Lemonia strigata strigata Antoshin & Zolotuhin, 2011

Prozorov, Alexey M., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Yakovlev, Roman V., Nedoshivina, Svetlana V., Pinzari, Manuela, Pinzari, Mario, Scalercio, Stefano, Bianco, Giovanni, Saldaitis, Aidas, Hausmann, Axel, Revay, Edita E. & Müller, Günter C., 2022, Revision of the Lemonia taraxaci complex, with a description of a new species from Italy and clarification of the status of Lemonia strigata (Lepidoptera Brahmaeidae: Lemoniinae), Zootaxa 5195 (4), pp. 337-360 : 346-348

Lemonia strigata strigata Antoshin & Zolotuhin, 2011

( Figs 32–48 , 55–56 , 74–84 , 99–111 , 114–115 )

Lemonia strigata strigata Antoshin & Zolotuhin, 2011 , Eversmannia, 25–26, 15.

= Lemonia taraxaci ab. strigata Rebel, 1910 , Fr.Berge’s Schmetterlingsbuch nach dem gegenwärtigen Stande der Lepidopterologie neu bearbeitet und herausgegeben von Professor Dr. H. Rebel in Wien , 9, 131. Type locality: Croatia, Zadar. Female type was not found. Invalid infrasubspecific name.

? Lemonia taraxaci var. montana Buresch, 1915 , Travaux de la Socieìteì Bulgare des Sciences Naturelles , 7, 100. Type locality: Bulgaria, Rhodope Mts, Musala. Female syntype known by color photo (NMNHS).

=? Lemonia taraxaci ab. antigone Stauder, 1913, Bollettino della Societa Adriatica di Scienze Naturali in Trieste, 27: 159. Type locality: Adriatic Sea coast. Types were not found. Invalid infrasubspecific name.

Diagnosis. L. strigata strigata is a Balkan subspecies, it has a 2.99% gap analysis distance from L. taraxaci , 2.82% from L. sibirica and 2.66% L. italiana sp. n. ( Fig. 107 ). Externally and morphologically variable, no reliable characters were found to distinguish it from the Cycladic subspecies (see below) but it differs by a presence of a dark medial line from L. taraxaci , L. sibirica , and L. italiana sp. n.

Variability. Like in L. strigata above.

Distribution ( Fig. 106 ). The Balkans.

Taxonomic notes. 1. Two barcoded males from Greece with a vague dark postmedial line (GWORQ826-10 and GWORQ827-10; Fig. 39 ) and the barcoded female from Bulgaria without the line but with a large triangular medial spot (LBEOW 786-10; Fig. 35 ) have only 0.76% genetic distance between. This proves that the postmedial line is not a stable diagnostic character for L. strigata , the same we see in Lemonia strigata deucalion Antoshin & Zolotuhin, 2011 , from the Cycladic islands, some of the adults in the type series are clearly without a stripe ( Figs 50–51 ). We know also a series of adults that were bred in the same year ex ovo probably from the same batch of eggs from Lithochoro, Greece ( Figs 41–48 ), they have more or less pronounced postmedial line. Thus, we suggest that taraxaci -like adults without a stripe from the Balkans are just a variant of L. strigata and list them in examined material here, under L. strigata strigata .

2. The taxon L. taraxaci var. montana is known to us just like to Antoshin and Zolotuhin (2011) by a photo of a female syntype from NMNHS ( Fig. 38 ) – it is a pale taraxaci -like worn specimen. According to a close genetic relationship between the typical L. strigata and taraxaci -like adults, we consider L. taraxaci var. montana to be a senior synonym of L. strigata , although leave the formal act of synonymy for the future when more Balkan adults will be barcoded.

Material examined: Croatia: ♂, Zadar , 0 m, 18.X.1988, leg. H. Modl ( CGM) ; ♂, Mosor , 22.X.1974, leg. D. Müting ( CGM) . North Macedonia : ♂, Drenovo, Kavadar , leg. J. Thurner, 1– 3.10.1959, 1–10.X.1959, slide 14.443 ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, Strumica , 5.X.1973, slide 14.446 ( MWM / ZSM) ; 4♂, Prilep , 2–7.XI.1971, 2.XI.1972, 28.VIII.1973, 21.X.1973, slides 14.447, 14.449 ( MWM / ZSM; CGM) ; ♂, Ohrid environs, 12–15.IX.1937, 24.IX– 3.X.1937, leg. Thurner ( CGM) . Bulgaria: ♀, syntype of montana Buresch, Musala, 2.VIII.1910, S. M. Ferdinand I, le Roi des Bulgares ( NMNHS) ; ♂, Kresna Gorge, 8.X.1981, leg. J. Ganev, slide 14.520 ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, Rupite, Kozhuh Heights , 21.X.1990 ( CGM) ; ♂, ♀, Struma valley , 3 km SW of Kresna, 20.X.2014, leg. Babics & Benedek ( CGM) . Greece: ♂, ♀, Thermopilae , 60–100 m, 1.X.1971, 15.X.1977, leg. Lukasch ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, Peloponnes, Lagkadia , 1200 m, 2.X.1977, leg. Lukasch ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, Epirus, Thesprotia, Fascomillia , 20 m, 18.XI.1992, 14.X.1995, 15.XI.1999, leg. Schaider, slide 14.442 ( MWM / ZSM; CGM) ; ♂, Igoumenitsa, Phascomillia , 9.XI.1992, leg. Schaider, slide 14.540 ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, Tripoli, Stenon , 800 m, 12.VIII.1985, 21.VIII.1985, slide 14.541 ( MWM / ZSM) ; 2♂, ♀, Peloponnes, 15 km S Tripoli , 700 m, 6.X.1982, leg. H. Hacker, slides 14.448, 14.527, 14.542 ( MWM / ZSM) ; ♂, S Hellas, NE Peloponnes, Prov. Korinth, 8 km to coast region, 10 km SW Sofiko, 12 km NE Athikia , 37°46’47” N, 23°02’04” E, 22–23.X.2008, leg. Steidel, Mehlhom ( CGM) ; ♂, Pieria Mts., Skotina , 40.0231° N, 22.5520° E, 700 m, 21.X.2014, leg. Babics, Benedek ( CGM) ; 4♂, 4♀, Lithochoro , ex ovo, 10.X.1996, 23.X.1996, 4.XI.1996, leg. F. Hohensteiner ( SMNS) .

