Butterflies and Skippers in the Dodecanese Islands (Greece): new data and an update on their distribution (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea & Papilionoidea)

2012·7.2 MB·English

by  Sylvain Cuvelier

Butterflies and Skippers in the Dodecanese Islands (Greece): new data
and an update on their distribution (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea &
Papilionoidea)
SylvainCuvelier&MortenSchneiderM0lgaard
Abstract.TheDodecanese,themostsoutherlygroupofGreekislandsintheAegeanSea,coveralargegeographicalarea
andaresituatednearthemainlandofTurkey.Thedistributionofbutterfliesonthe12mainislandsofthearchipelagohasbeen
previouslystudiedbutconsiderablegapsinterritorialandtemporalcoverageremain.Manyspeciesofbutterfliesandskippers
haveadistributionthatshowslowpopulationdensitiesandvariousspeciescouldeasilyhavebeenoverlookedinthepast.In
2011 both authors obtained new data regarding the distribution of different butterfly species and gathered unpublished
observationsfromcolleagues. Doubtfuland/ordata-deficientrecordsareanalysed.AnupdatedoverviewoftheDodecanese
butterflydistributionwithcomparisontotheliteratureisprovided.
Samenvatting.DagvlindersenDikkopjesindeDodekanesos(Griekenland):Nieuwegegevenseneenoverzichtbetreffende
deverspreiding(Lepidoptera:Hesperidioidea&Papilionoidea)
DeDodekanesos,demeestzuidelijkgelegengroepGriekseeilandenindeEgeïscheZee,bestrijkteengrootgeografischgebied
enbevindtzichdichtbijhetTurksevasteland.Deverspreidingvandedagvlindersopdetwaalfbelangrijksteeilandenvande
archipel werdvoorheen al onderzocht maarerblijven belangrijke hiaten interritorialeentemporaledekking. Veel soorten
dagvlindersendikkopjeshebbenereenlagepopulatiedichtheidenverschillendesoortenkondeninhetverledengemakkelijk
over het hoofd gezien zijn. In 2011 vonden de twee auteurs nieuwe gegevens over de verspreiding van verschillende
dagvlindersoorten en verzamelden onuitgegeven observaties van collega's. Twijfelachtige en/of onvoldoende
gedocumenteerde gegevens worden geanalyseerd. Een geactualiseerd overzicht, in vergelijking tot de literatuur over de
verspreidingvandedagvlindersindeDodekanesos,isvoorzien.
Resumé. Dagsommerfugle pa De Dodekanesiske 0er (Graekenland): Nye oplysninger og en opdatering af udbredelsen
(Lepidoptera:Hesperidioidea&Papilionoidea)
DeDodekanesiske0er,densydiigstbeliggendegruppeafgrsskeperiDet/EgaeiskeHav,daekkeretstortgeografiskarealog
liggernaerdettyrkiskefastland. Dagsommerfuglenesudbredelsepade12stprsteafdissepererhidtilblevetstuderet, men
hidtil med betydelige huiler geografisk og tidsmaessigt. Mange dagsommerrfuglearter har en udbredelse med lav
populationstaethed, og adskillige arter har let kunnet blive overset. I 2011 tilvejebragte denne artikels forfattere nye
oplysninger vedrprende forskellige dagsommerfuglearters udbredelse og indsamlede tillige nogle endnu upublicerede
oplysninger fra kolleger. Tvivisomme og/eller manglende oplysninger bliver analyseret. Et opdateret overblik over de
dodekanesiskedagsommerfuglesudbredelsesammenlignetmedlitteraturenbliverpraesenteret.
Keywords: Greece-Dodecanese Islands-Rhopalocera -Spialia orbifer-Carcharodusstauderi-Thymelicuslineola-
Thymelicus hyrax-Pelopidas thrax-Pontia edusa -Colias croceusf. erateformis-Gonepteryxcleopatrafioriimosaic
gynandromorph-Lampidesboeticus-Pseudophilotesvicrama-Glaucopsychealexis-Melitaeatrivia-Hipparchiasenthes
-Hipparchiastatilinus-Hyponephelelupina-Ypthimaasterope-distribution-faunistics.
Cuvelier,S.H.:Diamantstraat4,8900leper,[email protected]
Mpigaard,M.S.:GertrudRasksVej86,DK-9210AalborgS0,Denmark,[email protected]
Introduction missed despitea numberofvisitstospecificislandsand
havehigherrisksofextinctionduetohumanactivity.
The Dodecanese are the most southerly group of Aninterestingpublicationonthebutterflydiversityof
Greek islands in the SE Aegean Sea, lying east of the thewholeAegeanarchipelagogaveagood synthesisfor
Cyclades, westofthecoastofAsia Minorand northeast the Dodecanese islands (Dennis et al. 2000). A model,
ofKriti.Thename"Dodecanese"means"TwelveIslands" using a set of geographical variables, examined the
althoughtherearemorethantwelve.Thesetwelvemain probability of species to be further expected for the
islands are: Astipalea, Kalimnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Aegean islands(Dennisetal. 2001) includingthetwelve
Kasteilórizo (= Megi'sti), Kos, Léros, Nisiros, Patmos, Dodecaneseislands.
Ródos,SimiandTi'los(Fig. 1).Such archipelagosofferan Sincethennewdatahavebeenpublishedbydifferent
interesting pattern of species diversity and are suitable authors (Mpigaard 2002, Coutsis 2005, Coutsis &
for observing evolutionary events (Dennis et al. 2000). Ghavalas 2006, Cuvelier 2009, Anastassiu et al. 2010,
Longterm isolation on islandscan lead to endemism at John et al. 2010, Mpigaard 2010, Coutsis & Anastassiu
speciesorsubspeciesleveland isindicativeofgeological 2011),aswellasa newoverview,withdistributionmaps
or historical events. Relict populations of species also for all butterfly species ofGreece, including the twelve
providecluesforsuchevents. islandsoftheDodecanese(Pamperis2009).Itishowever
Extensivesurveysonthe butterflydistribution inthe clear that there remain big gaps in territorial and
Dodecanese and nearby islands of the Aegean temporal coverage. For future updates collecting of
ArchipelagoplusadjacentTurkeywerecarriedoutinthe voucherspecimensconcerningspeciesconsideredto be
recent past. Many species show low population density newrecordsforislandsisneeded,asthesemightalsobe
asinthe restoftheGreek islands. Speciescan easilybe
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:66
useful for DNA-based identifications and also to Methods
establishinginterrelationshipswithotherpopulations.
