Rheumaptera hecate hecate (Butler, 1878)

Beljaev, E. A., 2021, Two new for Russia geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from Primorsky Krai: recent immigrants or rare species?, Far Eastern Entomologist 443, pp. 1-5 : 2-4

Rheumaptera hecate hecate (Butler, 1878)

Figs 3, 4

Melanippe hecate Butler, 1878: 448 . Type locality: Yokohama , Japan.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Russia: Primorsky Krai, Khasan District, 22 km SW of Slavyanka, Sukhanovsky Ridge, upper Gladkaya River , 42°47'52" N, 131°08'12" E ,

oak-rhododendron woodland, at day time, 10.VI 1987, 1♂, E.A. Beljaev leg.; 16

km WSW Slavyanka, middle Ryazanovka River, 42°50'35"N, 131°11'05"E, at day time, 11. VI 1989, 1♂, E. Beljaev leg.; 36 km SW of Slavyanka , eastern slopes of

Gamov Peninsula, Telyakovsky Bay, 42°34' N, 131°12' E, oak-rhododendron woodland, on light, 15–16. VI 2003, 3♂, 3♀, E. Beljaev leg.; 34 km SW of Slavyanka ,

western slopes of Gamov Peninsula, Vityaz, 42°35'57"N, 131°11'14" E, on the flowers of Arabis (Brassicaceae) , 6. VI 2004, 1 ♀, M. Proshchalykin leg.

from Ryazanovka, 2 – from Vityaz (photo by Yu.A. Tshistjakov); 3, 4 – Rheumaptera hecate hecate (Butler, 1878) from Telyakovsky Bay: 3 – male, 4 – female.

DISTRIBUTION. Nominative subspecies: Russia (first record), Japan (Honshu,

Shikoku, Kyushu) (Nakajima & Yazaki, 2011), and Korea (Choi, 2007). Subspecies

Rh. h. matsumurai Inoue, 1977 is distributed in Russia (South Sakhalin and South

Kuriles) and Japan (Hokkaido) (Nakajima & Yazaki, 2011).

REMARKS. The Russian records are located about 140 km north-east from the nearest known locality of the species in North Korea (province North Khamgen, in the vicinity of Kumgang, 15 km NW of Chondjin) (Tóth et al., 2018). Larval host plants recorded in Japan are different Ericaceae (Elliottia paniculata, Rhododendron multiflorum, Rhododendron molle, Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and Betula platyphylla

(Betulaceae) (Nakajima & Yazaki, 2011), in Korea – Rhododendron schlippenbachii

(Ericaceae) (Kim et al., 2016); in the thickets of the latter, the moths were caught on the Sukhanovsky Ridge and at the Telyakovsky Bay in Russia.

Geometrid moths, in comparison with other large families of Macrolepidoptera,

are mostly conservative to their habitats and possess low migratory activity, which made this family highly convenient for biogeography studies (Holloway, 1986; Beljaev, 2011). Considering these properties, the finding of Rh. hecate and P. misera could indicate presence of native populations of these species in the Russian Far East.

Collecting history of Rh. hecate suggests it may be native for explored area at least from end of XX century. This species was unlikely missed earlier due to its bright wing patterns and diurnal activity. But most of the specimens have been collected in less visited locations. Absence of records of Rh. hecate after 2004 is probably the result of lack of collecting of geometrids during the flight of this species in their habitats. As for P. misera, this rare and outwardly similar to common and simulta-

neously flying Esakiopteryx volitans (Butler, 1878) could be unnoticed earlier.

However, unambiguous conclusion whether these species are long-lived inhabitants of this area in Russia or invaded recently is problematic because of highly insuffi-

cient entomological studies in Khasan District in XX century. Nevertheless, the discussed finds of Rh. hecate and P. misera in the Russian Far East correspond to the current global warming trend.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Geometrid moths. 1, 2 – Paratrichopteryx misera (Butler, 1879), female: 1 –