Zygaena rhadamanthus

Zygaena rhadamanthus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Zygaenidae
Genus:	Zygaena
Species:	Z. rhadamanthus
Binomial name
Zygaena rhadamanthus (Esper, 1789)
Synonyms
Sphinx rhadamanthus Esper, 1789 Zygaena staechadis Boisduval, 1834 Zygaena kiesenwetteri Herrich-Schäffer, 1852 Zygaena algarbiensis Christ, 1889 Zygaena ozureoides Reiss, 1953 Zygaena rhadamanthus cleui Dujardin, 1956 Zygaena rhadamanthus pyrenaea Verity, 1920 Zygaena rhadamanthus boixolsis Aistleitner, 1990

Zygaena rhadamanthus is a species of moth in the Zygaenidae family. It is found in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.[1]

The larvae feed on Onobrychis, Dorycnium pentaphyllum and Lotus species.[2] The species overwinters in the larval stage.

Technical description and variation

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

Z. rhadamanthus Esp. (6g). Forewing strongly transparent, glossy grey, with 6 red spots, the 2., 3., 4. and 5. being edged with black at the proximal and distal sides. Riviera and Catalonia. — cingulata Led. (6h) [ ab. of rhadamanthus] has a red belt. This is a normal form in Spain, while in Liguria only single individuals of it are found among typical specimens. —kiesenwetteri H.-Sch. [Z. rhadamanthus ssp. kiesenwetteri Herrich-Schäffer, 1852] (6h) has quite a different aspect on account of the deep black ground-colour of the forewing and the black hindwing, resembling lavandulae or stoechadis, but the black edges of the spots of the forewing are easily visible on the black ground. — algarbiensis Christ. [Z. rhadamanthus ssp. algarbiensis Christ, 1889] (= roederi Stgr.) (6h), from South Portugal, is similar, but the 6. spot of the forewing is entirely obsolete or only slightly vestigial. — Larva variegated, grey, black, longitudinally striped with white and yellow, with red collar; in April full-grown on Dorycnium. Pupa in a white oval cocoon. The moths in spring till May, frequently sitting on stalks of grass. [3]

Subspecies

• Zygaena rhadamanthus rhadamanthus
• Zygaena rhadamanthus alfacarensis Reiss, 1922
• Zygaena rhadamanthus algarbiensis Christ, 1889
• Zygaena rhadamanthus aragonia Tremewan, 1961 (Spain: provinces of Cuenca and Teruel)
• Zygaena rhadamanthus aurargentea Mazel, 1979 (France: Pyrénées-Orientales, Spain: Barcelona and Girona)
• Zygaena rhadamanthus azurea Burgeff, 1914 (France: départements of Var and Alpes-Maritimes)
• Zygaena rhadamanthus caroniana Reiss, 1965
• Zygaena rhadamanthus gredosica Reiss, 1936
• Zygaena rhadamanthus grisea Oberthur, 1909 (south-eastern and southern-central France: from Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes to Isère, Drôme, Ardèche, Vaucluse, Aveyron, Lot and Lozère)
• Zygaena rhadamanthus guichardi Tremewan, 1991
• Zygaena rhadamanthus isabelae Gonzalo Fidel, 1980
• Zygaena rhadamanthus kiesenwetteri Herrich-Schaffer, 1852
• Zygaena rhadamanthus rasura Agenjo, 1948
• Zygaena rhadamanthus stygia Burgeff, 1914 (east of the River Var in Alpes-Maritimes in France to Imperia in Italy)

References

1. Fauna Europaea^[dead link‍]
2. Schmetterlinge und ihre Ökologie
3. Seitz, A., 1913, in Seitz, Gross-Schmett. Erde 6: 22., The Macrolepidoptera of the Palearctic Fauna 2. Volume: The Palearctic Bombyces & Sphinges. pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.