During a partly joint field trip from 2.vi.2011 to From 2.vi.2011 to 11.vi.2011 the first author
18.vi.2011 the authors visited different islands in the investigated different localities in Kos, Nisiros, Ti'losand
Dodecanese in order to study the entomological fauna. Karpathos (Table 1). From 12.vi.2011to 18.vi.2011 both
This article is a contribution to increase the knowledge authors investigated various localitiesin Ródosand Simi
onthedistributionoftheRhopaloceraintheDodecanese (Table2). Coordinatesandaltitudesofalt localitieswere
islands and includes additional Information provided by measuredwithaGPS(GarmineTrexLegendC).
different colleagues. Special attention is paid to 16 Unpublished observation data from colleagues who
species with new and/or unpublished data. Literature recently visited the Dodecanese islands, were gathered
was also screened and some comments and/or bybothauthorsandareincludedinthenotesandinthe
additional Information are given on specific records. All updatedoverview(Table3).
observationsfromthefieldtriparepresented (Table1& Available literature was also screened. Every
2) and an updated overview (Table 3) of the butterfly unexpected and/or doubtful record from literature was
distribution in the twelve major Dodecanese islands is doublécheckedandiscommentedupon.
included.
" TUR KEY
i
s
«»ir,
Fig,1.MapofDodecanese
islandswithadjacentpartsof
A HO V otherislandarchipelagosand
^ Turkey.
Legend:
X}..I 7 A:Astipalea
B:Kalimnos
C:Karpathos
D:Kasos
E:Kasteilórizo
i ' F:Kos
G:Léros
H:Nisiros
i I:Patmos
J:Ródos
KRÏTlf K:Simi
L;Tilos
Notesfrom personalobservationsandfrom alsoknownfromTurkishCoastallocalities(Flesselbarthet
colleagues al.1995).
Spialiaorbifer(Hübner,1823).NewtoKarpathos. Carcharodusstauderi(Reverdin,1913)
On 11.vi.2011 the first author collected one worn Recently it was stated thattherewere no published
maleS.orbiferat700mattitudeinaphryganahabitaton recordsofC.stauderi,asfarasknowntotheauthors,for
thewayuptotheKali'Li'mni(summitofKarpathos, 1215 Simi (Coutsis & Anastassiu 2011). They referred to a
m).Otherspeciesseen inthislocalitywereC. croceus, V. specimen, identified by genitalia, collected at 50 m on
atalanta,M.telmessiaandP.icarus. 2.vi.l993byA.Olivier,nowdepositedinthecollectionof
Thespecieswasn'tpredictedforthisisland(Denniset N.Ghavalas,Athens,Greece.Thepresencewashowever
al. 2001) and was till now only known from 4 Greek alreadymentioned before(Dennisetal. 2000)and asA.
islandsofthe Dodecanese, all nearbytheTurkish coast. Olivier is one of the co-authors, it looks probable that
The nearest island is Ródos where the species is quite this was the origin. Confirmation is given by our own
widespread (Olivier 1993, Pamperis 2009). S. orbifer is observations (Table 2) and by T. Friis-Larsen (pers.
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:67
communication) who also observed C. stauderi in the 5.van Leeuwenwrotethat T. lineolawaspresentin low
vicinityofSi'miharbour. numbersinastrongpopulationofT.sylvestris.
Additional Information (email l.ix.2011) was given:
Thymelicushyrax(Lederer,1861).NewtoSimi. butterflies observed only once during a walk from
In the recent Greek distribution maps (Pamperis AgiasostoAsómatoson 16.v.2006andstatinginthislast
2009) there is neither an indication for Si'mi nor is the replynottobe100%certainoftheIdentification.
species mentioned in a very recent article (Coutsis & Also this Information asks for substantiated
Anastassiu2011). c6.onfirmationbeforeitcanbeconsideredthatthespecies
During our stay in Si'mi the first author collected 2 isindeedpresentinLésvos.
males and 4 females of T. hyrax. The single-brooded
species was quite common but at the end ofthe flight Pelopidasthrax(Hübner,1821)
period. Weonlyfound thespeciesin one locality, north During his two stays in Kos from 30.ix.2010 to
ofSimiharbouron14.vi.2011. x.2010 (Walterus & Walterus 2011) and from
Thespecieswaspredictedwith >50%probabilityfor 14.ix.2011 to 21.ix.2011, J. Walterus (pers. comm.)
Simi in a multiple discriminant analysis based on observedthespeciesonthenorthernsideoftheisland:
geographicvariablesbut regarded as uniikelyinthetext - Psah'di, E of Kos town, 1.x.2010: 1 sp.; 3.x.2010: 1
andappendix2(Dennisetal.2001). sp.;5.x.2010:2sp.
The species is known from Ródos (Olivier 1993, -TroülosBeach,1.x.2010:1sp.
Pamperis 2009) and reconfirmed by M. Gascoigne-Pees -BetweenTroülosandZipari,5.x.2010:1sp.
whoobservedworn maleson24.V.2002onMt.Marmari. -Tingaki lagoon, 17.ix.2011: 1 sp.; 20.ix.2011: 1 sp.;
T. hyrax has also been found in some localities of the 21.ix.2011:2sp.
nearbyTurkishcoast(Hesselbarthetal.1995). This confirms the presence of the species in Kos
(Cuvelier2009). Oneofthespecimenscollected in 2011
Thymelicuslineola(Ochsenheimer,1808) by Walterus had not yet fully developed wings, giving
In his observation list, J. Walterus took note of one furthersupporttothefactthatP.thraxisresidentinKos.
specimen T. lineola seen at Tingaki Lagoon, Kos, on
16.vi.2011. This was totally unexpected because this Pontiaedusa(Fabricius,1777).NewtoSi'mi.
