New Underwing Taxa of the Section of Catocala Lesbian Christoph, 1887 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Acta Zoologica Lituanica, 2008, Volumen 18, Numerus 1

ISSN 1392-165733

New UNderwiNg taxa of the sectioN of CatoCala lesbia christoph, 1887 (Lepidoptera, NoctUidae)

günter c. MÜLLer¹, Vasiliy d. KraVcheNKo², thomas J. witt³, amy JUNNiLa4, Josef Mooser5, aidas saLdaitis6, Klaus reshÖft7, povilas iViNsKis8, reza Zahiri9, wolfgang speideL10

¹Department of Parasitology, Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hadassah-Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail: [email protected] ²Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. E-mail: [email protected]; corresponding author ³Museum Witt, Tengstr. 33, D-80796 Munich, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 4Department of Parasitology, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada. E-mail: [email protected] 5Seilerbruecklstr. 23, D-85354 Freising, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 6Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius-21, Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected] 7Am Wohld 44, D-24109 Kiel, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 8Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius-21, Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected] 9Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum (HMIM), Insect Taxonomy Research Department (ITRD), Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection (IRIPP), P. O. Box 19395, Tehran 1454, Iran. Email: [email protected] 10Museum Witt, Tengstr. 33, D-80796 Munich, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]

abstract. Herein, the species group related to Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887 is revised. The follow-ing new species are described: Catocala olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. from Israel and Egypt, Catocala editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. from Jordan, and Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. from Iran. Furthermore, a new subspecies of Catocala lesbia from Pakistan (Waziristan) is characterised: Catocala lesbia ssp. fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. The distribution and habitats of all species are described and figured. Also, the larva of Catocala lesbia is described and figured for the first time. The ecology, phenology, threats (IUCN criteria) and possible conservation measures of Catocala olgaorlovae sp. n. are outlined. The lectotype of Catocala lesbia is designated by A. Matov.Key words: Catocala lesbia species group revision, Noctuidae, LepidopteraZusammenfassung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Artengruppe um Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887 revidiert. Die folgenden neuen Arten werden beschrieben: Catocala olgaorlovae sp. n. aus Israel und Ägypten, Catocala editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. aus Jordanien und Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. vom Iran. Zusätzlich wird eine neue Unterart von Catocala lesbia aus Pakistan, Waziristan charakterisiert: Catocala lesbia ssp. fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. Ferner werden Verbreitung und Habi-tate aller Arten beschrieben und abgebildet. Im Fall von Catocala olgaorlovae sp. n. werden Ökologie, Phänologie, Gefährdung (IUCN Kriterien) und mögliche Schutzmaßnahmen dargestellt. Ein Lectotypus von Catocala lesbia wird von A. Matov festgelegt.

IntroductIon

Christoph, 1887, C. orientalis Staudinger, 1877, and C. puerpera (Giorna, 1791) which we name here the puerpera group. The group is widespread in the southern Palaearctic region, however, it is not found in far east-ern parts. The aedeagus of all members of the group is typically curved and the valvae are terminally rounded and asymmetrical, only the left one with a stronger scle-rotised costal margin. Similar structures are seen in the elocata-group where both valvae are strongly sclerotised along the costal margin. We divide the puerpera group into two sections: the puerpera and the lesbia section. Both sections are not clearly distinguishable in all cases,

The Underwings (Catocala) are an attractive Holarctic genus of Noctuidae with about 300 species worldwide. They are quite well known and monographically treated in Europe (Goater et al. 2003), whereas no compre-hensive study, where two of the present new species have already been mentioned (the species intentionally were not marked as new there. Thus, the present paper constitutes the first valid description of the species (ICZN, fourth edition, art. 16.1)), was available for the Middle East and Israel until very recently (Kravchenko et al. 2007). There is a group of species with pale or-ange (not red) hindwings consisting of Catocala lesbia

34Müller G. C., Kravchenko V. D., Witt T. J. et al.

but the species of the lesbia section are generally larger, with weaker uncus and with a round orange apical spot of the hindwing, except in C. puerperoides which has an elongate spot like the species of the C. puerpera section. Catocala lesbia is rare in most collections (except in the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum, Tehran (abbreviated HMIM in the following text)) and so far has not been the subject of a more detailed study. During our research on the Israeli material, we found that two closely allied, similar species were incorporated under this name, and another cryptic species was detected in the rich Iranian material. The largest and brightest of the section is Catocala olgaorlovae, whereas the other species are smaller; Catocala editarevayae is hardly separable from Catocala lesbia in superficial characters, and Catocala puerperoides is distinct in the shape of the apical orange hindwing spot.In Catocala, the genitalia must be analysed with care. In the male genitalia, the aspect of the shape of the valva varies according to the situation in variably pressed permanent slides. In the female genitalia, the corpus bursae varies considerably in size. This is apparently not only due to intraspecific variation, but also due to flexibility which is otherwise unusual in Noctuidae and perhaps reflects the fact that females are virgin or have already copulated.

Catocala lesbia lesbia christoph, 1887(Plate I, Figs 1–8)Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887. Stettin. ent. Ztg 48: 165. Type locality: bei [near] Germob (Tekke) [Turk-menistan].Lectotype, ♂ (Plate I, Figs 1, 2): “Catocala lesbia Chr.”, green label “Germob”, white label “Coll. Gr. Pr. Nikolaj Mikhajlovich” [in Russian], red label “lectotypus Cato-cala lesbia Christ., 1887 design. A. Matov (2007)”.Paralectotype, ♂ (genitalia prepared – Matov 0004 – now in glycerine): green label “Germob”, white label “Coll. Gr. Pr. Nikolaj Mikhajlovich” [in Russian], red label “paralectotypus Catocala lesbia Chr. design. A. Matov”.Paralectotype ♀: green label “Germob”, white label “Coll. Gr. Pr. Nikolaj Mikhajlovich” [in Russian], red label “paralectotypus Catocala lesbia Chr. design. A. Matov”.All type specimens are preserved in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Pe-tersburg.Remark: For fixing the identity of Catocala lesbia, the lectotype was selected by Dr A. Matov (St. Petersburg, Russia) and the above lecto- and paralectotypes designa-tions are published here.additional material: Turkey: 1 ♀ “Türkey, Prov. Van,

