Scopula beckeraria
Creators: name: Wanke, Dominic
name: Hausmann, Axel
name: Lee, Kyung Min
name: Murillo-Ramos, Leidys
name: Sihvonen, Pasi
name: Rajaei, Hossein
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometridae
Scopula
Scopula beckeraria

description: Scopula beckeraria (Lederer, 1853)   
(Plate 7, Figs 1–6; Plate 16, Fig. 4; Plate 24, Fig. 5; Map 8)  
 Acidalia beckeraria Lederer, 1853. Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 3: 258 (174). Syntypes 1 ♁ 2 ♀ (Sarepta), 2 (Elizabethpol) (MNHU).   
 Acidalia beckeraria assimilaria Prout, 1913. In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4: 62. Holotype ♀ (Central Asia, Ferghana: Alai Mts.) (MNHU). Valid at subspecific rank.   
 Acidalia beckeraria amataria Wehrli, 1927. In Bang-Haas Horae macrolep. Reg. pal. 1: 92. Syntypes 2♁ (central Russia: Sajan Mts., Tunkinsk Weissgebirge SW Irkutsk) (ZFMK). Valid at subspecific rank.   
 Acidalia rebeli Prout, 1913. In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4: 62. Lectotype ♁ (Croatia, Dalmatia, Zadar) (NHMV). Lectotype desiganted by Hausmann (2004). Valid at subspecific rank.   
 Scopula beckeraria hermonicola Hausmann, 1997. Entomofauna 18 (1): 6. Holotype ♁ (Northern Israel: Sede Nehamya) (ZSM, examined). Valid at subspecific rank.   
 Synonymies (for more details on nomenclature see Scoble 1999 and Hausmann 2004): Scopula pseudoafghana Ebert, 1965 (Afghanistan: Bamian).   
For the list of unavailable names, see Hausmann (2004).  
 Material examined: 474 ♁/ ♀ (see appendix).   
 Diagnosis. Wingspan ♁ ♀ 20–28 mm. In Iran S. beckeraria can be confused externally with S. hoerhammeri, and rarely also with S. marginepunctata. Therefore, characters are compared against these two species only. Ground colour (Plate 7, Figs 1–6) beige to darker yellowish-brown (yellowish-brown S. hoerhammeri; dirty grey white S. marginepunctata). Postmedial line well pronounced, medial line diffuse (similar in S. hoerhammeri; diffuse in S. marginepunctata) (see Plate 7, Figs 1–8, 11–15).   
 In the male genitalia 8th sternite basally convex, laterally concave, cerata medium sized (sternite basally convex, right ceras long, left ceras short in S. hoerhammeri; sternite basally shallow, cerata absent in S. marginepunctata) (see Plate 16, Figs 4–5; Plate 17, Fig. 2).   
 In the female genitalia antrum with sub-rectangular sclerite, apically notched (with sub-triangular sclerite, basally notched in S. hoerhammeri; with triangular or half-moon shaped sclerite in S. marginepunctata). Lamella antevaginalis strongly sclerotized, with transverse fold (strongly sclerotized, oval in S. hoerhammeri; with transverse fold in S. marginepunctata) (see Plate 24, Figs 5–6; Plate 25, Fig. 2).   
 Phenology. Usually bivoltine, in Europe with a first generation from mid-May to early July and a second generation from late July to early September (Hausmann 2004). Rarely trivoltine from early April to mid-October (Hausmann 2004). Wiltshire (1943) reported two generations, one in spring and one in autumn and a mid-summer flight in the Iranian province Fars. Investigated specimens in Iran were collected from March to October.   
 Biology. Data for host plants rare. Larva on Taraxacum officinale (Hausmann 2004).   
 Habitat. From 0 m to 200 m in European Russia, to 1500 m in Israel and to 3500 m in Central Asia (Hausmann 2004, Hausmann et al. 2020). Investigated specimens in Iran were collected from 250 m to 3000 m.   
 Distribution. In Europe distributed in Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, southern European Russia and southern Urals (Hausmann 2004). Distributed in Turkey, Levant, Transcaucasus, northwestern India, the central Asian mountains and north western China (Viidalepp 1996; Hausmann 2004; Sihvonen 2005b; Hausmann et al. 2020; Makhov 2023). Widely distributed also in Iran, in the northern, western and southern parts (Map 8). Reported in the literature also for the provinces Ardabil, Fars, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e Shomali, Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Semnan and Tehran (Christoph 1873; Romanoff 1885; Schwingenschuss 1939; Brandt 1939; Brandt 1941; Wiltshire 1941; Sutton 1963; Wiltshire 1966; Barou 1967; Kalali 1976; Viidalepp 1988; Viidalepp 1996; Hausmann 2004; Lehmann & Zahiri 2011).   
 DNA-barcoding. Nearest species: S. harteni Hausmann, 2009 with 4.6 % (see Supplementary Table S1).   
 MAP 8. Distribution patterns of the Scopula species S. beckeraria and S. hoerhammeri in Iran.
description: Published as part of Wanke, Dominic, Hausmann, Axel, Lee, Kyung Min, Murillo-Ramos, Leidys, Sihvonen, Pasi & Rajaei, Hossein, 2023, Systematics and integrative taxonomic revision of the tribe Scopulini Duponchel, 1845 in Iran (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Sterrhinae), pp. 1-96 in Zootaxa 5359 (1) on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5359.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10147920