species is known only from the Greek mainland The second author observed the species in one
(Pamperis 2009). Both T. sylvestris and T. acteon have locality north of Simi harbour on 14.vi.2011. Analyzing
however been observed in Kos by different the literature, weonlyfound an indication expressed by
entomologists.AlongtheadjacentTurkishcoastT.lineola abluedot(=atleastonerecordfromthebibliography)in
hasnotbeendocumented(Hesselbarthetal.1995). the recent distribution map (Pamperis 2009) but were
More Information was considered mandatory and a not aware of the source of Information. Trying to
photograph ofthe specimen and thetip oftheantenna elucidate this unclear situation, we contacted L.
wererequested. Pamperiswhoreplied:"ForP.edusaDennisEntomologist
Following details were first given by J. Walterus Gazette 52/2001 pages 3-39). My mistake because of
(email 18.viii.2011): "T. lineola in Kos-Tingaki Lagoon: prediction morethan 50%. Blue dot should be replaced
butterfly caught and determined on the spot 100 % by?"
certain lineola, but not taken home - specimen had Thustheobservationofthesecondauthoristhefirst
damaged wings caused by the present dragonflies." for this island and confirms the prediction with >50%
Insisting to know more, precise Information was probability (Dennis et al. 2001). P. edusa is now
requested in order to know exactly how the documented for 10 ofthe 12 islands and is present on
Identification was made. Additional details were again thenearbyTurkishcoast(Hesselbarthetal.1995).
provided (email 19.viii.2011): "Butterfly caught with the
net, antennae: underside black (orange yellow for Colias croceus (Fourcroy, 1785) f. erateformis
sylvestris)." Niculescu,1976
Taking into consideration the actual known On 15.vi.2011, on the Southern side of the Profitis
distribution in Greece and in Turkey, the absence of a Ilias, Ródos Island, and at an altitudeof650 m,thefirst
voucher specimen and the described way of how authorcollectedaworn,lemonyellow,maleColias(Plate
Identification was made, this is considered as very 1:1)thatremindedoftherareobservationsofCcroceus
doubtful and therefore T. lineola is included in the f. erateformis in Cyprus (John et al. 2006). Two typical
updatedoverview(Table3)withaquestionmark. male C. croceus were also collected bythe first author,
Although Lésvos is no part of the Dodecanese flying in the same locality. Another specimen with
archipelagoitisworthmentioningthatthepresenceofT. intermediate colour was also collected by the second
lineolaisalsogiveninaspecieslistforthisAegeanisland: authorinthesamelocalityonthesamedate.
(http://home.zonnet.nl/lesvos/vlinders.htm). In a first ThefinalIdentificationasC.croceusf.erateformis,of
answer (email 31.viii.2011), S. van Leeuwen informed thespecimensinCyprus,wasbasedonthemalegenitalia
that the Identification was done on the spot by Visual (John et al. 2006). Specimens with intermediate wing
inspection ofthe underside ofthe tip ofthe antennae. pattern and/or genitalia have been documented from
Howeveragain no photograph wasavailableforcontrol. localitieswhereC.croceusandC.erateflytogether,what
might be due to hybridization (e.g. Dinca et al. 2011).
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:68
However, identification based on male genitalia is malegenitaliaofthelemonyellowspecimen(Fig.2c)and
reliable when lts morphology is typical of one or the oftwotypicalmales(Fig.2a&2b)fromthesamelocality
otherspeciesand,furthermore, ifin a given geographic and dateweredissected and photographed byV. Dinca.
area only C. croceus is present. As the nearest Thethree preparations indeed showthe expected wide
observations of C. erote are from European Turkey and headofthevalveandtheevenlycurvedposteriorborder
asthisspeciesexpandstothenorth-west ingoodyears, withoutanglethatistypicalforC.croceus.
it is uniikely that it should appear in the Dodecanese.
Thus, typical C. croceus genitalia were expected. The
Fig.2.Lateralviewofmale
genitaliaofColiascroceus
(phallusandleftvaivaremoved
inallcases):a.-TypicalmaleC.
croceus(genit,prep.
1772/Dinca);b.-Typicalmale
C.croceus(genit.prep.
1773/Dinca);c.-C.croceus
formaerateformis(genit.prep.
1774/Dinca).Allspecimens
collectedinRódos,Profitis
Ilias,650m,15.vi.2011(leg.S.
Cuvelier).
Gonepteryxcleopatrafiorii(Turati&Fiori,1930) Thissmall speciesmustbequiteeasilyoverlookedas
On 16.vi.2011, the second authorcollected a mosaic itwasnotrecordedforKosdespitedifferentexplorations
gynandromorph of 6. cleopatra fiorii on the eastern ofthe island summarized in an excellent review article
slopeofMt.Ataviros, 1 km south ofthevillageofAgios (Olivier & De Prins 1996) and only documented later
Isidoros, Ródos. The specimen was found in a typical (Olivier1998).
habitatofthisspecies: phryganawithflowersand rocks. This also seems to be the case for Simi that was
Onehalfoftheuppersideandundersideofthespecimen visited byseveralentomologistsatdifferenttimesofthe
hasanormalmalewingpatternbuttheotherhalfshows yearbutthebutterflywasn'trecorded ina recentarticle
the lightyellowfemaleground colorwith a fewpatches (Coutsis & Anastassiu 2011). There is also no indication
of the deep orange male color on the forewing and forSimiintherecentlypublishedmap(Pamperis2009).
mainlyinthecell(Plate1:2). The second author received info from A. Viborg
Sofar, it isthe onlygynandromorph specimen of 6. concerningtheobservation ofP. vicrama, on 28.v.2011,
cleopatrafiorii known in literature and such specimens abovetheharbourofSimi(pers.comm.).
areobviouslyrare. The occurrence of the species was predicted with
>50% probability (Dennisetal. 2001) and is now known
Lampidesboeticus(Linnaeus,1767) from 11 islands in the Dodecanese. This is in striking
Inarecentarticle,thisspecieswasnotmentionedfor contrastwiththeabsenceofthisspeciesfromthenearby
Simi (Coutsis & Anastassiu 2011) but is given as a Turkish coast (Flesselbarth etal. 1995). This is probably
personalobservation(Pamperis2009). again due to the fact that the species is easily
Near the summit of Vigla, 612 m altitude, M. overlooked.