10 km N of Catak, 43°05′ E, 38°05′ N, 20-21. VII. 1989, leg: P. Gyulai, M. Hreblay.” “Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 18 Museum Witt” (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.Iran: 1 ♂ Iran, prov. Esfahan 7 km NW of Natanz (to Kashan), Kuh-e-Karkas, 1500 m, 18-19. 10. 2003, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 17 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.2 ♂ 1 ♀ 14a/01 Iran, Khuzestan, Kuh-e-Haft Chesh-meh, 2200-2400 m, 19.-22. VII. 2001, leg. S. Nykl. ♂ Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 03 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit), ♂ Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 04 Museum Witt (Behounek fecit), and ♀ Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 07 Museum Witt (Behounek fecit). Coll. Saldaitis.1 ♂ Iran, Fars, Straße Ardekan-Talochosree, Comèe (Barm i Firus), ca. 3750 m, 5. Juli 1937, coll. Brandt. Zool. Staatssammlungen München.1 ♂ [Iran] Miankotal. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 10 Museum Witt (Speidel fecit). Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.2 ♂ Iran, Prov. Zanjan, Kuh-e Sendan Dag, 20 km E of Zanjan, 1600 m, 30. 06-01. 07. 2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 13 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai, and Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 15 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyer-Ahmad, SE-Zagros, 3000 m, 35 km S E of Yasuj, 2600 m, 23-24.10. 2003, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 14 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Hamedan, Zagros Mts., 25 km SE. of Nehavand, 2000 m, 09. 07. 2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 16 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Mazandaran, Sah Mts, 5 km SW of Razi, 1800 m, 36°51′ N, 55°20′E, 28. x. 2000, leg. B. Benedek & Gy. Fábián. Coll. Lehmann.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Qom: Wesb, 8 km S Fordu, Qom, 2320- 2450 m., leg. Pazuki & Hashemi. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Esfahan: Semirom, 30 km N, 2450 m., 07.viii.1978, leg. Pazuki & Borumand. HMIM. 2 ♂ Iran, Prov. Lorestan: Partche-Kabud, Oschtorankuh, 2800 m., 01-02.viii.1975, leg. Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyerahmad: Kushk, 30 km S Yassuj, 2200 m., 12.vi.1972, leg. Ebert & Pazuki. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyerahmad: Meymand, 5 km N, NW Dena Mountains, 2210 m., 18-20.viii.1976, leg. Pazuki & Borumand. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyerahmad: Sisakht, Yasuj, 2350 m., 13-16.vi.1973, leg. Hashemi & Zairi. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyerahmad: Yasuj- Dogonbadan, 35 km, 2000 m., 10.ix.1991, leg. Ebrahimi & Badii. HMIM.

35New Underwing taxa of the section of Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887

Plate I, Figures 1–8. Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887. 1 – ♂ Lectotype. Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg; 2 – ♂ Labels of lectotype; 3 – ♀ Türkey, Prov. Van, 10 km N of Catak, 43°05′ E, 38°05′ N, 20-21. VII. 1989, leg: P. Gyulai, M. Hreblay; genitalia slide Catocala 18 Museum Witt. Coll. Gyulai; 4 – ♂ Iran, prov. Esfahan 7 km NW of Natanz (to Kashan), Kuh-e-Karkas, 1500 m, 18-19. 10. 2003, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai; genitalia slide Catocala 17 Museum Witt. Coll. Gyulai; 5 – ♂ 14a/01 Iran, Khuzestan/Chaharmahal va Bakhtiyari, Kuh-e-Haft, Cheshmeh, 2200-2400 m, 19.-22. VII. 2001, leg. S. Nykl. Genitalia slide Catocala 04 Museum Witt. Coll. Saldaitis; 6 – ♂ Iran, Fars, Straße Ardekan-Talochosree, Comèe (Barm i Firus), ca. 3750 m, 5. Juli 1937, coll. Brandt. Zool. Staatssammlungen München; 7 – ♂ [Iran] Miankotal. Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin; 8 – ♂ O-Afghanistan, Sarobi 1100 m, 16. x. 1961, leg. G. Ebert, Staatsslg. München. Zool. Staatssammlungen München.


1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari: Zardkuh, 2440 m., 15.viii.1976, leg. Pazuki & Borumand. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Fars: Abshar-e-Margun, Sepidan, 2000 m., 28.ix.1996, leg. Barari, Parchami & Moghad-dam. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Fars: Darab, vii.1967, leg. Montazeri; Dasht-e-Arjan, Kazerun, 1900-1950 m., 13.v.1974, leg. Abai & Pazuki. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, Prov. Fars: Gavkoshak, Kazerun, 21-29.v.1976, leg. Abai M. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Fars: Kamfiruz (Kam-Firuz), Shiraz, 1900 m., 26.vi.1975, leg. Abai M. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, Prov. Fars: Mianjangal, Fasa, 1800 m., 04.vi.2001, leg. Ebrahimi, Mofidi & Osten, HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, Prov. Fars: Nowdan, 110 km Shiraz, 1000 m., 07.vii.1975, leg. Abai M. HMIM.3 ♂ Iran, Prov. Kerman: Dehbakri, Jiroft, 1850 m., 03-04.x.1993, leg. Hashemi & Ebrahimi. HMIM.2 ♂ Iran, Prov. Kerman: Ghanat-e-Marvan, Baft, 2800 m., 22-23.v.1977, leg. Safavi, Pazuki & Abai. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kerman: Mohamadabad, 35 km Jiroft, 03-04.v.1973, leg. Borumand H. HMIM.1 ♂ 2 ♀ Iran, Prov. Kerman: Jiroft, Narab, 900 m., 16.xi.1999, leg. Badii, Barari & Mofidi. HMIM.2 ♀ Iran, Prov. Hormozgan: Jazire-e-Farur, 0- 20 m., 01.v.2002, leg. Ebrahimi, Mofidi & Gilasian. HMIM.3 ♂ 6 ♀Iran, Prov. Hormozgan: Sikhoran, Bandar-e-Abbas, 900 m., 27.xi.1999, leg. Badii, Barari & Mofidi. HMIM.Afghanistan: 1 ♀ O-Afghanistan, Sarobi 1100 m, 16. x. 1961, leg. G. Ebert, Staatsslg. München. Zool. Staatssa-mmlungen München.1 ♂ Afghanistan, Tangi Gharu, ca. 1700 m, 14. 6. 72, leg. Dr. Reshöft. Genitalia slide No ♂ 664 Wolfgang Speidel. Coll. Speidel.1 ♀ Afghanistan e. l., Tangi Gharu, 1700 m, 3. 6. 73, leg. Dr. Reshöft. Coll. Reshöft.1 ♂ Afghanistan, Tangi Gharu, ca. 1700 m, 12. 6. 72, leg. Dr. Reshöft. Coll. Reshöft.Pakistan; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ Pakistan, Baluchistan, Quetta Prov., 67°13′E 30°06′N, Urak Valley, 2000 m, 22. June 1992, lgt. Z. Weidenhoffer. Coll. Speidel.

