Jordanita graeca ( Jordan , 1907)

Koren, Toni, 2021, Contribution to the Procridinae (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae) fauna of Croatia, Zootaxa 4950 (1), pp. 61-82 : 69

Jordanita graeca ( Jordan, 1907)

Jordanita graeca is a xerothermophilous species of Ponto-Mediterranean distribution. It inhabits dry grassy plains or slopes and steppe ( Naumann et al. 1999). It is distributed from central Europe across the Balkan peninsula, southern Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia, Turkey, all to Armenia ( Naumann et al. 1999). Historical records from Croatia are rather scarce ( Habeler 1976; Witt 1987; Kranjčev 1985; Šašić et al. 2016). Of those, the records of Kranjčev (1985) from Podravina should be marked as questionable, as in its work, he does not mention the method in which he determined the correct specie’s identification and the record is far apart from other known localities for this species in Croatia ( Fig. 7 ). Within this survey the species was recorded at five additional localities, all located in the wider coastal areas of the country. One specimen was recorded also on Korčula island and represents a new species for that island which was not recorded by Rauch (1981). While the species seems to be widely distributed all across coastal parts of Croatia, it cannot be regarded as common. Indeed, it has been recorded on karstic habitats, usually grasslands, which are nowadays under threat of succession and disappearance. According to Naumann et al. (1999) J. graeca is usually present on dry grassy plains or slopes with rocks or rocky soil, which is the exact description of the habitats in Croatia.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Jordanita graeca in Croatia based on newly collected data and historical records.