Gascoigne-Pees also observed L. boeticus on 30.v.2002
(pers. comm.).Thisseemsthefirst record forthe island Glaucopsychealexis(Poda,1761).NewtoNisiros.
as we were informed by L. Pamperis that he found the J.Walterusobserveda male6. alexisandcollecteda
species at Ano Simi on 21.x.2004 at 100-150 m (pers. wornfemaleon 23.vi.2011 in afloweryarea with dense
comm.). vegetation, between Mandraki and Loutra, Nisiros.After
The presence of the species on Simi was predicted determination the worn specimen wasn't however kept
with>50%probability(Dennisetal. 2001).Thespeciesis as voucher specimen. This is in line with a prediction
known from 10 Dodecanese islands and has also been >50%probabilityforNisiros(Dennisetal.2001).Recently
recorded onthenearbyTurkishcoast(Hesselbarth etal. the species has also been documented for Karpathos
1995). (Pamperis2009).Thespecies isnow knownfrom halfof
the Dodecanese islandsand is presentalongthe nearby
Pseudophilotes vicrama (klemming, 1929) New to Turkishcoast.
Simi.
Phegea40(3)01.ix.2012:69
Melitaea trivia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). New M. trivia was predicted for Simi with >50%
toNi'siros. probability. This prediction has recently been confirmed
On23.vi.2011J.Walteruscollectedone,notperfectly (Pamperis2009)byhisobservationon8.v.1993nearSimi
fresh, male specimen in Ni'siros between Mandraki and harbourbetween 50to 200 m (pers. comm.).Additional
Loutra, in an area with bare soil and sparse vegetation. proofscomefromtheobservationsofM.Gascoigne-Pees
Photographs were sent of upper and underside for who collected a fresh male on 30.V.2002 walking from
confirmation. M. trivia was not predicted forthis island the Vigla summit to Simi village. On 4.vi.2002 he again
(Dennis etal. 2001) but is present in different localities sawone male butterflyand found larvae on Verbascum
on the nearby island Kos (Olivier & De Prins 1996, and finally collected a few M. trivia larvae on 6.vi.2002
Pamperis 2009). It basalso been found on theadjacent justbeforereturningtotheU.K.
Turkishcoast(Hesselbarthetal.1995).
Fig.3.Femalegenitaliaof
putativeHipparchiasenthes
collectedonNisiros,terraces
abovePanaglaKyra,650m,
5.vi.2011(leg.S.Cuvelier).a.-
Dorsalviewofsterigma;b.-
Ventralviewofsterigmawith
theventraltrayunfolded;c.-
Themid-dorsalprocess,the
ductusbursaeandthedistal
endofcorpusbursae;d.-The
ductusbursae,thedistalend
ofcorpusbursaeandthe
corpusbursaewiththe2.55
mmlongsigna.Genit.prep.
1775/Dinca.
Hipparchia senthes (Frühstorfer, 1908) New to Is there a Hipparchia population in Nisiros or were
Nisiros. theobservedbutterfliesvagrants?Havingobservedfresh
On 5.vi.2011, at noon, thefirstauthorcollected one butterflies, two malesand onefemale, in the beginning
fresh female of a Hipparchia sp. on terraces above of June, this is suggestive of a resident population but
Panagla Kyra, Nisiros. A thorough search in the locality the butterfly's rarity remains puzzling. The flight wasn't
for more material remained without result. Late in the typicalformigrantbehaviour.
afternoonofthesameday, inaflowerygullyabove Pali, Thefemalewassetand uppersideand undersideare
a male Hipparchia was observed but couldn't be shown (Plate 1: 3). Before cutting the abdomen for
collectedasitfiewawayoverastonyridge.On7.vi.2011 genitalia examination, a photograph was taken to
searching again near Panagia Kyra, another male document the absence or presence of a sphragis. No
Hipparchiaescaped,flyingoutofviewovertheterraces. sphragis was visible and the hairs on the abdomen
Thespeciesseemsveryrare. looked very well preserved, suggesting that this female
There has never been a record ofa Hipparchiafrom had not copulated. Subsequently the female genitalia
Nisyros as far as known. On the neighbouring island of were dissected and photographed by V. Dinca (Fig. 3a,
KosonlyHipparchiasenthesIsknown(Olivier&DePrins 3b, 3c, 3d). No sphragis and no spermatophore were
1996, Dennis etal. 2000). Additionally, both H. senthes found during the dissection confirming the visual
and H. mersina (Staudinger, 1871) are present on the inspectiononthespotofthisfemalespecimen.
nearby Turkish coast (Hesselbarth et al. 1995). H. Thedescriptionsbelowaredoneincomparisontothe
mersina is also present in two other Aegean islands: textand illustrationsprovided byCoutsis(1984)andthe
Lésvos and Samos (Dennis etal. 2000, Pamperis 2009). terminology of female genitalia parts follows the same
Hipparchiapellucida seems very rare in western Turkey publication. Sincethefemalegenitalia ofH. christenseni
(Hesselbarth et al. 1995) and is also present in Lésvos havenotbeenillustratedbyCoutsis(1984),thespecimen
and Ikaria (Dennis et al. 2000, Pamperis 2009), while fromNisiroswascomparedtotheillustrationandtexton
Hipparchia christenseni Kudrna, 1977 is endemic to thefemalegenitalia in the publication ofRiemis (1986).
