Zygaena rhadamanthus

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

Zygaena rhadamanthus
Scientific classification
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

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
  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.


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