descrIptIon

Forewing length 39–44 mm, wingspan 81–84 mm.Forewing ground colour yellowish grey, with finely undulated, dark grey ante-, postmedial and subterminal lines; ante- and postmedial lines highlighted by narrow, pale grey borders, except distal border of antemedial line

which is broad; two areas present where ground colour is brighter: one pale grey band situated at distal side of antemedial line and one oblique quadrangular spot in costal region situated at proximal side of postmedial line; the latter quadrangular spot normally rather wide and apparent; lunular, pale grey, encircled reniform spot present.Hindwing delicate pale orange; black median cross-band almost rectangularly angled in anal region; terminal black band interrupted above tornal region, with round orange excision at apex.Underside of forewing pale yellow, with three oblique, broad, black bands; underside of hindwing yellow, paler than upperside, with similar black bands.Male genitalia (Plate II, Figs 1–8): Left valva larger than right one. Left valva with costal margin clearly separated from the rest of valva by stronger sclerotisa-tion. Basis of ampulla rather stout and wide. In standard preparations, ampulla normally in parallel position in respect to axis of valva (Figs 1–7), only exceptionally ampulla flexed and turned anteriorly (Fig. 8) in spite of its broad base.female genitalia (Plate III, Figs 1–3): Antevaginal (lodix) plate deeply cleft, its lobes lingulate, sinus nar-rowly V-shaped, mostly parallel-sided, acute at anterior part; strongly sclerotised, tube-like antrum region well separated from sclerotised ductus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, pear-shaped, with inner end more or less ball-shaped, appearing more or less different according to the degree of inflation; ductus seminalis originating at top of pear-shaped corpus bursae.diagnosis: The ground colour of the forewing is pale grey with a yellowish white irroration in the present species, whereas the irroration in C. editarevayae, which is otherwise hardly separable in superficial ap-pearance, is brownish white. In the male genitalia, the broad base of the ampulla (harpe) (Plate IV, Figs 1–3) is rather intimately fused to the surface of the valva. When the valvae are opened, the ampulla remains in a more parallel position in respect to the axis of the valva in most cases and this situation is similar in Catocala puerperoides, whereas in Catocala editarevayae and C. olgaorlovae, the narrow bases of the ampullae are more flexible, the ampulla receives a more upright posi-tion in respect to the valva-axis due to its membranous fusion to the costa of the valva (Plate IV, Figs 4–6). The female genitalia of Catocala lesbia are very similar to those of C. puerperoides, however the ovipositor end is not so slender as in that species.distribution: Widely distributed from Asia Minor over Turkmenistan, Iran and Afghanistan to Pakistan (Map 1).habitat (Plate V, Figs 3, 4): Found at elevations from


Plate II, Figures 1–8. Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887. 1 – Germob. Paralectotype. Genitalia slide 0004 Matov (in glycerol), Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg; 2 – Iran, Prov. Zanjan, Kuh-e Sendan Dag, 20 km E of Zanjan, 1600 m, 30. 06-01. 07. 2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 13 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 3 – 14a/01 Iran, Khuzestan/Chaharmahal va Bakhtiyari, Kuh-e-Haft, Cheshmeh, 2200-2400 m, 19.-22. VII. 2001, leg. S. Nykl. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 04 Museum Witt München (Behounek fecit). Coll. Saldaitis; 4 – [Iran] Miankotal. Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 10 Museum Witt München (Speidel fecit). Museum für Naturkunde, Berli; 5 – Iran, Prov. Zanjan, Kuh-e Sendan Dag, 20 km E of Zanjan, 1600 m, 30. 06-01. 07. 2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 15 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 6 – Iran, prov. Esfahan 7 km NW of Natanz (to Kashan), Kuh-e-Karkas, 1500 m, 18-19. 10. 2003, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 17 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 7 – Afghanistan, Tangi Gharu, ca. 1700 m, 14. 6. 72, leg. Dr. Reshöft. Genitalia slide No. ♂ 664 Wolfgang Speidel. Coll. Speidel; 8 – 14a/01 Iran, Khuzestan/Chaharmahal va Bakhtiyari, Kuh-e-Haft, Cheshmeh, 2200-2400 m, 19.-22. VII. 2001, leg. S. Nykl. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 03 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Saldaitis.


Plate III, Figures 1–7. 1 – Catocala lesbia lesbia. Türkey, Prov. Van, 10 km N of Catak, 43°05′ E, 38°05′ N, 20-21. VII. 1989, leg: P. Gyulai, M. Hreblay. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 18 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 2 – C. lesbia lesbia. Iran, prov. Kohkiluye va Boyer-Ahmad., SE-Zagros, 3000 m, 35 km SE of Yasuj, 2600 m, 23-24.10. 2003, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 14 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 3 – C. lesbia lesbia. Iran, Prov. Hamedan, Zagros Mts., 25 km SE of Nehavand, 2000 m, 09. 07. 2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 16 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 4 – C. lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. sp. n. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. viii. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 05 Museum Witt München (Behounek fecit). Coll. Saldaitis; 5 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, prov. Lorestan, Oschtorankuh, Gahar Lake, 2350 m., 3.8.1975, Leg. Pazuki. Genitalia preparation No. 480 (Reza Zahiri). Lep. Coll. HMIM; 6 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, prov. Kohkiluye va Boyer-Ahmad., SE-Zagros, 3000 m, Kuh e-Dena, n. Bijan pass, 6 km N of Sisakht, 8.-9.10. 2002, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai“. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 12 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 7 – C. editarevayae Zahiri et al. sp. n. Palaestina, Ostjordansthal 1901. Paratype. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 11 Museum Witt München (Speidel fecit). Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.


