Abstract
The geometrid mothScopulaorientalis(Alphéraky, 1876) has an apparently disjunct distribution in Europe, with local populations in the Balkans (Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania where recently discovered), as well as in Ukraine and southern European Russia. In this study, based on morphological and mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 – COI) data, we report the presence ofS.orientalisin south-eastern Romania (Dobrogea), at the northernmost limit of the Balkans. The flight time (September) of the recorded specimen, is the latest seasonal record for the Balkans, supporting the presence of at least a partial second generation. The Romanian specimen represented a unique COI haplotype which is differentiated by seven mutations from its genetically closest population in Sivas province, Turkey. The presence ofS.orientalisin Romania reduces the distributional gap between the known Balkan and Ukrainian populations and highlights the potential for a more widespread distribution that needs documentation based on directed studies.
Highlights
The ornata species-group of the genus Scopula Schrank, 1802 is represented in Europe by nine species (Hausmann 2004; Can 2009)
In this study, based on morphological and mitochondrial DNA data, we report the presence of S. orientalis in south-eastern Romania (Dobrogea), at the northernmost limit of the Balkans
In this study, based on genitalia morphology and DNA data, we report the presence of S. orientalis in the Romanian fauna
Summary
The ornata species-group of the genus Scopula Schrank, 1802 (family Geometridae) is represented in Europe by nine species (Hausmann 2004; Can 2009). Scopula orientalis (Alphéraky, 1876) has a disjunct distribution with isolated populations in the Balkans, in Ukraine, southern European Russia and southern Urals (Hausmann 2004; Beshkov 2017). A large part of the European distribution gap of this species is situated in the Romanian territory, between the northern limit of the Balkans and Ukraine. In Romania, the ornata species-group is currently known to be represented by only two species: Scopula ornata (Scopoli, 1763) and Scopula decorata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Rákosy et al 2003; Rákosy and Goia 2006), both externally similar to S. orientalis.
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