Karpathos (Kudrna 1977, Pamperis 2009). The presence However, we have now been informed (Coutsis, pers.
of H. mersina is predicted with >50% probability for comm.)thatthefemalegenitalia ofH. christensenihave
Nisiros(Dennisetal.2001). recently been checked and proved to be identical to
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:70
thoseofH. volgensis (Mazochin-Porshnjakov, 1952) and nearby Turkish coast (Flesselbarth et al. 1995). In a
H. pellucida (Stauder, 1923), while being quite different recent article H. Iupina was not mentioned by the
fromthoseofH.senthes. authors in their observation list or in the list of missed
Thedorsal lamellae ofthesterigma aresmallerthan speciesduringtheirvisit(Coutsis&Anastassiu2011).
in H. mersino and H. pellucida, and closer in size to H. Flowever, an indication of its presence on the island
senthes(Fig.3a,3b).Themid-dorsal process(Fig.3a, 3b, (red dot) is given by Pamperis (2009) on a distribution
3c) is shorter and wider than in H. pellucida and H. map. This isa personal observation from L. Pamperis in
christenseni, butdisplays rather intermediatecharacters the area of Si'mi harbour on 8.v.2003 between 50 to
betweenH.mersinaandH.senthes.Itisshortanditdoes 300m(pers.comm.).
not reach the halfofthe dorsal lamellae (similarlyto H. We receivedadditionalevidencefrom M. Gascoigne-
senthes), but it has a less wide base than in H. senthes Peeswhoobserved4malesandthreefemalesnearVigla,
andfromthispointofviewremindsmoreofH.mersina. the summit ofSi'mi, on 30.v.2002 and this is in factthe
Theductusbursae(Fig. 3a, 3c,3d)remindsoftheonein earliestobservationofH.Iupinaknowntous.Thespecies
H.senthes. Itislongerthan in H.pellucidaandthebend is present in only three islands of the Dodecanese
of the ductus bursae is prominent and well-detached archipelago.
from the distal end of the corpus bursae (uniike H.
mersina, where the bend is rather compressed against Ypthimaasterope(Klug,1832)
thedistalendofthecorpusbursae). Y. asteropeisprimarilyfound in large partsofAfrica,
Thecorpusbursae (Fig. 3d) islargeand has2.55 mm Coastal regions of the Middle East, the Southern
long signa, which correspond to H. senthes (just above MediterraneanCoastalregionsofTurkey,reachesCyprus
2.5 mm length) and are longer than in H. christenseni and is rarelyencountered in some nearby islandsofthe
(about 2 mm length according to the illustrations of AegeanSea (Johnetal. 2010). Itisasedentarybutterfly,
Riemis [1986]), H.pellucida(slightlyunder2 mm length) thus suggesting that the species reached the
andH.mersina(about1.5mmlength). Mediterranean through the mountains east of the Red
Taking into account all above-mentioned characters, Sea (Olivier 1993) and that some Aegean islands were
we tentatively assign the examined specimen to H. colonized from Turkey without developing a subspecies
senthes.Flowever,sinceonlyonespecimenwasavailable in the Mediterranean. Other authors consider that the
and the taxonomy of the Hipparchia group is not fully originofY.asteropeinthisareaisfromanorthwardshift
resolved, additional studies are necessary to confirm of the Afrotropical biome during a warm interglacial.
theseresults. After having adapted to different, local conditions, the
species has been ableto survive until today (John etal.
Hipparchiastatilinus(Hufnagel,1766) 2010).
J. Walterus mentioned two H. statilinus observed For Greece, the species was reported for the first
betweenTroülosandZipari, Kos.Thefirstspecimenwas time from Simi after a visit in April 1973 (Koutsaftikis
observedon 3.x.2010,thesecond on 5.x.2010(Walterus 1974). On 16.iv.l990, 4 very fresh males were again
& Walterus 2011). H. statilinus is known only from the collected(Olivier1991).Thereisfurtherconfirmationfor
Greek mainland (Pamperis 2009) and has not been Simi(Pamperis2009).
documented from the adjacent Turkish coast The next publications mentioning this species in
(Flesselbarth et al. 1995). The rather similar Hipparchia Europe postulated a new endemic subspecies, Y.
fatua (Freyer, 1844) is known as well from Kos asfrom asterope marlenii Kattulas & Koutsaftikis (Kouftsaftikis
thenearbyTurkishcoast. 1977, Kattulas & Koutsaftikis 1977) from Kasteilórizo.
More details (email 18.viii.2011) were given: Afterexamination ofextensivematerialfromthisisland,
"Concerning 2010: certainly statilinus not fatua, both collectedon17-18.iv.1990,itwashoweverconsideredto
specimens determined with my grandfather - 100 % closelyresemblethenominotypical Y. asteropeandsunk
certainstatilinus." in synonymy (Olivier 1990). Further confirmation of its
A more detailed answer on how the identification presenceinKasteilórizoisprovided(Pamperis2009).
wasmadewasgiventhenextday(email19.viii.2011):"H Subsequently, in May 1976, a male specimen was
statilinus observed from a distance. Identification: captured in Samos by an ornithologist (John 2010) and
uppersideforewings:whitespotsinc3andc4,underside was given to J. Asselbergs who reported it (Asselbergs
hindwing: clearly and striking white band in postdiscal 1978). This isthe most westerlyAegean island in which
area." the species has been recorded and also the
The lack of a voucher specimen and the way the northernmostlimitofitsrange.
identification was made leaves clear doubts. Confusion Thespecieswasalsofound ontheSEcoastofRódos
with H. fatua cannot be excluded at all. Therefore H. (van der Poorten 1985). From Ist to 8th June 1984 he
statilinusisincludedwithaquestionmarkintheupdated founddifferentspecimensatonlyafewmetersfromthe
OverView(Table3). sea. In his article he States to have found later, in the
Zoölogisch MuseumofAmsterdam,two malespecimens
Hyponepheleiupina(Costa,1836) originating also from this island and collected on
For a long time the species was not known for Si'mi 16.vi.1970 by A. C. & W. N. Ellis. These are the first
(Dennisetal.2000)anditwasnotevenpredictedforthis known records of Y. asterope for Europe. Further
island(Dennisetal.2001).Italsoseemsquiterareonthe documented records (Olivier 1993) are: Ündos
Phegea40(3)01.ix.2012:71
(Nekrópolis), 20.x.1971; Kolymbia, 26.iv.1986; 1 km. S. Notesontheliteraturesurvey
Lindos(0-50m),28.v.1989;Mt.Marmari,3kmW.Li'ndos
(100-250m),4.vi.1990. Archonapollinus(Herbst,1798)
M. Gascoigne-Pees gave us detailed information A. apollinusiswell documentedforthe island ofKos
concerning an additional observation on 8.vi.l990 at but the situation for Ródos is not clear. The existing
Lindos (pers. comm.). Visitingthe same locality back on records concern a brief and debatable description of
24.V.2002, M. Gascoigne-Pees (pers. comm.) was not caterpillars, observed at the end of March, by Hofrat
able to find the species again. From Ródos further Martin (Rebel 1916, 1924); a mention of encountering
confirmationisgiven(Pamperis2009). this species in Ródos, without precise locality and date
During the morning of 12.vi.2011 the authors first wasmadebyPierron (1978).Thesedatawerecopied by
visitedtheexactlocality(preciseinformationkindlygiven different authors (Olivier 1993, Tolman & Lewington
byM.Gascoigne-Pees)on Mt. Marmariwithoutanysign 1997,Dennisetal.2000,Pamperis2009).Thenthereisa
ofthisspecies.Theareawasverydryandovergrazed by record from the mountain Profitis Ilias in north-central
goatsandtherewerealmostnograssestobeseen.Only Ródos: "Mt. Profitis Ilias ... False Apollos [the English
twobutterflieswereseenduringourvisit(Table1,week name ofA. apollinus, red.] can befound occasionally..."
