Has Ever Brahmaea Ledereri Rogenhofer, 1873 Inhabited the Colchis Refugium

Abstract

The biogeographical background. There are two refugial centers in Transcaucasia: Colchis (along the Black Sea coast) and Hyrcan (Hyrcania) (along the Caspian Sea shore). Elements from Europe and Asia and their biogeographical subdivisions compose flora and fauna, which combined with the diverse geomorphology (Laurasian, Gondvanian), the presence of the impressive mountain ridge of the Great Caucasus, its insularity during 100 million years (from Cretaceous time), have resulted in a high taxonomic (species, genera) richness and endemism. The both refugiais characterized by a rather uniform thermical indexes, considerably the former one. The both shelters consist of an extraordinary abundance and diversity of thermophilic woody flora (trees, shrubs and vines) belonging to Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora. Except species typical for nemoral biota, there are extremely rare species of tropical-subtropical origin, which became extinct in South Caucasus during the Tertiary (at the close of the Pliocene) climate deterioration. In response to cooling climate and physiographic changes, some rare genera became restricted to both refugia of Transcaucasia. Most of them are now confined chiefly within the Hyrcanianrefugium (species of Albizia, Gleditsia, Panthera, Hystrix). Among the invertebrate fauna of Tertiary origin should be considerably mentioned species of remarkable nocturnal Brahmin moth – Brahmaea Walker. The interdisciplinary study of the orthodox view regarding the vicariant event between two species of moths as thoughthey are indigenous of Colchis (B. ledereri) and Talysh (B. christophi) does not actually exist. The reason circumstances to express such opinion remain important due for a variety of reasons which are given below.