Size and shape variability of the wing in burnet moth, Zygaena ephialtes (L., 1767) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae)

Year 2022, Volume: 46 Issue: 2, 239 - 247, 01.06.2022

Tına Klenovšek , Predrag Jakšić , Franc Janžekovič

https://doi.org/10.16970/entoted.1096288

Abstract

The burnet moth, Zygaena ephialtes (L., 1767) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae) is a distinctly polymorphic species of moth appearing in several color morphotypes. This study examined whether the variability of the Z. ephialtes forewing could be explained by geometric morphometric methods. The analysis included 70 male specimens from five localities in Montenegro (Plužine, Tepca, Dobrilovina, Gusinje and Rugovska Gorge), and one locality in North Macedonia (Kožuf Mountain) belonging to the subspecies Zygaena ephialtes pannonica Holik, 1937 and Zygaena ephialtes istoki Silbernagel, 1944, respectively, collected between 1981 to 2018. The forewing outline and the aposematic color pattern formed by five spots were analyzed separately. Neither forewing size nor forewing spots pattern size exhibited interpopulation heterogeneity. Size variation of the basal spot was independent from the rest. Considering the forewing outline shape, the apical portion was the most variable and different among populations. Two morphological groups were recognized: a group with a narrower pointed forewing (samples: Kožuf Mountain, Rugovska Gorge and Tepca), and a group with a wider forewing with a blunt apex (Plužine, Gusinje). Neither the outline or the spots pattern of the forewing supported the distinction between the subspecies Z. e. pannonica and Z. e. istoki.

Keywords

Aposematic coloration, Balkan Peninsula, geographical variability, geometric morphometrics, wing pattern

Supporting Institution

the Slovenian Research Agency and the Research Programme Computationally Intensive Complex Systems

Project Number

Grant P1-0403

Burnet güvesi, Zygaena ephialtes (L., 1767) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae)’nde kanadın boy ve şekil değişkenliği

Abstract

Burnet güvesi, Zygaena ephialtes (L., 1767) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae) farklı renk morfotiplerinde görülen belirgin şekilde polimorfik bir güve türüdür. Bu çalışmada, Z. ephialtes’in ön kanatlarındaki değişkenliğin geometrik morfometri yöntemleri ile açıklanıp açıklanamayacağını incelenmiştir. Analizde, 1981 ile 2018 yılları arasında toplanan sırasıyla Zygaena ephialtes pannonica Holik, 1937 ve Zygaena ephialtes istoki Silbernagel, 1944 alt türlerine ait Karadağ'daki beş bölgeden (Plužine, Tepca, Dobrilovina, Gusinje, Rugovska Gorge) ve Kuzey Makedonya'daki bir bölgeden (Kožuf Dağı) 70 erkek örnek kullanılmıştır. Beş noktanın oluşturduğu ön kanat taslağı ve aposematik renk modeli ayrı ayrı analiz edilmiştir. Hem ön kanat boyu hem de nokta desen boyu, popülasyonlar arası heterojenlik göstermemiştir. Bazal noktanın boyut değişimi diğerlerinden bağımsızdır. Ön kanadın anahat şekli göz önüne alındığında apikal kısım, popülasyonlar arasında en değişken ve farklı olanıdır. Daha dar sivri uçlu bir grup (Örneğin: Kožuf Dağı, Rugovska Gorge ve Tepca) ve küt bir tepeye sahip daha geniş bir ön kanatlı bir grup (Plužine, Gusinje) olmak üzere iki morfolojik grup tanımlanmıştır. Ön kanadın ne anahattı ne de benek deseni, Z. e. pannonica ve Z. e. istoki alt türleri arasındaki ayrımı desteklememiştir.

Keywords

Aposematik renklenme, Balkan Yarımadası, coğrafi değişkenlik, geometrik morfometrik, kanat deseni

Project Number

Grant P1-0403

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