Minoa murinata (Scopoli, 1763)

Rajaei, Hossein, Gelbrecht, Jörg, Schulz, Nathalie & Hausmann, Axel, 2021, Minoa lutea Schwingenschuss, 1954 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae) recognized as bona species, Zootaxa 4903 (2), pp. 255-264 : 258-259

Minoa murinata (Scopoli, 1763)

Phalaena murinata Scopoli, 1763 : Entomologia Carniolica: 229 (north-western Slovenja: Carniolia).

Phalaena Geometra sordiata Linnaeus, 1767 : Systema Naturae (ed. 12). 1 (2): 871 ( Portugal; ‘ Lusitania’), Syntype (s), in Collection of the Linnean Society London.

Phalaena fuscata Hufnagel, 1767 : Berlinisches Magazin 4 (5): 524 ( Germany: Berlin). Syntype (s), lost.

Geometra euphorbiata Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 : Ankündung [sic!] eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend: 116 ( Austria: Vienna district). Syntype (s), lost.

Phalaena Geometra unicolorata Hübner, 1787 : Beiträge zur Geschichte der Schmetterlinge 1 (2): 15, pl. (2) 3, fig. L (type locality not indicated). Syntype (s), lost.

Phalaena griseata Schrank, 1802 : Fauna boica 2 (2): 53 ( Germany: Bavaria). Syntype (s). In Scoble (1999) listed under “un-placed species”.

Minoa murinata var. monochroaria Herrich-Schäffer, 1848 : Systematische Bearbeitung der Schmetterlinge von Europa 3 (31): 109 ( Croatia: Dalmatia). Syntype (s). First available name after monochroaria Herrich-Schäffer, 1847: pl. 64, fig. 391 (nonbinominal). Validated at subspecies rank by Ebert (2001) and Hausmann & Viidalepp (2012), but retained as a synonym by Scoble (1999) and Leraut (2009). Xue & Scoble (2002) suggested that the populations from Dalmatia may be a separate species, but they recommended further study before accepting this taxonomic change. Herewith we regard this name as a synonym of Minoa murinata due to lack of significant and constant morphological differences (see the diagnostic part below).

Minoa cyparissaria Mann, 1854 : Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 4: 568 ( Croatia: Orechowitza near Rijeka, = Fiume; Gradischa). Syntypes, including at least 2 ³.

Acidalia italicata Millière, 1885 : Annales de la Société entomologique de France (6) 5 (2): 113, pl. 2, fig. 1 ( Italy: Acqui). Syntype (s) ♀.

Minoa murinata amylaria Prout, 1914 : in Seitz, Die Spanner des Palaearktischen Faunengebietes 4: 167, replacing amylaria La Harpe, 1850 (Bull. Soc. Vaudoise 3: 60: infrasubspecific) ( Switzerland: Alps). Syntype (s). Regarded as a synonym of Minoa murinata by Hausmann & Viidalepp (2012).

Minoa murinata limburgia Lempke, 1969 : Tijdschrift voor entomologie 112: 73 ( Netherlands: Limbourg, Stein). Holotype ³ male (in ITZA). Regarded as a synonym of Minoa murinata by Hausmann & Viidalepp (2012).

Unavailable name (infrasubspecific): cineraria (Staudinger, 1871)

Diagnosis. See the diagnosis part of Minoa lutea (below) (see more details in Hausmann & Viidalepp, 2012).

Bionomy. According to Hausmann & Viidalepp (2012), the larvae of Minoa murinata are monophagous, feeding exclusively on Euphorbia species. Living in dry open to semi-open habitats.

Behaviour. Diurnal activity. In few warm nights, very scarce single specimen observed at light. After disturbance, the individuals fly at low level in the habitats, where their hostplant ( Euphorbia spp.) occurs. They fly mostly flat above the vegetation at wind protected sites. Sometimes they also rest on the low growing shrubs.

Distribution. Minoa murinata is a Sub-Mediterranean species, distributed from southern England and the Pyrenees across southern central and eastern Europe (see map). The populations in Ukraine as well as in Russia need to be critically re-examined.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Wing venation of Minoa murinata (Germany).