1, locality3).Asecond and largerarea (Table 1,week2, (Gibbons2003).
locality 4) with different orientation of the slopes Recently the conclusion was however drawn that
possiblyofferingbetteropportunitieswasalsoexplored. confirmationoftheserecordsisdesirableand necessary
The flora was fresher but overgrazing was again a real (Coutsis&Ghavalas2006) becausethe presentdata are
problem and only few butterflies were observed. Here not reliable enough and because no other published
toowewerenotabletofindT.asterope. record exists despite collecting, at the appropriate
In 2009 Torben Friis-Larsen informed the second moment, by different lepidopterists. The occurrence of
authorabouthisobservation of6 Y. asteropejustabove A. apollinus for Ródos is therefore considered as very
Simi harbour on 12.vi.2009 flying together with C. doubtful and included with a question mark in the
stauderi.On28.v.2011ArneViborgalsoobservedafresh updatedoverview(Table3).
maleaboveSi'miharbour(pers.communication).
2. From 13.vi.2011 to 14.vi.2011 we visited Si'mi and Satyriumspini(Denis&Schiffermüller,1775)
found different areas north of Si'mi harbour where Y. This species has only recently been documented for
asterope was common (Plate 1: 4, 5). The butterflies the first time from the Dodecanese archipelago by a
werefound inasteepdrygullyandinlowerareasofdry photograph ofa specimen seen inone localityat200 m
rockyhills.Inalllocalitieswhereweobserved Y.asterope in Kasteilórizoon2.vi.l991 (Pamperis2009). L. Pamperis
long grasses (Poaceae) were abundant (Plate 1: 6). In observed several individualsofS.spini,forthefirsttime
typicalphryganawedidn'tobservethespeciesatall.We on l.vi.1991, in the same locality (pers. comm.). The
also travelled across Simi towards the south, east and legend underthe photograph States that the habitus is
west coast, but we did not see the species elsewhere, slightly different from specimens in Continental Greece:
neitherdidweseesuitablehabitats. lighter colour on the wings and white line on the
Duringthetrip we sawthat thecoastline ofTurkey, underside ofthe hindwings accompanied by a pale line
Similyingiessthan5kmfromit,wasoftenveryclouded internally (Pamperis 2009). S. spini is known from the
and regular rain was observed. It is interesting to note nearby Turkish coast (Hesselbarth et al. 1995) and its
that M. Gascoigne-Pees (pers. comm.) was not able to occurrence in Kasteilórizo is not unexpected despitethe
find Y. asterope from 26.v.2002 to 31.V.2002 and from factthatitspresencefortheDodecaneseislandswasnot
vi.2002 to 4.vi.2002 on Simi and stating "...but I was predicted(Dennisetal.2001).
evidentlytoolateforY.asterope..."
All thesedata confirm thatthespecies most likely is Lycaenathetis(Klug,1834)
quiteopportunisticinadaptingthenumberandtimingof A photograph of a male specimen ofthis species is
broods to prevailing climatic conditions (John et al. mentioning Nisirosand bearsthefollowinglabel: "ilede
2010).Wealsohavetheimpressionthatitisbesttolook Ni'syros,MtElias,VII"(Darcemont&Legakis2010).
forthe butterfly in the morning hoursas it hides under This is an unexpected record. Like often in Greece
stonesand bushesduringthewarmest hoursoftheday thereisindeedamountainwiththenameProfitisIliason
(Hesselbarth et al. 1995, John et al. 2010). In optimal theislandofNisirosbutthissummitoftheisland isonly
conditions it seems that Y. asterope can have three 698m high. ItisveryuniikelyintheS. E.Aegean,andat
generations in the Aegean islands: the first with a such a low altitude, that the typical habitat and the
maximum in the second halfofApril, the second in the butterfly'slarvalhostplantwouldbepresent.
middle of June and the third from September until Thisverystrange information wasalso mentionedto
October. usbyL.Pamperis(pers.comm.)whohadbeenincontact
Opposed to the recent statement of no threat withthefirstauthorandwhotold himthatthedatafor
(Pamperis 2009) we have seen that recent urbanization L. thetisarefroma Frenchcolleague(SergePeslier)with
Works drastically decreased one ofthe natural habitats a label: L thetis: Mt. Elias 29-VII-2001, Hager leg. L.
near Simi harbour and another potential threat is Pamperis suspectsthatthe specimen was probablysold
overgrazing from the many sheep and goats on the by Hager to Peslier and mislabeled for Nisiros but in
island.