Plate IV, Figures 1–6. Ampulla (harpe) forms. 1 – Catocala lesbia (slide 01); 2 – Catocala lesbia (slide 06); 3 – Catocala lesbia (slide 03); 4 – Catocala puerperoides (slide 20); 5 – Catocala editarevayae (slide 655); 6 – Catocala olgaorlovae (slide 663).

1,500 m to 3,750 m according to the labels of specimens. The species is mainly found along creeks and small riv-ers in the mountains where Populus alba L. grows.phenology: The species is on the wing from early May to late November. A long flight period could indicate two

generations, but as all Catocala species are normally monovoltine, it seems more likely that there is a single generation with a comparatively long flight period.Larva (Plate V, Figs 1, 2): Resembles Catocala puer-pera which is the only species in the group of which the

Map 1. Distribution of Catocala lesbia lesbia Christoph, 1887.


Plate V, Figures 1–4. Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887. 1 – Larva, dorsal aspect, feeding on Populus alba. Photo by Reshöft; 2 – Larva, lateral aspect. Photo by Reshöft; 3–4 – Habitat. Afghanistan, Tangi Gharu, ca. 1700 m. Photo by Reshöft.


Plate VI, Figures 1–7. 1 – Catocala lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. sp. n. ♂. Holotype. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. viii. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Coll. Saldaitis; 2 – C. lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. sp. n. ♀. Paratype. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 2.-12. 09. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Coll. Saldaitis; 3 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. ♂. Paratype. Iran, Prov. Mazandaran, C. Elburz Mts., 10 km E of Valiabad, 3200 m, 22-25.07.2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Gabor Ronkay’s collection, Budapest; 4 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. ♂. Holotype. Iran, Prov. Lorestan, Narmian (=Nariman), Oschtorankuh, 2400 m., 04-05.08.1975, Leg,: Pazuki A.” Lep. Coll. of HMIM; 5 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. ♀. Paratype. Iran, prov. Kohkiluye va Boyer-Ahmad., SE-Zagros, 3000 m, Kuh e-Dena, n. Bijan pass, 6 km N of Sisakht, 8.-9.10. 2002, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai“. Genitalia slide Catocala 12 Museum Witt. Coll. Gyulai; 6 – C. editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. ♂. Holotype. Jordanien, Amman Ost, Sahab, 26. 8. 2002, col. Müller. Genitalia slide 655 Wolfgang Speidel. Holotype. Tel Aviv University Collection; 7 – C. editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. ♀. Paratype. Palaestina, Ostjordansthal 1901. Paratype. Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.


larva seems to be known so far. A mature larva is pale brown, with dark brown subdorsal and lateral lines. The head is pale brown with a typical semicircle-shaped, dark brown pattern on each hemisphere found on most Catocala larvae. There is no dilatation in abdominal seg-ment 5. Food-plant in captivity is Populus alba which is also dominant in collecting sites and probably also constitutes a natural food-plant.

Catocala lesbia ssp. fittkaui saldaitis, Kravchenko, spei-del, witt, Junnila, Mooser, reshöft & Müller ssp. n. Recommendation: For the sake of abbreviation, the authorship can be cited as Saldaitis et al.(Plate VI, Figs 1, 2)

Material: Holotype ♂: Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. 08. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 01 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Saldaitis. The holo-type will be deposited in the collection of the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University.Paratypes: 2 ♂ 1 ♀ Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. viii. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. ♂ Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 06 Museum Witt (Behounek fecit) and ♀ Geni-talpräparat Catocala Nr. 05 Museum Witt (Behounek fecit). Coll. Saldaitis.1 ♂ 2 ♀ Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 2.-12. 09. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko.

♂ Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 02 Museum Witt (Ivin-skis fecit). Coll. Saldaitis.

descriptionForewing length 38–40 mm, wingspan 75–80 mm, smaller than the nominate subspecies.Forewing colour constantly differing from that of the nominate subspecies by being darker grey and less yellowish. Some brown immixture in some way gives resemblance to Catocala editarevayae.Male and female genitalia (Plate VII, Figs 1–3; Plate III, Fig. 4): Like in the nominotypical subspecies.diagnosis: The present subspecies can be discriminated from Catocala lesbia lesbia by the grey forewing ground colour hardly irrorated with yellowish grey. A yellowish grey immixture is present and apparent in the nomino-typical subspecies. The grey forewing ground colour is constant in all specimens from Waziristan and not found in other parts of distribution. No other differences to the nominate subspecies were traced.Distribution: Only known from South Waziristan in Pakistan (Map 2).habitat: In contrast to the typical subspecies which flies in a comparatively dry, not monsoonic environ-ment, the present subspecies lives in a monsoonic, more humid climate.etymology: Named in honour of Prof. Fittkau, former director of the Zoological State Collection, Munich and Ph.D. supervisor of the last author of the species.

Map 2. Distribution of Catocala ssp. Saldaitis et al.: Catocala editarevayae Müller et al. , Catocala lesbia fittkaui , Catocala olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. .


Plate VII, Figures 1–7. 1 – Catocala lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. viii. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 01 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Saldaitis; 2 – C. lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 2.-12. 09. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 02 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Saldaitis; 3 – C. lesbia fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. Pakistan, NWFP, S. Waziristan agency, near Tanai vill., 28. 07.-12. viii. 2005, 1500-2500 m, leg. V. Gurko. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 06 Museum Witt München (Behounek fecit). Coll. Saldaitis; 4 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, Prov. Mazandaran, C. Alborz Mts., Mazandaran v., 5 km E of Minac, 2400 m, 23-24. 8. 2000, light trap, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 20 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 5 – C. puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, prov. Azerbayejan-E-Sharqi, 7 km NW of Miyane; 12.-13. 10. 2002. Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 19 Museum Witt München (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai; 6 – C. editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. Jordanien, Amman Ost, Sahab, 26. 8. 2002, col. Müller. Genitalia slide 655 Wolfgang Speidel. Holotype. Tel Aviv University Collection; 7 – C. olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. Israel, central Negev, ‘En Avdat, IX. 2001, Kravchenko & Müller. Genitalia slide No ♂ 663 Wolfgang Speidel. Holotype. Tel Aviv University Collection.


