Pyropteron erodiiphaga Bartsch & Pühringer & Milla & Lingenhöle & Kallies 2021, stat. rev.
Creators: name: Bartsch, Daniel
name: Pühringer, Franz
name: Milla, Liz
name: Lingenhöle, Arthur
name: Kallies, Axel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Sesiidae
Pyropteron
Pyropteron erodiiphaga

description: Pyropteron erodiiphaga (Dumont, 1922) stat. rev.
(Figs 2b, 31–34, 174–176, 183–185, 189, 190)
Chamaesphecia erodiiphaga Dumont, 1922: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 15: 215. Lectotype: ♂, Tunisia, Metlaoui (MNHN).
Špatenka (1992b) classified this taxon as a subspecies of P. affinis, which was followed by Kallies (1999). However, based on distinct differences in the barcode sequence, biology and details of the morphology, we consider both taxa distinct species.
Diagnosis. Very similar to P. affinis, but usually larger and the white lateral patch of the thorax almost absent. Špatenka et al. (1999) state that P. erodiiphaga is generally brighter than P. affinis. The type series of P. erodiiphaga was, however, bred from larvae; thus, these specimens are very fresh and the suffusion of white scales strong. In the specimens collected in the field, the white suffusion is largely lost; therefore, they appear much darker than specimens of the type series. We found only small differences in the genitalia structures of P. affinis and P. erodiiphaga. Males of P. erodiiphaga have the medial gnathos flap simple, large and long, protruding beyond the lateral flaps (typically bifurcate, short and flat in typical P. affinis from Central Europe); the crista sacculi of the valva with distal part more sharply ventrad bent, length ratio of straight part to bent part up to 3:1 (about 2: 1 in typical P. affinis). Females of P. erodiiphaga have the signum of the bursa copulatrix somewhat stronger with distinct centre line (indistinct, without centre line in typical P. affinis).
Barcodes. P. erodiiphaga and P. affinis clearly fall into two separate clusters with an average distance of 4.5%. Within P. erodiiphaga, specimens from Morocco and Tunisia show considerable differences in their barcode sequences of up to 2.1%.
Biology and habitat. In Tunisia, the larvae were found in the fleshy root of Erodium arborescens Willdenow (Geraniaceae) (Dumont 1922, pers. observation Mai). This plant is not present in the localities in Morocco where this species was collected; however, other Erodium species do occur. The development appears to last one year. In Tunisia the species occurs in semi-desert with stands of the hostplant (pers. observation Mai), in Morocco in sunny and stony places in Cedar forests (our own observations).
Distribution. Northern Morocco (Rif Mts and Middle Atlas), Tunisia.
Note. A male specimen listed under P. affinis from a population from Sicily feeding in Helianthemum (Piano de Bataglia, Fig. 182) is indistinguishable from Tunisian P. erodiiphaga. Thus, it cannot be excluded that this population belongs to P. erodiiphaga, which may also utilize Helianthemum as hostplant. A specimen from Malaga identified as P. erodiiphaga by Kallies (1999) is here considered to belong to P. affinis. More material and additional barcoding is needed to clarify the precise distribution of P. erodiiphaga.
Specimens examined. 1♂, Morocco, Moyen Atlas, Col du Zad, 2160 m, 21. VI.2009, leg. FP (CCDB-02112 A12, photo 2009/168-184); 2♂, ibid., 2160–2165 m, 22. VI.2009, leg. FP (photo 2009/278-279); 2♂, ibid., 2150 m, 25. VI.2009, leg. FP (CCDB-02112 A05); 2♂, ibid., 2125 m, 3.VII.2009, leg. FP (CCDB-02112 A06, gen. prep. FP 10/02) (CFP); 1♂, Morocco, Middle Atlas, Col du Zad, 2200m, 7.VIII.1998, leg. RB (CDB); 3♂, 3♀, Morocco, Rif, Ketama, VI.1941, leg. W. Marten (1♂, Bartsch gen. prep. 2019-61) (Fig. 183), (1♀, Bartsch gen. prep. 2019- 59) (Fig. 189) (ZSM); 3♂, 6♀ (1♀, Fig. 176), Tunisia occ., Kasserine W, 28. and 30. V.1981, leg. A. Hofmann & G. Reiss (1♀, Bartsch gen. prep. 2019-57) (Fig. 190), (1♂, gen. prep. Špatenka) (Fig. 185) (ZSM); 1♂, same locality, leg. RB (Bartsch gen. prep. 2013-03) (Fig. 184); 1♂ (Figs 174–175), Tunisia, Djerba, e.l. ex Erodium arborescens, larva X.2014 adult 11.II.2015, leg. Mai (CDB).
description: Published as part of Bartsch, Daniel, Pühringer, Franz, Milla, Liz, Lingenhöle, Arthur & Kallies, Axel, 2021, A molecular phylogeny and revision of the genus Pyropteron Newman, 1832 (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae) reveals unexpected diversity and frequent hostplant switch as a driver of speciation, pp. 1-75 in Zootaxa 4972 (1) on pages 55-56, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4972.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4771798