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:72
reality collected on Profitis Ilias in Óros Taygetos (pers. literature (Olivier 1986, Tolman & Lewington 1997,
comm.). Pamperis 2009). In a synthesis ofthe butterflies of Kos,
Weconsiderthatthere istoo much doubtaboutthe the presence ofC. minimus was howeverconsidered as
occurrenceofL.thetisonthisislandanddonotincludeit veryuniikely(Olivier& De Prins 1996) and aftercontact
intheupdatedoverview(Table3). with G. Thomson, A. Olivier & De Prins did not include
this species in the list for Kos because no voucher
Zizeeriakarsandra(Moore,1865) specimen was available. Subsequently this species was
Z. karsandra has been observed once, May 1958, in not included as well in the list of recorded butterflies
Ródos (Bender 1963) and has never been confirmed (Dennisetal.2000)orinthepredictionmodel(Denniset
since then. This observation has been copied in some al.2001)forthewholeAegeanarchipelago,omittingalso
publications (Bretherton 1966, Bernardi 1971). In other thearticlewiththeoriginalrecord(Thomson1985)inthe
publications Z. karsandra was not mentioned and/or references.
included, due to the lack of evidence (Olivier 1993, C. minimus is not known from the nearby Turkish
Hesselbarth et al. 1995, Tolman & Lewington 1997, coast (Hesselbarth et al. 1995), this being unfavourable
Dennisetal. 2000, and 2001, Makris2003).There is no forthe butterfly's potential presence inthe Dodecanese
predictionforZ.karsandrabecausefortheentireAegean archipelago.
islandssufficiëntmaterialwaslackingtoincludeitinthe As C. minimus flies in Scotland, it can be suspected
statisticalmodel(Dennisetal.2001). thatG.Thomsonwasfamiliarwiththisspecies. Duringa
Typical habitats are damp lowland places in hot recent exchangeofemailson thissubject, heconfirmed
gullies and river beds with local but often strong againnottohavetakenanyspecimensmentioning:"Idid
populations. In a single locality Z. karsandra can be catch them, however, sothat they could be identified."
common especially in summer and autumn but such a Details on the exact locality were asked by the first
small butterfly can easily be overlooked as it flies very author (email 3.ix.2011) and a map was provided by G.
close to the ground (5-10 cm). Hatching might be Thomson (email 17.ix.2011) mentioning: "...but this is
influenced by local precipitations especially from early from memory and it was quite a long time ago. I do
summertothestartoftheautumn, makingitdifficultto remembergoingthroughanothervillageaftergoingwest
predictwhenchancesarebesttolookforit. of Kos town. I was walking so wouldn't have gone very
The butterfly is not present on the adjacentTurkish far."
coast (Hesselbarth etal. 1995) and this is an important The map points towards the global area south of
indication that its presence in Ródos is not to be Platani,SouthwestofKostown.Theareastill looksgood
automaticallyextrapolated. onGoogleEarth.AsearchforC.minimussouthofPlatani
Z. karsandra is common and widespread in Cyprus ismandatorytosolvethisissue.
(Makris2003)andalsopresentinsouth-easternAnatolia, ThesituationhassomeparallelswiththerecordofZ.
Turkey(Hesselbarthetal.1995). karsandrafor Ródosand isconsidered asverydoubtful.
Very controversial is the situation for Kn'ti and the C. minimusisincluded intheupdatedoverview(Table3)
existenceofthisspeciesin Greeceiseven mentionedas withaquestionmark.
highiyimprobable(Anastassiuetal.2010).Thisimpliesas
well that the authors do not expect the presence ofZ. Polyommatusdaphnis(Denis&Schiffermüller,1775)
karsandra in Ródos. Several photographs however have P. daphnis has been mentioned for Si'mi (Tolman &
been published, clearly showing Z. karsandra with the Lewington 1997,Tolman2001).Theindication (bluedot)
following legend: CRE, Chania, Om, 28.x.1994 (Pamperis onarecentdistributionmapinPamperis(2009)refersto
1997 & Pamperis 2009). In 2010, L. Pamperis again the citation byTolman (Pamperis, pers. comm.). During
observedandphotographedZ.karsandra,westofChania ourstayontheisland wedid notseeanylocalitywitha
on 5.xi.2010(email 10.xi.2011). This is clearly laterthan potential habitat for this species. Preparing this article
thededicated search, attheend ofSeptember2009, by wesearchedforspecificdetails. Differentattemptswere
H. Anastassiu investigating many potential habitats all made to contact directly the author and indirectly
over Kn'ti (Anastassiu etal. 2010). Confirmation from an through the publisher. All attempts failed. We also
independent source is needed to put an end to this contacted J. Coutsis who mentioned (email 16.x.2011)
controversy. that he knew no potential habitat on Si'mi and had
ForRódosthereistheclearneedforconfirmation. It seriousdoubts aboutthe presence ofP. daphnis on the
isconsidered here as very doubtful and included in the islandofSi'mi.
updatedoverview(Table3)withaquestionmark. The species has not been documented from the
nearby Turkish coast (Hesselbarth et al. 1995) but is
Cupidominimus(Fuessly,1775) showingascattereddistributiontowardstheeast.
C. minimus has been recorded once on 30.v.1983 Despite the fact that P. daphnis is documented for
from Kos with the following statement: "west of Kos Samos,wheresuitablehabitatsarepresent,weconsider
town. Locally common in grassy valley. Found in the occurrence of P. daphnis as very doubtful for the
mainland Greece but new to Dodecanes" (Thomson Dodecanese archipelago and include the species in the
1985). updatedoverview(Table3)withaquestionmark.
Thisistheonlytimethespecieshasbeen mentioned
forallAegeanislands.Thisobservationwastakenoverin
Phegea40(3)01.ix.2012:73
Table1.Visitedlocalitiesbytheauthors(numbersrefertothelocalitiesinTable2).