Catocala puerperoides Zahiri, speidel, Kravchenko, witt, Junnila, Mooser, saldaitis, reshöft & Müller sp. n. Recommendation: For the sake of abbreviation, the authorship can be cited as Zahiri et al. (Plate VI, Figs 3–5)

Material: Holotype ♂: “Iran, prov. Lorestan, Narmian (=Nariman), Oschtorankuh, 2400 m., 04-05.08.1975, Leg,: Pazuki A.” HMIM.Paratypes:1 ♂ Iran, Prov. Mazandaran, C. Elburz Mts., 10 km E of Valiabad, 3200 m, 22-25.07.2000, leg. Balázs Benedek. Coll. Gabor Ronkay.1 ♂ Iran, prov. Azerbayejan-E-Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), 7 km NW of Miyane; 12.-13. 10. 2002. Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 19 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.Iran, Prov. Mazandaran, C. Alborz Mts., Mazandaran v., 5 km E of Minac, 2400 m, 23-24. 8. 2000., light trap, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 20 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Kohkiluyeh va Boyer-Ahmad, SE-Zagros, 3000 m, Kuh e-Dena, n. Bijan pass, 6 km N of Sisakht, 8.-9.10. 2002, Leg.: P. Gyulai & A. Garai“. Genitalpräparat Catocala Nr. 12 Museum Witt (Ivinskis fecit). Coll. Gyulai.1 ♂ Iran, Prov. Khuzestan, Baladiyeh, Dezful, 400 m., 01.06.1998, Leg.: Mofidi & Ebrahimi. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Ghalikuh, Aligudarz, 2500 m., 30.06-01.07.1990, Leg.: Hashemi & Ebrahimi. HMIM.1 ♂ 6 ♀ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Gahar Lake, Oschtorankuh, 2350 m., 03.08.1975, Leg.: Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♂ 5 ♀ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Gahar Lake, Oschtorankuh, 2350 m., 31.07.1975, Leg.: Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Kogah, Oschtorankouh, 2350, 29-30.07.1975, Leg.: Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Narmian (=Nariman), Os-chtorankuh, 2400 m., 04-05.08.1975, Leg,: Pazuki A. HMIM.15 ♂ 4 ♀ Iran, prov. Lorestan, Partche-Kabud, Osch-torankuh, 2800 m., 01-02.08.1975, Leg.: Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Tehran, Chehelcheshmeh (Chelchesh-meh), 30 km SW Firuzkuh, 1900 m., 13.08.1998, Leg.: Mofidi & Nazari V. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, prov. Tehran, Fasham, 1450 m., 05.09.1987, Leg.: Hashemi. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran, prov. Tehran, Kamarb, Lavasan, 1940 m., 19.09.1981, Leg.: Pazuki A. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Tehran, Karaj, 30 km N, 11.09.1969, Leg.: Mirzayans & Abai. HMIM.

1 ♂ 2 ♀ Iran, prov. Tehran, Kohneh Bagh, Sijan, Arangeh, Karaj, 2300 m., 11.08.1999, Leg.: Mofidi, Badii & Ebrahimi. HMIM.1 ♀ Iran, prov. Tehran, Rudbar-e Ghasran (Fasham), 2300 m., 13.09.2000, Leg.: Ebrahimi & Mofidi. HMIM.1 ♂ Iran sept.-Prov. Teheran, Elburs Mts. centr., 2260 m, Umg. Savojbolagh, bei [near] Gate Dehh N 36°10′39,6 E 51°02′20,9 LF [at light], 31. vii. 2007, leg. L. Lehmann. Coll. Lehmann.

descriptionForewing length 36–40 mm, wingspan 73–84 mm.Forewing ground colour and lines as in Catocala lesbia. Pale grey distal border of antemedial line very broad; costal pale grey, quadrangular spot situated basally to postmedial line rather narrow; lunular, pale grey, encir-cled reniform spot present.Hindwing delicate pale orange; black median cross-band almost rectangularly angled in anal region; terminal black band interrupted above tornus, not reaching wing-margin; delicate orange marginal area of wing broadens at apex, however round orange excision at apex of termen absent.Underside of forewing pale yellow, with three oblique, broad black bands, underside of hindwing yellow, paler than upperside, with similar black bands.Male genitalia (Plate VII, Figs 4, 5): Very similar to those of Catocala lesbia, with ampulla (harpe) parallel to costa, however slightly more slender and more weakly sclerotised (Plate IV, Fig. 4) than in that species.female genitalia (Plate III, Figs 5, 6): Principally as in Catocala lesbia, but ovipositor more stout than in that species.diagnosis: The pale grey ground colour of Catocala puerperoides is irrorated with yellowish white, not brownish white, scales as in C. editarevayae, but its irroration is similar to that of C. lesbia which is most similar in colouration. In the male genitalia, the ampulla is slightly more slender and more weakly sclerotised than in C. lesbia, but parallel to costa just like in that species. In the female genitalia, the ovipositor end is stouter than in Catocala lesbia. The most important character separating the present species from all other species of the C. lesbia section is the absence of a round orange excision at the apex of the hindwing.distribution: Apparently restricted to more northern parts of Iran, reaching the southernmost distribution in southeastern Zagros, provinces Azerbayejan-e-Sharqi (eastern Azerbaijan), Mazandaran, Tehran, Lorestan, Khuzestan and Kohkiluye va Boyer-Ahmad (Map 3).habitat: The new species occurs in the Zagros and Alborz Mountains which form quite different habitats. In the Zagros Mountains, the vegetation cover is sparse,


especially on hotter, southern slopes, but patches of open forests dominated by oaks (Quercus brantii Lindl.; Q. in-fectoria Oliv.) and junipers (Juniperus spp.) can be found in higher elevations (1,500–2,500 m) of the central and northwestern Zagros Mountains (Plate VIII, Figs 2, 3). The southern parts are the most arid regions of the ranges. Semi-desert oak forests of the Irano-Turanian complex with a few Mediterranean elements, called ‘Zagrosian forests’, cover the outer slopes of the southern and south-western margins of the lowlands. The Alborz Mountains stretch from the borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan towards Turkmenistan. At an elevation of up to 2,500 m above sea level, northern slopes are densely covered with vegetation consisting mainly of broadleaved deciduous and mixed forests dominated by oaks (Quercus spp.) and maples (Acer spp.), occasionally mixed with pines (Pinus spp.) and elms (Ulmus spp.). Deforestation, erosion and overgrazing are evident on southern slopes and in lowland areas (Hangay et al. 2005), consequently the deprivation of trees will threaten the species.Many of the localities where Catocala puerperoides was found are dominated by oaks, so the idea of oak (Quer-cus) being the larval food-plant cannot be excluded. In contrast, Populus is the most likely food-plant of Catocala lesbia in its widespread area.phenology: June, October.etymology: Named in allusion to Catocala puerpera, which shows a similar hindwing-pattern like the present species.