Figures

FIGURES 32–40. Adults of L. strigata strigata. 32. Male, N Macedonia, Prilep (CGM). 33. Male, N Macedonia, Drenovo, slide 14.443 (MWM/ZSM). 34. Male, Bulgaria, Rupite (CGM). 35. Female, Bulgaria, Struma Valley, LBEOW-26 (UlSPU). 36–37. Male, female, Bulgaria, Struma Valley (CGM). 38. Female syntype of Lemonia taraxaci var. montana, Bulgaria, Musala (NMNHS). 39–40. Males, Greece, Korinth, BC JM 0066 (CGM). Scale bar – 1 cm.

FIGURES 41–51. Adults of L. strigata ssp. 41–48. L. strigata strigata ex ovo, Greece, Lithochoro (SMNS). 41–44. Males. 45–48. Females. 49–51. L. strigata deucalion. 49. Male holotype, Greece, Andros Island (MWM/ZSM). 50. Male paratype, Greece, Andros Island (MWM/ZSM). 51. Female paratype, Greece, Naxos Island (MWM/ZSM). Scale bar – 1 cm.

FIGURES 52–57. Male genitalia of Lemonia spp. 52. L. sibirica, Russia, Ulyanovsk Oblast, slide Lemon-18 (CGM). 53. L. taraxaci, Croatia, Rovinj, slide 14.441 (MWM/ZSM). 54. L. italiana, paratype, Italy, Calabria, slide Lemon-6 (ZSM). 55–56. L. strigata strigata, N Macedonia, Prilep, slides 14.449, 14.447 (MWM/ZSM). 57. L. strigata deucalion, paratype, Greece, Andros Island, slide 14.547 (MWM/ZSM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

FIGURES 74–87. Unci of L. strigata ssp. 74–84. L. strigata strigata. 74. N Macedonia, Drenovo, slide 14.443 (MWM/ZSM). 75–76. N Macedonia, Prilep, slide 14.447, 14.449 (MWM/ZSM). 77. N. Macedonia, Strumica, slide 14.446 (MWM/ZSM). 78. Bulgaria, Kresna, slide 14.520 (MWM/ZSM). 79–80. Greece, Igoumenitsa, slides 14.540, 14.431 (MWM/ZSM). 81. Greece, Thesprotia, slide 14.442 (MWM/ZSM). 82. Greece, Steno, slide 14.541 (MWM/ZSM). 83–84. Greece, 15 km S Tripoli, slides 14.527, 14.448 (MWM/ZSM). 85–87. Lemonia strigata deucalion. 85. Paratype, Greece, Andros Island, slide 14.547 (MWM/ ZSM). 86. Paratype, Greece, Naxos Island, slide 14.445 (MWM/ZSM). 87. Paratype, Greece, Naxos Island, slide 14.444 (MWM/ZSM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

FIGURES 99–113. Legs of L. strigata ssp. 99–111. L. strigata strigata. 99. Male, Greece, Igoumenitsa, slide 14.431 (MWM/ ZSM). 100. ♂, Greece, Thesprotia, slide 14.442 (MWM/ZSM). 101–102. Males, Greece, 15 km S Tripoli, slides 14.448, 14.527 (MWM/ZSM). 103. Male, Greece, Igoumenitsa, slide 14.540 (MWM/ZSM). 104. Male, Greece, Steno, slide 14.541 (MWM/ ZSM). 105–106. Females, Greece, 15 km S Tripoli, slides 14.542, 16.966 (MWM/ZSM). 107. Male, N Macedonia, Drenovo, slide 14.443 (MWM/ZSM). 108. Male, N Macedonia, Strumica, slide 14.446 (MWM/ZSM). 109–110. Males, N Macedonia, Prilep, slide 14.447, 14.449 (MWM/ZSM). 111. Male, Bulgaria, Kresna, slide 14.520 (MWM/ZSM). 112–113. L. strigata deucalion, male paratypes, Greece, Naxos Island, slide 14.445, 14.547 (MWM/ZSM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

FIGURES 114–115. Principal differences between L. taraxaci (light blue), L. sibirica (dark blue), L. italiana (purple), L. strigata strigata (yellow) and L. strigata deucalion (orange): 114. Distribution map (for details visit https://bit.ly/3uNyQ5E). 115. Gap analysis distances (taken from gap analysis tool on BOLD, %) and a phylogenetic tree (uniform rates, 500 replicates from MEGA11).