Period1-N° Date Location Island Altitude[m]
1 2.vi.2011 PaleaPyliFortress Kos 332
2 3.vi.2011 AgiosFokas Kos 30
3 3.vi.2011 Psalidi Kos 54
4 3.vi.2011 PaleaPyliFortress Kos 332
5 4.vi.2011 Mt.Dikeos,neartop Kos 778
6 4.vi.2011 ZiéabovevillagetoMt.Dikeos Kos 683
7 4.vi.2011 AgiosFokas Kos 30
8 5.vi.2011 AbovePanagiaKyraterraces Nisiros 405
9 5.vi.2011 PachiaAmmosBeach Nisiros 0
10 5.vi.2011 NikiaProfitisIliasabovevillage Nisiros 473
11 5.vi.2011 0,5kmSEPali Nisiros 78
12 6.vi.2011 Mandrakihotel,Romantziharbour Nisiros 12
13 6.vi.2011 MandrakiPaleókastro Nisiros 101
14 6.vi.2011 0,5kmSEPali Nisiros 78
15 7.vi.2011 AbovePanagiaKyraterraces Nisiros 405
16 7.vi.2011 0,5kmSEPali Nisiros 78
1178 77..vvii..22001111 710k0mmSWEPoafliLivadia TNiilsoisros 29047
19 8.vi.2011 1kmSofLivadia Tilos 90
20 8.vi.2011 2kmSofLivadia Tilos 214
21 9.vi.2011 Lefkós Karpathos 157
22 10.vi.2011 Lefkós Karpathos 157
23 10.vi.2011 Karpathostown Karpathos 204
24 11.vi.2011 Lefkós Karpathos 157
25 11.vi.2011 Pylésvillage Karpathos 325
26 11.vi.2011 Óthosvillage Karpathos 500
27 11.vi.2011 Apérivillage Karpathos 290
28 11.vi.2011 KaliLimni Karpathos 706
Period2-N°
1 11.vi.2011 FlotelSabina,Theologes Ródos 4
2 12.vi.2011 FlotelSabina,Theologes Ródos 4
3 12.vi.2011 Mt.Marmari,2kmWSWofLindes Ródos 102
4 12.vi.2011 Mt.Marmari,3kmWNWofLindes Ródos 150
5 12.vi.2011 AgiosIsidoros;valleynearchapel Ródos 502-545
6 12.vi.2011 ProfitisIlias;nearchapelandhotel Ródos 635
7 12.vi.2011 ProfitisIlias;easternsideoverthetop Ródos 380
8 13.vi.2011 JustaboveSimiharbour Simi 47
9 14.vi.2011 JustaboveSimiharbour Simi 47
10 14.vi.2011 1kmNWofSimiharbour Simi 19
11 14.vi.2011 Emboriós Simi 32
12 15.vi.2011 ProfitisIlias;pathonSouthernside Ródos 650
13 15.vi.2011 10kmNEofAgiosIsidoros Ródos 301
14 15.vi.2011 6kmNofAgiosIsidoros Ródos 370
15 15.vi.2011 4kmNEofAgiosIsidoros Ródos 451
16 15.vi.2011 Émbonas Ródos 432
17 16.vi.2011 4kmNEofAgiosIsidoros Ródos 451
18 16.vi.2011 AgiosIsidoros;valleynearchapel Ródos 545
19 17.vi.2011 Mt.Ataviros;justundersummit Ródos 1037
20 17.vi.2011 Mt.Ataviros;summit Ródos 1194
21 17.vi.2011 Mt.Ataviros;highestobs.ofH.syriaca Ródos 1044
22 17.vi.2011 Mt.Ataviros;edgeofforest Ródos 590
23 17.vi.2011 SofKattavianearPlimmiri Ródos 0
24 18.vi.2011 10kmNEofAgiosIsidoros Ródos 301
25 18.vi.2011 ProfitisIlias;westernside Ródos 351
26 18.vi.2011 Petaloüdes Ródos 120
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:74
Table2.Butterflyspeciesobservedbytheauthors(localitiesrefertoTable1).
Species Localitiesperiod1 Localitiesperiod2
Papiliomachaon 10,12,13,14,23,25 -
Iphiclidespodalirius 14,19 -
Pierisbrassicae 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,17,18 1,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,16,17,18,22,24,25
Pierisrapae 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,17 8,9,10.12,18
Pontiaedusa 9,14,17 10,17,18,24
Coliascroceus 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,18,26,28 4.5,6,7,12,13,17,18,20,22,25
Gonepteryxcleopatra 22,26 5,12.13,16,17,18,24,25,26
Satyriumilicis 6,8,10,14,15 8,9
Lycaenaphiaeas 2,3,6,8,10,11,13,14,16,17,19,21,22 3,4,5,6,7,8,9.10,17,20,22,24
Leptotespirithous 2,8,24 -
Lampidesboeticus 13,14,22 -
Pseudophilotesvicrama 2,3,4,14,15,18,22 -
Plebeiusloewii 2,7,18.19,20 5,13,18,22
Polyommatusicarus 1,3,4,21,28 1,7,12,13,22,23
Charaxesjasius - 5,12,17,18,26
LImenitisreducta - 16
Vanessaatalanta 1,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,28 -
Vanessacardui 2,5,7,10,16 5,8,9,10
Polygoniaegea 4,10,11,27 -
Hipparchiasyriaca - 5.6,13,14,15,16,17,18,21,22
Hipparchiasenthes 8,11,15
Hipparchiachristenseni 21,22,24
Hipparchiafatua 12.18 8,9,10
Pseudochazaraanthelea 5 5,18,19
Maniolatelmessia 1,2,3,4,6,7,18,19,20,21,22,24,28 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,22,24,26
Maniolahalicarnassus 8,10,11,12,13.14,15,16,17 -
Ypthimaasterope - 8,9,10
Laslommatamegera 1,3.5,7,13,14,22 8,9,10
Lasiommatamaera 2,7,13 8,9,10,12.13,18
Kiriniaroxelana 4,11,13,14,17 12,13,17,18,24,25,26
Hyponephelelupina 7 -
Spialiaorbifer 1,4,28 5
Muschampiaproto - 8.9,10,11
Carcharodusalceae 3,4,6,7,9,13,14,17 4,5,12,13,18,24
Carcharodusorientalis 14 -
Carcharodusstauderi 13,18,20 3,5,9,10,11
Thymelicussylvestris 5 -
Thymellcusacteon 2,3,4,6,7 5,8,9,10,13
Thymelicushyrax - 10
Thaleropisionia(Eversmann,1851) island. It has however been found in different nearby
One record exists for this species: a male specimen Turkishlocalities(Hesselbarthetol.1995).
(1986, Kasteilórizo) in the Goulandris Natural History In Kasteilórizo only one Celtis tree, host plant in
Museum, Kifissia, Greece. As far as we know there has Turkey,wasfound (Pamperis2009). It isinterestingthat
never been another observation of T. ionia from the L. Pamperiswasdriventothis Celtistree bythe person,
nowdeceased,whodidcollectfortheGoulandrisNatural
Phegea40(3)Ol.ix.2012:75