discussion: The present new species is sympatric with Catocala lesbia in the southeastern Zagros Mountains of the Iranian province Kohkiluye va Boyer-Ahmad, and in Lorestan, two Catocala lesbia specimens were found among C. puerperoides and were even recorded on the same night at the same place (prov. Lorestan, Partche-Kabud, Oschtorankuh, Plate VIII, Fig. 4). However, habitat preference seems to be different than that of Catocala lesbia. Both morphotypes were found coexisting and no intermediates occurred anywhere. Therefore, we treat the present taxon as a separate species. This assumption is supported by the fact that the morphology of the male genitalia, the female ovipositor and the pattern of the hindwings show the corresponding character differences and the distribu-tion is coherent.

Catocala editarevayae Müller, Kravchenko, speidel, witt, Junnila, Mooser, saldaitis & reshöft sp. n. Recommendation: For the sake of abbreviation, the authorship can be cited as Müller et al.(Plate VI, Figs 6, 7)

Material: Holotype ♂: Jordanien, Amman Ost, Sahab, 26. 8. 2002, col. Müller. Genitalia slide 655 Wolfgang Speidel. Tel Aviv University Collection.Paratype: 1 ♀ Palaestina, Ostjordansthal 1901. Genital-präparat Catocala Nr. 11 Museum Witt (Speidel fecit). Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.

Map 3. Distribution of Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al.


Plate VIII, Figures 1–4. Habitats of Catocala spp. 1 – Catocala editarevayae Müller et al. Israel, gallery forest of the Jordan River, in large Populus euphratica stands. Photo by V. Kravchenko; 2 – Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, Ko-hkiluyeh & Boyerahmad, Dena Mountains, old road Sisakht. Photo by Zahiri; 3 – Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. Iran, Kohkiluyeh & Boyerahmad, Dena Mountains, vegetation of a slope. Photo by Zahiri; 4 – Iran, Lorestan, Oschtorankuh Gahar Lake. Photo by Olivier Montreuil. Here, Catocala lesbia and C. puerperoides were found together.

1 2

3 4


descriptionForewing length 42 mm (♂ holotype), 40 mm (♀ pa-ratype), wingspan 90 mm (♂ holotype), 87 mm (♀ pa-ratype).Forewing ground colour and lines as in Catocala lesbia, but ground colour grey, with some brown immixture; basal area pale grey by fine irroration of grey ground colour with white scales; pale grey areas in the centre of forewing irrorated with brown (instead of yellow like in C. lesbia); costal quadrangular, pale grey spot inside postmedial line small.Hindwing delicate pale orange; black median cross-band almost rectangularly angled in anal region; terminal black band interrupted above tornus, with round orange excision at apex of termen.Underside of forewing pale yellow, with three oblique, broad, black bands; underside of hindwing yellow, paler than upperside, with similar black bands.Male genitalia (Plate VII, Fig. 6): Like in C. olgaorlo-vae, narrow bases of ampullae more flexible; ampulla (Plate IV, Fig. 4) receives more upright position in preparations due to its membranous fusion to costa of valva; aedeagus slender, curved at each end, base rounded; vesica without clear humps.female genitalia (Plate III, Fig. 7): The female genitalia differ considerably from those of the previous species. Antevaginal (lodix) plate not so deeply cleft, its lobes rounded, truncate, with broad bases, very similar to those of Catocala puerpera, but in that species termi-nally more rounded; sinus V-shaped; tube-like antrum region broader than in C. puerpera, but similarly broad as in C. lesbia; strongly sclerotised, tube-like ostial region well separated from sclerotised ductus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, pear-shaped, with inner end ball-shaped, appearing more or less different only according to the degree of inflation; ductus seminalis originating at top of pear-shaped corpus bursae.diagnosis: It is difficult to separate Catocala edi-tarevayae from C. lesbia with certainty by superficial characters. The new species has a darker grey ground colour of the forewings, which partly show a more saturated brown hue than C. lesbia, with smaller pale grey areas in the centre of the forewing. These pale grey regions are irrorated partly with brown instead of yellow scales present in C. lesbia. In the male genitalia, C. lesbia (Plate II, Figs 1–8, Plate VII, Figs 1–3) has a longer uncus, the ampulla (harpe) is straight and parallel to the costa of the valva in most preparations, whereas it is in a more upright position in C. editarevayae and C. olgaorlovae (Plate VII, Figs 6, 7). The aedeagus is slightly shorter in C. lesbia than in C. editarevayae and C. olgaorlovae. Therefore, the present new species is eventually most closely related to C. olgaorlovae which

is easily separable by superficial characters and has a longer and more slender harpe.distribution: Known only from Jordan; the exact origin of the old specimen from ‘Ostjordansthal’ (eastern Jordan valley) is uncertain, probably the West Bank area (Map 2). The species was also observed in Israel (unfortunately, no reference material was collected) where it is a sylvicolous, riverine, species inhabiting along the gallery forests of the Jordan River, observed only in large Populus euphratica Olivier stands with numerous old trees (S. Yatom’s pers. comm.; Plate VIII, Fig. 1); in Jordan so far found only in the Rift Valley (about 20 km north-west of Amman, 100 m b. s. l.) along a streamlet on the outskirts of a village in a small, but rather old poplar stand.phenology: In Israel so far observed only from early August to mid-September, probably univoltine (see above), in Jordan collected at the end of July.host-plants: Unknown but probably, like the sister species C. lesbia, monophagous on Populus spp.etymology: The species is dedicated to Dr Edita Revay, a passionate lecturer in natural history and medical sciences, for her participation in the Israeli-German Lepidoptera Project and for her dedicated help in extending the trapping network towards the north into Lebanon and Syria.

