Hemaris syra
| Hemaris syra | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hemaris syra | ||||||||||||
| ( Daniel , 1939) |
Hemaris syra is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae).
features
The moths have a wingspan of 35 to 48 millimeters. They can be distinguished from Hemaris tityus by the much wider marginal band on both pairs of wings. In most specimens the discal cell of the forewings is divided lengthways by a scaled fold, but in Hemaris syra this is covered by the discal cell, which is completely covered with scales. This feature, as well as a reduced transparent area on the hind wings, distinguishes the species from Hemaris fuciformis fuciformis , but individuals of this subspecies, especially of the second generation, can occasionally be found in Greece and Italy, which can not be distinguished from Hemaris syra .
Occurrence and habitat
The species is distributed in southern and eastern Turkey, the western Zāgros Mountains , northern Elbrus in Iran and in the Kopet-Dag in Turkmenistan. The species is also common in western Jordan and northern Israel. It is conceivable that most of the records of Hemaris fuciformis fuciformis from northern Turkey may misrepresent certain specimens of Hemaris syra and the subspecies is in fact rare in Turkey.
The moths are found in the open remains of former forests, especially where honeysuckle ( Lonicera ) grow between and above low bushes. The species is found around 1000 meters above sea level in southern Turkey and between 1500 and 1600 meters above sea level in northern Israel.
Way of life
The moths are diurnal and suckle on thistles . They occur in two generations per year, which flies from mid-May to mid-June and in a partially incomplete generation in August. There are two records from Jordan from mid-July.
The pre-imaginal stages as well as the host plants are completely unknown. However, the caterpillars presumably feed on the honeysuckle. Parasitoids that infect the species are also not known.
Taxonomy and systematics
The species was first described by Daniel in 1939 as Haemorrhagia fuciformis syra , thus as a subspecies. His description and illustration initially suggested that it was a form of Hemaris dentata . However, he assumed that the subspecies was more closely related to Hemaris fuciformis , although the coloring of the thorax and abdomen reminded him of Hemaris croatica . Danner, Eitschberger & Surholt (1998) considered Hemaris syra to be a valid species, but were unsure of its actual status. Kitching & Cadiou (2000) compared Hemaris syra , Hemaris fuciformis and Hemaris dentata from Turkey and concluded that Hemaris syra could possibly be the other, hitherto unknown sex of Hemaris dentata . After further catches, however, this could be ruled out and a morphological proximity to Hemaris fuciformis was found . Recently, DNA studies have shown that the taxon is closely related to Hemaris fuciformis , but that there are enough differences for its independent species status.
The description and illustration of the subspecies Hemaris fuciformis pseudodentata described by Dubatolov (2003) corresponds to Hemaris syra and has been synonymous accordingly . Dubatolov compared his newly described taxon with Hemaris dentata and Hemaris fuciformis fuciformis , but overlooked Hemaris syra , so that the error is obvious.