Wiadomości Entomologiczne 34 (4) 48–53 Poznań 2015 New moth species Akbesia davidii OBERTHÜR, 1884 recorded in Armenia, and new records on the occurrence of hawk-moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Armenia. Akbesia davidii OBERTHÜR, 1884 gatunek nowy dla Armenii oraz nowe dane o zawisakach (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) Armenii 1 2 Roman WĄSALA , Roman ZAMORSKI 1 Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, University of Life Sciences, Poznań, ul. Dąbrowskiego 159, 60-594 Poznań, e-mail: [email protected] 2 ul. Węgierska 50/3 38-300 Gorlice, Poland, e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT: Until now twenty-six species have been recorded for the fauna of Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) in Armenia. The speciesAkbesia davidii OBERTHÜR is new to the fauna of Armenia. It was found in the vicinity of Sjunik (Southern Armenia). New data onthe distribution of the hawkmonths previously reported from Armenia is presented. KEY WORDS: Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Akbesia davidii, new records, Armenia. Introduction Sphingidae are one of the few lepidopteran groups to have been well inventoried and documented on every continent. To date, more than 1,400 species have been described all over the world(K AWAHARA & all. 2009). Out of 1,000, 72 species are distributed in western Palaearctic region (PITTAWAY 1993), 30 species of hawk months have been recorded in Georgia and neighbouring countries (DIDMANIDZE & all. 2013). Twenty- six out of the aforementioned 72 species have been found in Armenia so far. The subfamilies Sphinginae, Smerinthinae and Macroglossinae consist of 4, 5, and 17 species respectively.Two species Hyles hippophanes and Proserpinus proserpina are listed in the Red Book of Animals of the Republic of Armenia (AGHASYAN & KALASHYAN 2010). NEW MOTH SPECIES AKBESIA DAVIDII OBERTHÜR, 1884 RECORDED IN ARMENIA […] 49 However, the invertebrate fauna of Armenia has been insufficiently and irregularly researched. Entomofauna publications are extremely rare. Most studies were conducted in the twentieth century and relate mainly to beetles and butterflies. Therefore, in our research we try to update the records on the distribution of Sphingidae in Armenia. Materials and methods The results of a joint lepidopterological expedition to Armenia, which took place from the 29th of May till the 11th of June 2014 are presented below. A hypothesis that A. davidii should occur in Armenia was adopted, based on the occurrence of this species in Georgia and neighbouring countries (DIDMANIDZE & all. 2013). The research material was collected by light trapping at night, netting by day, and looking for caterpillars in the daytime. Three different light traps were used for collecting material during the 11 nights of research, except for two nights. The recorded species are presented in the results section. List of the visited Armenian locations: Aygedzor – Prov. Sjunik, 9 km N of Meghri, 38°58’42,7 N / 46°12’30,9 E, 1110 m Dashtakar – Prov. Ararat, 2 km NE of Wedi, 39°35’12,8 N / 44°45’08,9 E, 950 m Hovk – Prov. Tawusz, 18 km NE of Dilidżan, 40°47’34,1 N / 45°03’37,7 E, 840 m Noravank Monastery – Prov. Wajoc Dzor, 6 km SE ad Areni, 39°41’04,7 N / 45°14’01,1 E, 1510 m Tkhkut – Prov. Sjunik, 12 km N of Meghri, 39°00’47,7 N / 46°12’26,5 E, 1310 m. Results The nomenclature and taxonomic system follow the one used by KITCHING & CADIOU (2000). The frequency of occurrence of the recorded species is indicated as follows: s = single, only one or two specimens r = rare, only 3-9 specimens f = frequent, 10 and more specimens c = common, more than 30 specimens 50 R. WĄSALA, R. ZAMORSKI SPHINGIDAE SPHINGINAE Sphinx ligustri LINNAEUS, 1758 – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, s SMERINTHIINAE Smerinthus ocellatus (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, r; Smerinthus kindermannii (LEDERER, 1852) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, c; Tkhkut, r Mimas tiliae (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, r Marumba quercus (DENIS et SCHIFFERMÜLLER, 1775) – Aygedzor, f; Noravank Monastery, r; Tkhkut, c Laothoe populeti (BIENERT, 1870) – Aygedzor, r Akbesia davidii (OBERTHÜR, 1884) – Aygedzor, s Akbesia is a monotypic genus confined to the -southerncentral Palaearctic (PITTAWAY, 1993). The occurrence of A. davidii (OBERTH.) (fig.) was reported for the first time by a field study of hawkmoths in Armenia: – South Armenia, Meghri river valley, Aygedzor near Megri, 4 June 2014, 1 