Catocala olgaorlovae Kravchenko, speidel, witt, Junnila, Mooser, saldaitis, reshöft, ivinskis & Müller sp. n. Recommendation: For the sake of abbreviation, the authorship can be cited as Kravchenko et al. (Plate IX, Figs 1–6)

Material: Holotype ♂: “Israel, central Negev, “En Avdat, IX. 2001, Kravchenko & Müller“ and “genitalia slide No ♂ 663 Wolfgang Speidel“. Tel Aviv University Collection.Paratypes: 1 ♂ “Israel, central Negev, “En Ziq, X.2001, Kravchenko & Müller“. Josef Mooser’s collection, Fre-ising, Germany; 2 males, Egypt, Sinai, Santa Katharina, IX.1974, L. Kinarty, Tel Aviv University Collection.

descriptionForewing length 40–47 mm, wingspan 86–95 mm (the holotype is the largest specimen).Forewing brownish grey, with finely pencilled, pale grey ante-, postmedial and subterminal lines not differing from those of other members of the section; with distinct lunular-oval, pale grey, encircled reniform spot; finely irrorated with white scales especially in basal half of wings.Hindwing delicate orange; black median cross-band almost rectangularly angled in anal region; terminal black band continuous from apex to tornus, with round orange excision at apex of termen.


Underside (Plate IX, Figs 2, 4, 6) of forewing pale yel-low to dull off-white, with three oblique, broad black bands; underside of hindwing yellow, paler than up-perside, with similar black bands.

Male genitalia (Plate VII, Fig. 7): Uncus slender, dis-tally ending, acute; valvae asymmetrical, the right one smaller than the left one; ampulla (harpe) (Plate IV, Fig. 6) slender, long, strongly sclerotised, with narrow

Plate IX, Figures 1–6. 1–2 – Catocala olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. ♂. Israel: central Negev, ‘En Avdat, IX. 2001, V. Kravchenko & G. Müller. Holotype. Tel Aviv University Collection; 3–4 – C. olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. ♂. Israel: central Negev, ‘En Ziq, X.2001. V. Kravchenko & G. Müller. Paratype. Josef Mooser’s collection, Freising; 5–6 – C. olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. ♂. Egypt: Sinai, Santa Katharina, IX.1974, L. Kinarty. Paratype. Tel Aviv University Collection.


base, basally parallel to costa of valva, terminally up-curved towards dorsum, in permanent slide acute at tip (like in Catocala editarevayae), sclerotised apical part, however, more slender and longer than in that species; aedeagus slender, curved at each end, base rounded; vesica without clear humps.female genitalia: Unknown.diagnosis: It is not possible to confuse C. olgaor-lovae with any other species of the section and with the other 14 presently known Israeli Catocala species (Kravchenko et al. 2004, 2007). The new species is much larger than C. lesbia, C. puerperoides and C. edi-tarevayae, with a more intensive deep red colour of the hindwing. The marginal black band is continuous from the apex to the tornus and wider extended towards the termen, leaving only a few orange fringes. The marginal black band in C. lesbia and C. editarevayae is narrower and always interrupted and disjunct in the tornal area. In the male genitalia, C. lesbia (Plate II, Figs 1–8; Plate VII, Figs 1–3) has a longer uncus, the valvae are more equal in size, the ampulla (harpe) (Plate IV, Fig. 3) is straight and parallel to the costa of the valva in most preparations, with a blunt end, the aedeagus is shorter. The male genitalia of C. editarevayae, however, are very similar to those of C. olgaorlovae, but the valvae appear not so strongly asymmetrical. The sclerotised apical part of the ampulla is more slender in C. olgaorlovae than in C. editarevayae.distribution: C. olgaorlovae is known only from the southern Levant where it was collected in two oases of the central Negev, En Avdat and En Ziq, and from the Egyptian central Sinai Peninsula near Santa Katharina. En Avdat and En Ziq are about 10 km apart, while the site in Sinai is about 300 km towards the south. In the future, C. olgaorlovae might also be discovered in oases further east on the Arab Peninsula, especially in Jordan and western Saudi Arabia. The distribution further to the north (Lebanon, Syria) and towards the west (Egypt) seems unlikely (Map 2).habitat (Plate X, Figs 1–5): C. olgaorlovae, like the other members of the lesbia section and the eremic populations of C. puerpera syriaca Schultz, 1909 is an oasis species. In Israel, it has been collected only once in En Avdat and En Ziq, two small oases in the central Negev. ‘En’ in Hebrew means spring and both sites are tributaries of the Nahal Zin which drains parts of the central Negev into the Dead Sea Depression. En Avdat (Figs 3, 4) is located in a deep, narrow canyon of soft white chalk with a small creek, a waterfall and pools. Along the riverbed, inside the gorge, a large grove of Populus euphratica is found. The nearby site En Ziq is much smaller, with less water and only a few poplar trees (Fig. 2).

In the mountains of central Sinai, several small oases and springs are found. C. olgaorlovae was collected nearby in Santa Katharina in a small oasis where an Israeli Field School was operated for several years during the time of the Israeli occupation (Plate X, Fig. 1). Here, Mrs. L. Ki-narty, a student of Tel Aviv University, collected some specimens among poplar trees (Dr A. Freidberg’s pers. comm.). The site has been recently dismantled by the Egyptians and a part of the poplar stand was destroyed. Also, in many of small oases in central Sinai, the number of poplars have dwindled or vanished completely during the past three decades (L. Friedman’s pers. comm.).According to one of the Greek-orthodox monks of Santa Katharina, large Underwings were observed regularly in the garden of the monastery, but during the last decade, they became rare and he does not remember having seen one since 2003. The host plant of C. olgaorlovae is unknown, but probably like the other eremic Catocala species it is monophagous on Populus. At sites where the new species was collected, only P. euphratica is found.phenology: In Israel C. olgaorlovae was observed by the authors only in late September and mid-October. In Egypt, in Sinai, it was found flying from mid-August to September by Mrs. L. Kinarty. It is probably a univoltine summer-autumn species like the other members of the lesbia section.etymology: The species is dedicated to Dr Olga B. Or-lova, a friend and colleague, for her valuable contribu-tions to the Israeli-German Lepidoptera Project and for her scientific achievements in taxonomy and faunal studies of the ancient and present invertebrate fauna of Israel.discussion: C. olgaorlovae is probably an Irano-Turanian relict of the once widespread ancestor which is now separated as individual species of the Catocala lesbia section. Nevertheless, it is easily recognisable and we doubt that it was confused with C. lesbia or C. editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. in the past. Even if this was the case, there are very few records from the Levant which could refer to the present species. We consider it to be highly local and rare.

threat to C. olgaorlovae and possible preservation measuresWithin the Israeli-German Lepidoptera Project, all of the suitable oases with poplar stands (less than a dozen) were extensively sampled by mobile light traps and in most stands, additional permanent light traps were op-erated for several years. In the central Sinai Peninsula, there are about a dozen oases with poplar stands which might be suitable and they were also visited and sampled by the authors. The largest poplar stands in these oases


Plate X, Figures 1–5. Habitats of Catocala olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. 1 – Santa Katharina Monastery, a small cultured oasis in the central Sinai, Egypt; 2 – En Ziq, a small natural oasis in the central Negev, Israel; 3 – En Avdat, a natural oasis, here the upper part of the deep canyon with a large poplar stand; 4 – En Avdat, distal part of the canyon with scattered Tamarix, Atriplex and a few poplar trees; 5 – Populus euphratica trees in the distal part of the En Avdat canyon.

