Butterflies and Skippers in the Dodecanese Islands (Greece): new data and an update on their distribution (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea & Papilionoidea) – Revision of 14.xii.2014

Sylvain Cuvelier & Morten Schneider Mølgaard

Abstract. New data concerning the distribution of the Butterflies and Skippers from the Dodecanese islands (Greece) are included in this synthesis.
Samenvatting. Dagvlinders en Dikkopjes in de Dodekanesos (Griekenland): Nieuwe gegevens en een overzicht betreffende de verspreiding (Lepidoptera: Hesperidioidea & Papilionoidea) - Update van 14.xii.2014.
Nieuwe gegevens betreffende de verspreiding van de Dagvlinders en Dikkopjes in de Dodekanesos zijn opgenomen in deze synthese.
Resumé. Dagsommerfugle på De Dodekanesiske Øer (Grækenland): Nye oplysninger og en opdatering af udbredelsen (Lepidoptera: Hesperidioidea & Papilionoidea) – Opdatering pr. 14.xii.2014.
Key words: Greece – Dodecanese Islands – Papilionoidea – Gegenes pumilio – Pelopidas thrax – Anthocharis cardamines – Euchloe ausonia – Aricia agestis – Favonius quercus – Melitaea syriaca – Pararge aegeria – distribution – faunistics.
Cuvelier S.: Diamantstraat 4, 8900 Ieper, Belgium. sylvain.cuvelier@pandora.be
Mølgaard M.: Gertrud Rasks Vej 86, DK-9210 Aalborg SØ, Denmark. msm2@stofanet.dk

Introduction

Since the review of Cuvelier & Mølgaard (2012) interesting data concerning the distribution of the Butterflies and Skippers in the Dodecanese islands (Fig. 1) have been published and became available to us from communications with colleagues. The original table is updated with this new information (marked with red). Notes are included for all taxa that are involved and provide additional background about these additions and/or changes. The symbols in Table 1 (geographical distribution of the butterflies of the Dodecanese archipelago per island) are explained below.

Fig. 1. Map of Dodecanese islands with adjacent parts of other island archipelagos and Turkey. Legend: A: Astipálea B: Kálimnos C: Kárpathos D: Kásos E: Kastellórizo F: Kos G: Léros H: Nísiros I: Pátmos J: Ródos K: Sími L: Tílos n

Notes

Gegenes pumilio (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
A photograph of a Gegenes from Tílos is figured in Galanos (2014). As there is no evidence at all about the occurrence of Gegenes nostrodamus (Fabricius, 1793) in the Dodecanese islands, we agree that it probably is a G. pumilio. However, without final proof from genitalia dissection, it is included here as data deficient.
Pelopidas thrax (Hübner, 1821)
Based on two photographs (Martin & Russell 2013), Kalymnos is added as the fourth Dodecanese island where P. thrax has been found.
Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758)
Despite intensive surveys, Galanos (oral communication) has been unable to confirm the occurrence of A. cardamines in Ródos that was based for this island on a single doubtful reference. It is therefore adapted from strong evidence to data deficient.
Euchloe ausonia (Hübner, 1804)
Coutsis & Ghavalas (2013) included a note of a single captured specimen, maybe as a migrant from the nearby Turkish coast, near Sími town on 20.iv.1998 by A. Mastorákis. As the species was already documented from nine Dodecanese islands and nearby Turkey it is added as strong evidence.
Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
A. agestis is recorded for the first time on Sími by Coutsis & Ghavalas (2013). The species was known from eight Dodecanese islands and is added as strong evidence.
Cacyreus marshalli (Butler, 1898)
Photographs of fresh C. marshalli from Ródos and Tílos are included in Galanos (2014). These are the two first Dodecanese islands with strong evidence for this taxon.
Favonius quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Despite intensive surveys, Galanos (oral communication) has been unable to confirm the occurrence of F. quercus in Ródos. The occurrence was based for this island on a single reference. As there is no proof from other Dodecanese islands it is adapted from strong evidence to data deficient.
Melitaea syriaca (Rebel, 1905)
Based on differences in male genitalia M. syriaca was recently separated (van Oorschot & Coutsis 2014) from Melitaea trivia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). There are no new data about the distribution.
Pararge aegeria (Liunnaeus, 1758)
Photographs of a single fresh P. aegeria and its habitat in Ródos are included in Galanos (2014). It is clear that P. aegeria is an uncommon taxon in the Dodecanese islands. This is only the third island from where this species was recorded.
Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808) and Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1766)
These two taxa, considered as very doubtful in Cuvelier & Mølgaard (2012), are excluded here. Despite new searches there is no evidence.

Table 1. Geographical distribution of the butterflies (Hesperioidea & Papilionoidea) of the Dodecanese archipelago per island.

Conclusion

From the Dodecanese archipelago 63 species are well documented.
C. marshalli has been included as new for the Dodecanese islands. M. trivia is replaced by M. syriaca based on recent evidence for the Eastern Aegean islands (van Oorschot & Coutsis, 2014).
The available data for two species (P. daphnis and T. ionia) remain data deficient. G. pumilio from Tílos is also considered to be data deficient as firm proof, based on genitalia, is lacking.
Despite intensive surveys, A. cardamines and F. quercus have not been observed in Ródos. The occurrence in Ródos was based on single references for the island. They are changed here to data deficient. The presence of three species (A. apollinus from Ródos, Z. karsandra and C. minimus) remains considered being very doubtful and two species (T. lineola and H. statilinus) were excluded from the updated overview.
Further research on the butterfly distribution in the Dodecanese archipelago is mandatory and will generate new data and might bring further answers concerning species that have been given the status of “data-deficient” or of “very doubtful”.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to J. Coutsis, C. Galanos and W. De Prins for the information and help they provided us while preparing this revision.

References

Coutsis J. & Ghavalas N. 2013. Skippers and butterflies on the Greek island of Sími in early June 2012, and a list of all the skippers and butterflies that have hitherto been recorded from the island (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea). — Phegea 41: 12–16.
Cuvelier S. & Mølgaard M. 2012. Butterflies and Skippers in the Dodecanese Islands (Greece): new data and an update on their distribution (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea & Papilionoidea). — Phegea 40: 66–80.
Galanos C. 2014. First records of Pararge aegeria and Cacyreus marshalli, and a verification of Muschampia proto from the Greek Island of Rhodes. First records of Cacyreus marshalli and Gegenes sp. from the Greek Island of Tilos; Dodecanese Complex S. E. Aegean (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea & Papilionoidea). — Phegea 42: 74-77.
Martin J. & Russell P. 2013. Increasing numbers of records of Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pelopidas thrax (Hübner, 1821) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Danainae; Hesperiidae) in the Eastern Aegean islands. — Entomologist’s Gazette 64: 85-93.
van Oorschot H. & Coutsis J. 2014. The genus Melitaea Fabricius, 1807. Taxonomy and systematics with special reference to the male genitalia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae). — Tshikolovets Publications, Pardubice, 360 p.

Contact Werkgroep Dagvlinders: Sylvain Cuvelier.
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