Zygaena tamara Christoph, 1889

Hofmann, Axel & Naderi, Alireza, 2014, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Zygaena Fabricius, 1775, in Iran (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae). Part X: On two newly discovered Mesembrynus taxa from the western Alborz, Nota Lepidopterologica 37 (2), pp. 167-181 : 171-172

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Zygaenidae

Zygaena tamara Christoph, 1889 Figs 40-72

Remarks.

The pure red populations of the Kendevan region have been described as ssp. kendevanica Tremewan, 1977, and populations with the same phenotype are found further south-west to Zanjan (Figs 49-54). Similar pure red populations occur in the Van Gölü region in eastern Turkey (ssp. placida Bang-Haas, 1913), while the Zagros range, the Iranian Talysh and Azerbaijan-e Sharqi are predominantly inhabited by populations with mixed characters of yellow forewings and red hindwings (Figs 43-45) or yellow fore- and hindwings (Figs 40-42, 46-48). A unique character that distinguishes all of these populations of Zygaena tamara from all other Mesembrynus species is the red abdominal cingulum that is present on two to three segments in the females and on three segments in the males (Figs 40-54, 63), a character that is in strong contrast to the newly discovered populations from the northern side of the Alborz range, which we here describe as Zygaena tamara dailamica ssp. n.