4 5

2

1

3


barely exceed some hundred trees and most consist of a few dozen or less. In Israel, the sites are well protected (Dr R. Ortal’s pers. comm.), but in Sinai many poplar stands were cut for firewood, replaced by agricultural plantations or by ornamental trees and bushes during the last three decades (L. Friedman).It is also worth mentioning that these habitats are small isolated pockets separated by dozens or hundreds of kilometres by hyper-arid deserts without any suitable habitat network which would allow the spread of the species. Thus, we think that it is highly improbable that once the species is lost habitats can be re-colonised.According to the IUCN Red List categories (IUCN, 1996, 1998), C. olgaorlovae must be considered region-ally and world wide ‘critically endangered’. Though it is enough for the inclusion into this category to meet only one of the threat criteria, C. olgaorlovae fulfils almost all of them. The new species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the near future because of the following criteria:- population size is less than 100 females per gen-eration within each of the two known subpopulations (suspected);- drastic reduction of: the total population (suspected),the extent of occurrence (suspected),the area of occupancy (suspected),the habitat quality (projected);- extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than 100 km² including both subpopulations;- area of occupancy is estimated to be less than 10 km²;- population is severely fragmented.The fact that this species is one of the largest and most beautiful insects of the region should make it a national asset of the countries where it is found. C. olgaorlovae will probably survive if proper conservation actions are taken in the near future. The following measures seem appropriate and are suggested:- protecting all sites from which the species is known;- basic research on the ecology of this species and careful monitoring of the existing populations;- collecting females and early stages in the field and establishing breeding colonies for re-colonization programmes;- strengthening existing colonies by planting P. euphra-tica and releasing reared specimens;- establishing colonies in suitable nature reserves and national parks;- arranging suitable habitats in the vicinity or inside nature reserves, national parks and later, possibly, in settlements.

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Alexey Matov (Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg) for his kind indications concerning the type material of Catocala lesbia, and for preparing the genitalia slide of it. Moreover, we heartily thank Dr Laszlo Ronkay and Gabor Ronkay (both from the Hungarian Natural His-tory Museum, Budapest) for their kind and friendly help in many respects, Dr Olga Orlova (Micropaleontological Collection, Zoological Museum, Tel Aviv University) for her help with the plates and the map, Dr Valeria Seplyarsky (Plant Protection and Inspection Service, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel) for dissections, and Dr Amnon Freidberg and Mr. Leonid Friedman (Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University) for their valid contributions in ecology and conservation. Field work was supported by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority (NPA), who provided collecting permits, and especially by Dr Rueven Ortal (Science and Conserva-tion Division) and the staff of NPA regional rangers. The authors also sincerely thank Prof. Dr Gerhard Tarmann from the Tyrolean Provincial Museum (Tiroler Landes-museen Ferdinandeum), Innsbruck, Austria, who sup-plied BIOOFFICE software permits in this study. We are also grateful to Igor Kostjuk (Kiev) who skillfully made most of the photos of adult specimens and to Gottfried Behounek (Grafing near Munich) who allowed access to his collection and helped by dissecting some of the specimens for us. Thanks are also due to Dr Alberto Zilli (Rome) for useful suggestions and to the two referees who improved the manuscript.

references

Christoph, H. 1887. Diagnosen neuer Lepidopteren aus Tekke. Stettiner entomologische Zeitung 48: 162–167.

Goater, B., Ronkay, L. and Fibiger, M. 2003. Noctuidae Europaeae. 10. Catocalinae & Plusiinae. Sorø: Ento-mological Press.

Hangay, G., Nadai, L. and Szekely, K. 2005. Report on Hungarian entomological expeditions to Iran. Folia Historica Naturalia Musei Matraensis 29: 7–18.

Kravchenko, V. D., Müller, G., Orlova, O. B. and Se-plyarsky, V. N. 2004. The Catocalinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Israel. Russian Entomological Journal 13 (3): 1–12

Kravchenko, V. D., Fibiger, M., Hausmann, A. and Mül-ler, G. C. 2007. The Lepidoptera of Israel. 1. Erebidae. Sofia–Moscow: Pensoft.


nAujI CatoCala tAksonAI, prIklAusAntys Ca-toCala lesbia chrIstoph, 1887 (lepIdopterA, noctuIdAe) grupeI

G. C. Müller, V. D. Kravchenko, Th. J. Witt, A. Junnila, J. Mooser, A. Saldaitis, K. Reshöft, P. Ivinskis, R. Zahiri, W. Speidel

sAntrAukA

Pateikiama Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887 sekcijos rūšių grupės revizija. Aprašomos naujos mokslui rūšys: Catocala

olgaorlovae Kravchenko et al. sp. n. iš Izraelio ir Egipto, Catocala editarevayae Müller et al. sp. n. iš Jordanijos ir Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al. sp. n. iš Irano. Taip pat aprašomas naujas Catocala lesbia ssp. fittkaui Saldaitis et al. ssp. n. iš Pakistano (Vaziristano) porūšis. Nurodytas visų rūšių paplitimas ir buveinės. Pirmą kartą aprašytas ir pa-vaizduotas Catocala lesbia vikšras. Catocala olgaorlovae sp. n. rūšiai pateikiami ekologijos ir fenologijos duomenys, įvardijamos grėsmės ir apsaugos galimybės.

Received: 7 December 2007Accepted: 22 February 2008

Documents

New Underwing Taxa of the Section of Catocala Lesbian Christoph, 1887 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)