Nota lepid. 31 (1): 3 – 23 3 Improving the knowledge on Romanian Rhopalocera, including the rediscovery of Polyommatus amandus (Schneider, 1792) (Lycaenidae) and an application of DNA-based identifi cation VLAD DINCĂ 1 & ROGER VILA 2 1 Departament de Genètica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; e-mail:
[email protected] 2 ICREA and Departament de Genètica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain, e-mail:
[email protected] Abstract. From May 19th to June 8th of 2007, the authors undertook lepidopterological research in 29 localities in Romania, several of which are poorly or totally unstudied from a lepidopterological point of view. 105 taxa were identifi ed, out of which seven receive special attention in the text, with comments on their distribution, ecology and conservation status. Polyommatus amandus (Schneider, 1792) (Lycaenidae) is recorded for the fi rst time in Romania after 28 years. We provide the fi rst record from Muntenia for Cupido (Everes) decolorata (Staudinger, 1886) (Lycaenidae), and the third known Romanian location for Pseudophilotes bavius egea (Herrich-Schäffer, 1852) (Lycaenidae). Lepidoptera DNA-based identifi cation was used for species identifi cation based on larval stages. This technique confi rmed the discovery of Zerynthia polyxena ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Papilionidae) in south- ern Dobrogea and its rediscovery in the entire province after 80 years. Introduction Although the Romanian butterfl y fauna has been studied for more than 150 years (e.g. Fuss 1850; Franzenau 1852, 1856, 1859; Mann 1866), there are still large gaps regard- ing the distribution and conservation status of many of the species known to occur within the country’s territory.