina, adult. f.- Prays peregrina on host-plant. g.- Prays peregrina, pupae. h.- Epicallima mikkolai. i.- Eretmocera medinella. Photos: Eduardo Marabuto (a, b, d & h); Tita Frazão Lopes (c); Ernesto GonÇalves (e, f & g); Pedro Henriques (i).