Ambulyx tobii (Inoue, 1976), 2013

Koshkin, Evgeny S., Bezborodov, Vitaly G. & Kuzmin, Aleksandr A., 2021, Range dynamics of some nemoral species of Lepidoptera in the Russian Far East due to climate change, Ecologica Montenegrina 45, pp. 62-71 : 66

Ambulyx tobii (Inoue, 1976) ( Fig. 2F )

Material examined. 3 ♂, Russia, Khabarovsk Kray, Bikin district, 8 km SE Boitsovo village, upper reaches of Shivki River, vicinity of Shivki scientific station of Institute of Water and Ecology Problems FEB RAS, 46°55'06" N, 134°23'04" E, 165 m, mixed coniferous- broad leaved forest, 29.06– 1.07.2021 (E.S. Koshkin leg.) ; 3 ♂, Russia, Primorsky Kray, Chernigovsky district , 4 km SE Merkushevka village, 44°21'50" N, 132°50'28" E, 230 m, mixed coniferous- broad leaved forest, 18.06.2021 ( V. G. Bezborodov leg.) .

Remarks. This East Asian species was first collected in the territory of the Russian Federation in the Khasan district of the Primorsky Kray in 2011 ( Koshkin & Bezborodov 2013). Its population in Russia was increasing from year to year, and its range was actively extending northwards. Thus, in 2014, A. tobii was recorded in the Oktyabrsky district of the Primorsky Kray; in 2015, it was found in the vicinity of Vladivostok and Ussuriysk ( Koshkin et al. 2015). According to the observations made by E.S. Koshkin and V.G. Bezborodov, it was already a common species in the vicinity of Kaimanovka village (Ussuriysk district) in 2018: up to 20 specimens were attracted to a light source per night in early June. In 2021, A. tobii was found much further to the north: in the Chernigovsky district of the Primorsky Kray and the Bikin district of the Khabarovsk Kray ( Fig. 1 ). All the specimens collected in the Chernigovsky district in mid-June were already heavily damaged, while moths sampled in the regions lying to the north (southern Khabarovsk Kray) in late June/early July were much better condition. Therefore, an assumption that the specimens collected in the Bikin district have migrated from the southern regions can be ruled out. Hence, A. tobii has extended its range by ~ 600 km northward over the 11-year period. Larvae feed on various Acer species; A. mandshuricum was mentioned for the southern Primorsky Kray ( Zolotuhin & Evdoshenko 2019). According to the personal communication of A.A. Voronkov (August 31, 2021), he was rearing larvae on A. pictum , which has a very wide range in the southern Russian Far East. Meanwhile, in Japan, larvae feed on Juglans ailantifolia (An Identification Guide…, 2021), with J. mandshurica , which is widespread in the southern part of the Russian Far East, being its close relative. It is possible that A. tobii larvae are oligophagous and can feed on different families of plants. The morphology of the immature stages of A. tobii has not been described yet. However, the larvae shown in photo no. 13 (plate 15) in the book by Zolotuhin and Evdoshenko (2019) does not belong to the A. tobii species but is a colored form of Callambulyx tatarinovii (Bremer & Grey, 1853) . Taking into account the dynamics of northward range extension of A. tobii , the number and condition of the collected specimens, and the presence of host plants of larvae, it is fair to say that the species is currently actively naturalizing in the western Primorsky Kray and the southern Khabarovsk Kray. If the climate warming trends persist, one should expect further northward range extension of A. tobii , at least to the vicinity of Khabarovsk city, whose climatic parameters are similar to those of the Bikin district of the Khabarovsk Kray and western Primorsky Kray.

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution records of the some nemoral species of Lepidoptera in the southern part of the Amur region (Russia).

Figure 2. Some species of Lepidoptera from Amur region (Russia): A – Lobocla bifasciata, 1.07.2021; B, C – Chrysozephyrus brillantinus, 16.07.2021; D – Clanis undulosa, 30.06.2021; E – Acosmeryx naga, 3.07.2021; F – Ambulyx tobii, 1.07.2021; G – Rhagastis mongoliana, 3.07.2021; H, I, J – Siglophora sanguinolenta (H, I –25– 27.07.2021, J – live specimen, 9.09.2021). A, B, D–J – upperside, C – underside. A–H, J – males, I – female. Localities: A – 7 km N Tarmanchukan; B, C – 2 km S Voronezhskoe–1; D, F, H–J – 8 km SE Boitsovo; E – Mokhovaya Pad’; G – 4.5 km NW Rachi.