ex., leg. R. WĄSALA & R. ZAMORSKI. The specimen was caught by night, with a 250W mercury vapour lamp set next to a white wall of a building located between the valley and the rocky mountainside overgrown with xerothermic turf. Imago amec to light just before dawn, sat down on the side of the building on the NEW MOTH SPECIES AKBESIA DAVIDII OBERTHÜR, 1884 RECORDED IN ARMENIA […] 51 Fig. Akbesia davidii (OBERTHÜR, 1884) collected in the valley of Meghri river. Ryc. Okaz Akbesia davidii (OBERTHÜR, 1884) z doliny rzeki Meghri. borderline of the lamplight. The insects arrived in small quantities due to the rain and air temperature, which was lower than usual for that time of the year. Akbesia davidii is a local species, which often occurs in rocky, hilly areas with scattered trees and bushes. Imago is generally mainly active after midnight. They have beensporadically reported from southern Turkey, northern Syria, northern Israel, western Jordan, south-eastern, north-eastern Iraq, south-eastern Republic of Georgia, northern Iran (Alborz Mountains) the Zagros Mountains of western Iran N( AUMANN & ZOLOTUHIN 2000, PITTAWAY 1997-2015). Probably winters in the pupal stage. Its larvae feed on Pistacia atlantica and Pistacia palestina (FREINA & GECK 2003, MÜLLER & all. 2005). Adults occur in two generations from April till August (PITTAWAY 1993). MACROGLOSSINAE Proserpinus proserpina (PALLAS, 1772) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, r Theretra alceto (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, r 52 R. WĄSALA, R. ZAMORSKI Hippotion celerio (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, s Hyles euphorbiae (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, s; Dashtakar, r Hyles hippophaes (ESPER, 1793) – Dashtakar, r Hyles livornica (ESPER, 1779) – Aygedzor, f; Dashtakar, r Hyles niacea (PRUNNER, 1798) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, r; Noravank Monastery, r Hyles zygophylli (OCHSENHEIMER, 1808) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, r Rethera komarovi (CHRISTOPH, 1885) – Dashtakar, r; Noravank Monastery, r Choerocampa suellus (STAUDINGER, 1878) – Aygedzor, r; Dashtakar, r; Hovk, r; Noravank Monastery, r; Tkhkut, c Macroglossum stellatarum (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, c; Dashtakar, c; Hovk, c; Noravank Monastery, c; Tkhkut, c Hemaris fuciformis (LINNAEUS, 1758) – Aygedzor, s Discussion The discovery of A. davidii in Armenian mountains raises the number of known species of this family to twenty seven. It is just a matter of time for the number to increase to thirty. In the future, the focus should be put on finding other hawkmoth species that have not been confirmed in Armenia but occur in the neighbouring countries:Daphnis nerii NEW MOTH SPECIES AKBESIA DAVIDII OBERTHÜR, 1884 RECORDED IN ARMENIA […] 53 (LINNAEUS, 1758), Hyles gallii (ROTTEMBURG, 1775) and Hemaris croatica (ESPER, 1800). Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Mr. GrzegorzBISTUŁA -PRÓSZYŃSKI and Dariusz WASILUK for accompanying us during the trip and providing us with field research. STRESZCZENIE W pracy przedstawiono nowe dane na temat rozsiedlenia motyli z rodziny Sphingidae na terenie Armenii. Ogółem wykazano 19 gatunków Sphingidae należących do 14 rodza- jów. Wśród wykazanych gatunków zawisaków stwierdzono gatunek wcześniej niewykazywany z Armenii. Jest nim Akbesia davidii (OBERTHÜR, 1884). REFERENCES AGHASYAN A.L., KALASHYAN M.YU. (eds.) 2010: The Red Book of Animals ofhe t Republic of Armenia. Yerevan. Zangak Publ. 368 pp. DIDMANIDZE E.A., PETROV V.A., ZOLUTHIN V.V. 2013: A list of the Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) of Georgia and neighbouring countries with special attention to material from the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia. Entomofauna, 34 (21): 269-304. FREINA J.J., DE GECK M. 2003: Studien zur Ökologie, Biologie, Verbreitung und geographischen Variabilität von Akbesia davidii (OBERTHÜR, 1884) (Lepidoptera; Sphingidae). Nachr. Ent. Ver. Apollo, N.F., 23 (4): 167-180. KAWAHARA A.Y., MIGNAULT A.A., REGIER J.C., KITCHING I.J., MITTER C. 2009: Phylogeny and biogeography of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): evidence from Five Nuclear Genes. PloS ONE, 4 (5): e5719. MÜLLER G.C., EITSCHBERGER U., KRAVCHENKO V.D., LI C., MILLER M.A., ORLOVA O., SPEIDEL W., WITT T.J. 2005: The Sphingidae of Jordan: distribution, phenology and ecology (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae). Atalanta, 36 (1/2): 209-221. 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